The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Complete Contents...

(1881.)

I. Col. Ingersoll's Opening Paper—Statement of the Fundamental Truths of Christianity—Reasons for Thinking that Portions of the Old Testament are the Product of a Barbarous People—Passages upholding Slavery, Polygamy, War, and Religious Persecution not Evidences of Inspiration—If the Words are not Inspired, What Is?—Commands of Jehovah compared with the Precepts of Pagans and Stoics—Epictetus, Cicero, Zeno, Seneca, Brahma—

II. The New Testament—Why were Four Gospels Necessary?—Salvation by Belief—The Doctrine of the Atonement—The Jewish System Culminating in the Sacrifice of Christ—Except for the Crucifixion of her Son, the Virgin Mary would be among the Lost—What Christ must have Known would Follow the Acceptance of His Teachings—The Wars of Sects, the Inquisition, the Fields of Death—Why did he not Forbid it All?—The Little that he Revealed—The Dogma of Eternal Punishment—Upon Love's Breast the Church has Placed the Eternal Asp—

III. The "Inspired" Writers—Why did not God furnish Every Nation with a Bible?

II. Judge Black's Reply—His Duty that of a Policeman—The Church not in Danger—Classes who Break out into Articulate Blasphemy—The Sciolist—Personal Remarks about Col. Ingersoll—Chief-Justice Gibson of Pennsylvania Quoted—We have no Jurisdiction or Capacity to Rejudge the Justice of God—The Moral Code of the Bible—Civil Government of the Jews—No Standard of Justice without Belief in a God—Punishments for Blasphemy and Idolatry Defended—Wars of Conquest—Allusion to Col. Ingersoll's War Record—Slavery among the Jews—Polygamy Discouraged by the Mosaic Constitution—Jesus of Nazareth and the Establishment of his Religion—Acceptance of Christianity and Adjudication upon its Divinity—The Evangelists and their Depositions—The Fundamental Truths of Christianity—Persecution and Triumph of the Church—Ingersoll's Propositions Compressed and the Compressions Answered—Salvation as a Reward of Belief—Punishment of Unbelief—The Second Birth, Atonement, Redemption, Non-resistance, Excessive Punishment of Sinners, Christ and Persecution, Christianity and Freedom of Thought, Sufficiency of the Gospel, Miracles, Moral Effect of Christianity.

III. Col. Ingersoll's Rejoinder—How this Discussion Came About—Natural Law—The Design Argument—The Right to Rejudge the Justice even of a God—Violation of the Commandments by Jehovah—Religious Intolerance of the Old Testament—Judge Black's Justification of Wars of Extermination—His Defence of Slavery—Polygamy not "Discouraged" by the Old Testament—Position of Woman under the Jewish System and under that of the Ancients—a "Policeman's" View of God—Slavery under Jehovah and in Egypt—The Admission that Jehovah gave no Commandment against Polygamy—The Learned and Wise Crawl back in Cribs—Alleged Harmony of Old and New Testaments—On the Assertion that the Spread of Christianity Proves the Supernatural Origin of the Gospel—The Argument applicable to All Religions—Communications from Angels ana Gods—Authenticity of the Statements of the Evangelists—Three Important Manuscripts—Rise of Mormonism—Ascension of Christ—The Great Public Events alleged as Fundamental Truths of Christianity—Judge Black's System of "Compression"—"A Metaphysical Question"—Right and Wrong—Justice—Christianity and Freedom of Thought—Heaven and Hell—Production of God and the Devil—Inspiration of the Bible dependent on

the Credulity of the Reader—Doubt of Miracles—The World before Christ's Advent—Respect for the Man Christ—The Dark Ages—Institutions of Mercy—Civil Law.

(1887.) An Open Letter to Robert G. Ingersoll—Superstitions—Basis of Religion—Napoleon's Question about the Stars—The Idea of God—Crushing out Hope—Atonement, Regeneration, and Future Retribution—Socrates and Jesus—The Language of Col. Ingersoll characterized as too Sweeping—The Sabbath—But a Step from Sneering at Religion to Sneering at Morality. A Reply to the Rev. Henry M. Field, D. D.—Honest Differences of Opinion—Charles Darwin—Dr. Field's Distinction between Superstition and Religion—The Presbyterian God an Infinite Torquemada—Napoleon's Sensitiveness to the Divine Influence—The Preference of Agassiz—The Mysterious as an Explanation—The Certainty that God is not what he is Thought to Be—Self-preservation the Fibre of Society—Did the Assassination of Lincoln Illustrate the Justice of God's Judgments?—Immortality—Hope and the Presbyterian Creed—To a Mother at the Grave of Her Son—Theological Teaching of Forgiveness—On Eternal Retribution—Jesus and Mohammed—Attacking the Religion of Others—Ananias and Sapphira—The Pilgrims and Freedom to Worship—The Orthodox Sabbath—Natural Restraints on Conduct—Religion and Morality—The Efficacy of Prayer—Respect for Belief of Father and

Mother—The "Power behind Nature"—Survival of the Fittest—The Saddest Fact—"Sober Second Thought." A Last Word to Robert G. Ingersoll, by Dr. Field—God not a Presbyterian—Why Col. Ingersoll's Attacks on Religion are Resented—God is more Merciful than Man—Theories about the Future Life—Retribution a Necessary Part of the Divine Law—The Case of Robinson Crusoe—Irresistible Proof of Design—Col. Ingersoll's View of Immortality—An Almighty Friend. Letter to Dr. Field—The Presbyterian God—What the Presbyterians Claim—The "Incurably Bad"—Responsibility for not seeing Things Clearly—Good Deeds should Follow even Atheists—No Credit in Belief—Design Argument that Devours Itself—Belief as a Foundation of Social Order—No Consolation in Orthodox Religion—The "Almighty Friend" and the Slave Mother—a Hindu Prayer—Calvinism—Christ not the Supreme Benefactor of the Race. COLONEL INGERSOLL ON CHRISTIANITY. (1888.) Some Remarks on his Reply to Dr. Field by the Hon. Wm. E. Gladstone—External Triumph and Prosperity of the Church—A Truth Half Stated—Col. Ingersoll's Tumultuous Method and lack of Reverential Calm—Jephthah's Sacrifice—Hebrews xii Expounded—The Case of Abraham—Darwinism and the

Scriptures—Why God demands Sacrifices of Man—Problems admitted to be Insoluble—Relation of human Genius to Human Greatness—Shakespeare and Others—Christ and the Family Relation—Inaccuracy of Reference in the Reply—Ananias and Sapphira—The Idea of Immortality—Immunity of Error in Belief from Moral Responsibility—On Dishonesty in the Formation of Opinion—A Plausibility of the Shallowest kind—The System of Thuggism—Persecution for Opinion's Sake—Riding an Unbroken Horse. Col. Ingersoll to Mr. Gladstone—On the "Impaired" State of the human Constitution—Unbelief not Due to Degeneracy—Objections to the Scheme of Redemption—Does Man Deserve only Punishment?—"Reverential Calm"—The Deity of the Ancient Jews—Jephthah and Abraham—Relation between Darwinism and the Inspiration of the Scriptures—Sacrifices to the Infinite—What is Common Sense?—An Argument that will Defend every Superstition—The Greatness of Shakespeare—The Absolute Indissolubility of Marriage—Is the Religion of Christ for this Age?—As to Ananias and Sapphira—Immortality and People of Low Intellectual Development—Can we Control our Thought?—Dishonest Opinions Cannot be Formed—Some Compensations for Riding an "Unbroken Horse."

(1888.) "The Church Its Own Witness," by Cardinal Manning—Evidence that Christianity is of Divine Origin—The Universality of the Church—Natural Causes not Sufficient to Account for the Catholic Church—-The World in which Christianity Arose—Birth of Christ—From St Peter to Leo XIII.—The First Effect of Christianity—Domestic Life's Second Visible Effect—Redemption of Woman from traditional Degradation—Change Wrought by Christianity upon the Social, Political and International Relations of the World—Proof that Christianity is of Divine Origin and Presence—St. John and the Christian Fathers—Sanctity of the Church not Affected by Human Sins. A Reply to Cardinal Manning—

I. Success not a Demonstration of either Divine Origin or Supernatural Aid—Cardinal Manning's Argument More Forcible in the Mouth of a Mohammedan—Why Churches Rise and Flourish—Mormonism—Alleged Universality of the Catholic Church—Its "inexhaustible Fruitfulness" in Good Things—The Inquisition and Persecution—Not Invincible—Its Sword used by Spain—Its Unity not Unbroken—The State of the World when Christianity was Established—The Vicar of Christ—A Selection from Draper's "History of the Intellectual Development of Europe"—Some infamous Popes—Part

II. How the Pope Speaks—Religions Older than Catholicism and having the Same Rites and Sacraments—Is Intellectual Stagnation a Demonstration of Divine Origin?—Integration and Disintegration—The Condition of the World 300 Years Ago—The Creed of Catholicism—The "One true God" with a Knowledge of whom Catholicism has "filled the World"—Did the Catholic Church overthrow Idolatry?—Marriage—Celibacy—Human Passions—The Cardinal's Explanation of Jehovah's abandonment of the Children of Men for four thousand Years—Catholicism tested by Paganism—Canon Law and Convictions had Under It—Rival Popes—Importance of a Greek "Inflection"—The Cardinal Witnesses.

(1889.) Preface by the Editor of the North American Review—Introduction, by the Rev. S. W. Dike, LL. D.—A Catholic View by Cardinal Gibbons—Divorce as Regarded by the Episcopal Church, by Bishop, Henry C. Potter—Four Questions Answered, by Robert G. Ingersoll.

Reply to Cardinal Gibbons—Indissolubility of Marriage a Reaction from Polygamy—Biblical Marriage—Polygamy Simultaneous and Successive—Marriage and Divorce in the Light of Experience—Reply to Bishop Potter—Reply to Mr. Gladstone—Justice Bradley—Senator Dolph—The argument Continued in Colloquial Form—Dialogue between Cardinal Gibbons and a Maltreated Wife—She Asks the Advice of Mr. Gladstone—The Priest who Violated his Vow—Absurdity of the Divorce laws of Some States. REPLY TO DR. LYMAN ABBOTT. (1890) Dr. Abbott's Equivocations—Crimes Punishable by Death under Mosaic and English Law—Severity of Moses Accounted for by Dr. Abbott—The Necessity for the Acceptance of Christianity—Christians should be Glad to Know that the Bible is only the Work of Man and that the New Testament Life of Christ is Untrue—All the Good Commandments, Known to the World thousands of Years before Moses—Human Happiness of More Consequence than the Truth about God—The Appeal to Great Names—Gladstone not the Greatest Statesman—What the Agnostic Says—The Magnificent Mistakes of Genesis—The Story of Joseph—Abraham as a "self-Exile for Conscience's Sake." REPLY TO ARCHDEACON FARRAR. (1890.) Revelation as an Appeal to Man's "Spirit"—What is Spirit and what is "Spiritual Intuition"?—The Archdeacon in Conflict with St. Paul—

II. The Obligation to Believe without Evidence—

III. Ignorant Credulity—

IV. A Definition of Orthodoxy—

V. Fear not necessarily Cowardice—Prejudice is Honest—The Ola has the Advantage in an Argument—St. Augustine—Jerome—the Appeal to Charlemagne—Roger Bacon—Lord Bacon a Defender of the Copernican System—The Difficulty of finding out what Great Men Believed—Names Irrelevantly Cited—Bancroft on the Hessians—Original Manuscripts of the Bible—

VI. An Infinite Personality a Contradiction in Terms—

VII. A Beginningless Being—

VIII. The Cruelties of Nature not to be Harmonized with the Goodness of a Deity—Sayings from the Indian—Origen, St. Augustine, Dante, Aquinas.

(1890.) A Reply to the Dean of St. Paul—Growing Confidence in the Power of Kindness—Crimes against Soldiers and Sailors—Misfortunes Punished as Crimes—The Dean's Voice Raised in Favor of the Brutalities of the Past—Beating of Children—Of Wives—Dictum of Solomon.