Some Mistakes of MosesPrometheus Books, 1986 - 270 síður Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-99), the "Great Agnostic," was the greatest freethought orator in the history of the United States. No public speaker before or since has enjoyed the reputation accorded him. After the Civil War, Ingersoll embarked upon a career as a lecturer, touring the United States to make his thoughts on religion, women's rights, and humanism known to all. Some Mistakes of Moses, one of the most popular of these lectures, is a critical examination of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). Ingersoll passionately believed that the alleged divine origins of the Bible were not sufficient reason for a suspension of critical judgement. His diatribe against Old Testament religion is a call for rationality, a quality sorely missing in this time of political upheaval in the world in the name of religion. Ingersoll greatly feared that when the Bible was read as truth rather than as a collection of fables, mankind would destroy itself in its attempt to follow the teachings of Moses to the letter. Ingersoll fervently believed that the most important belief one can have is belief in man. "Theology is a superstition - Humanity is a religion" - this was the credo of Robert G. Ingersoll. Now, a new generation of readers can thrill to Ingersoll's brilliant and witty rhetoric, just as great thinkers Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Eugene V. Debs, and others did almost one hundred years ago. |
From inside the book
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Síða 76
... simply a barbaric myth and fable . It hardly seems reasonable that God , if there is one , would either stop the globe , change the consti- tution of the atmosphere or the nature of light simply to afford Joshua an opportunity to kill ...
... simply a barbaric myth and fable . It hardly seems reasonable that God , if there is one , would either stop the globe , change the consti- tution of the atmosphere or the nature of light simply to afford Joshua an opportunity to kill ...
Síða 97
... simply by his creative fiat cause a rib slowly to expand , grow and divide into nerve , ligament , car- tilage and flesh ? How was the woman created from a rib ? How was man created simply from dust ? For my part , I cannot believe this ...
... simply by his creative fiat cause a rib slowly to expand , grow and divide into nerve , ligament , car- tilage and flesh ? How was the woman created from a rib ? How was man created simply from dust ? For my part , I cannot believe this ...
Síða 164
... simply to keep his agreement in his memory ? For me it is impossible to believe the story of the deluge . It seems so cruel , so barbaric , so crude in detail , so absurd in all its parts , and so contrary to all we know of law , that ...
... simply to keep his agreement in his memory ? For me it is impossible to believe the story of the deluge . It seems so cruel , so barbaric , so crude in detail , so absurd in all its parts , and so contrary to all we know of law , that ...
Efni
Chapter Pag I SOME MISTAKES OF MOSES | 13 |
FREE SCHOOLS | 26 |
THE POLITICIANS | 31 |
Höfundarréttur | |
26 aðrir hlutar ekki sýndir
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Common terms and phrases
absurd Adam and Eve admit animals babes barbaric beasts believe Bible birds blood Canaan Canaanites cattle changed children of Israel Christian church commanded created creation creature creeping things crime destroy dust earth edited Egyptians eternal existed fact fathers firmament first-born flesh flood forever fowls fruit garden Garden of Eden give heaven Hebrews hell helpmeet herb honest hornets human ideas infinite inspired James Randi Jehovah Jews Kendrick Frazier kill land of Egypt language laws liberty light lived Lord magicians of Egypt mankind matter miles mind minister miracle Moses and Aaron never Noah Paul Kurtz Pentateuch Pharaoh polygamy priests promised punished reason religion savage seems serpent shalt simply Sinai slavery story supposed tell Thomas Szasz thou thought thousand three million told Moses tree true truth unto wife woman wonderful words worship