THL TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1896.
Torch of Reason
R E L IG IO U S R E F O R M .
this mass of superstition, hut, from peuded upon making the people be-
the lack of power to separate these lieve this one thought; hut. lieing
In o rd e r to h a v e c h a r ity for those
truths from the many falsehoods, a young man of intelligence and
'ibe Only Secular Paper Published on the "'*■'»
>rkm g ft>r w hat th v v c o n - people have kindly swallowed the reason, he could not lielieve. W hen
PdCiuc vUibl.
siiter g re a t reform s, people sh o u ld
whole thing, Jonah, whale and he read in one part of God’s (?)
— know so m e !h iag of th e h isto ry o f re
all.
word that Jacob saw God face to
Published Weekly by the Oregon State form s. T h e re is one fact esp ecially we
Most Christians sav that if we re- face, and in another that no man
Secular Union.
should know and th a t is, th a t evert
jcct part of the bible we must re- bath seen God at any time, be
---
J E HOSM ER . . . .
E ditor ciples when adopted have been a ject it ail. \\ hat an absurdity! could not lielieve both; and so,
Are wt‘ obliged to disbelieve the after much worry and prayer vvith-
P. W.GEfcR . . . Business M anager help to civilization, has at some
golden rule which was taught years out coining any nearer toa solution
time during its history been in the
before the bible was written, or some of the horrible problem, be sought
Entered at the ¡xistotfice at Silverton, |
a ,l,l as a general thing simple'fact just because we can not ga v company todrown bis thoughts,
has been obliged to overcome the
O re g o n , a s se o n d class .n a il n a tte r.
believe that the first woman was Finally the social glass gives wav
greatest amount of prejudice.
made from a rib of the first man, to the habitual spree and he l>e-
«i l. C K IP ÎIO N H A I’- s .
For centuries, men claiming to or that grass and herbs were ere- comes a drunken sot. At last one
One V eer, in m in t c e .........
•1 Hl have a call from god, have made
ated before the sun?
night, his manhood gone, his body
Six -Muntil«, in ad v an ce................ .......
30
'i hr« e Munta». in advance .. .
...............
2í> i a livelihood for themselves and
\\ ben we see widows toiling diseased, his reason wrecked, he is
In ( ’lulu, of 1 or m ore one year, in ».«Ivance.
7
5
families
and
gained
great
repute
by
at the wash-tub to earn a support persuaded to attend a revival and,
Money -h eu ld te* «eut by registered letter or
teaching the most absurd theories for their children, paying their under the excitement, his poor rea
m oney order.
Pie se e d uh the nam es and ad Irete»w> of ”®c-! im aginable aild ill
uch a systa lm rd earned pennies to keep th e! son gives up entirely and he be-
uiariMtrt w o a e not regular subscribe ».
matic way as to insure their per family of a lazy clergyman in lux lieves.
petual success. They hive organ
Me now goes about his work in a
THURSDAY . . DECEMBER 1 7 ,2 9 6 , E. M ized and gathered the children to ury and ease and enable him to
teach Ids ruinous doctrines of blood dazed sort of a way, but he is pat
gether and taught them these doc atonement and submission to the ronized by the good church people
A R E L IG IO N FO R ALL-
trines as the greatest of divine church; when we see n.tn paying for he gives at least one tenth of his
It has been quite a puzzle for truths; and thus taught, the child- hundreds of dollars of their hard earnings to the church, and a good
some to understand just how our ren have grown up and in their earned money to a priest in order sister, the other day, told the miu-
Secular organizations can prosper turn have become teachers of the that he may prevent 1 lie poor man’s , ister that “Mr. So-and-So” was a
and accomplish our objects as long same dwarfing, narrowing super dead son from rem lining in purga-1 jewell that would shine in their
as we have no standard of moral stitions. There is no doubt that tory, compelling his wife and i dear pastor’s crown in that beauti-
ity, i. e., as long as we let people some of th ese religious teachers be daughters to tell all their little lui city beyond the skies.
join our ranks without making any lieve these dogmas for it seems pos secrets in order to be forgiven, we
Believing false doctrine may
iron-clad promises to refrain from sible for man to believe anything, wonder bow long before we can make some men better, but it is not
but the result is the same and the break away from this bondage of true and it is not necessary for
bad habits, etc., etc.
This is just where Secularism has time has come when civilized peo- priestcraft and become a free peo- men of this age to be kept in ig-
a great advantage over the orthodox pie should teach their children and ple, and we say to ourself, every norance. Surely no barm can
churches. People who cannot be the poor heathen something better man who loves liberty of thought <»me from knowing the truth and
lieve in the creeds are ostracized lor the foundation of their charac should become a Moses and help I think there has been but verv
and often go to the bad, because ters than the old foolish stories and lead the people out of this dark little good done by believing that
they cannot have the society of the traditions of the ancient Jews. But Egypt of superstition. We ought ¡part of orthodoxy which we are
moral people of the Christian why should we care, does it harm to gather up the jewels of morality, pleased to call superstition. Christ-
churches. Now what we want is
Yes, this superstition is now and, passing through the Red sea iau friends, just think what a
to get all good nn-n and women to holding back our civilization with of prejudice, enter the promised mighty wrong you are imposing
join together on a basis of right a grip that will take years to loosen land of freedom which floweth with upon the world provided it is a
living, as understood by the beet and we, as individuals are injured; the milk of human kindness and mistake. Think of the hypocrites
men and women of all ages, and f°r, as the book from whence comes the honey of religious liberty.
you are making; think of the waste
thus furnish our poor forsaken, these doctrines itself states, the
But someone says, “ I believe in of time and energy that could be
mistaken brothers and sisters a chief hero, the son of god, or as this orthodox religion for just see used in the cause of truth and
place where they will have a chance some claim, god himself manifest what it did for Mr. So-and-So. He right or in teaching the laws of na
to become lietter.
in the flesh, came not to bring was a drunken good-for-nothing fel ture. Just ask yourself honestly,
Yes, we want everybody to join peace hut a sword and that he came low, but since he joined the church, does it do men auy good to believe
us and help to break down the hate- to set a man at variance against he has been as industrious and so- that one man or being could pay
ful creedism, lift up those who have his father, and the daughter against her as he can be.”
the debt or suffer for another’s sins
fallen and save the young from the her mother and that a man’s foes
Does this prove that everything or that all must lie punished on ac
awful mistakes that make this life should be of bis own household, Mr. So-and-So believes is true? If
count of the first man’s sin and
such a hell.
This has proven true instead of the he came to the conclusion that“wine that sin, think of it, was taking
Come and join our ranks and do contradictory statement that his is a mocker, strong drink is raging
the advice of his darling wife who
what good you can ‘‘while it is day: coming brought peace on earth and whosoever is deceived thereby advised him to eat some fruit which
the night comcth when no man can and good will to men. The is not wise,’ and had the courage to
God bad temptingly placed in their
work.”
churches themselves art* a living stand bv bis convictions, it would reach.
There are many people who are example of this enmity and hatred hardly be necessary for him to be-
Does it do any good to believe
very detrimental to society and we for where will you find more direct * ijHVe ¡„ vvjtehe« or in the story of the storv of the flood, the confusion
call them bad, but these are not al- opposition than between the Roman the loaves and fishes. In fact he of tongues, the sun standing still,
together bad. They have much Catholic or mother church and her
have been saved without be the casting out devils, or bringing
good in them after all, and standing daughters the protestant churches? Hef in anything supernatural and the dead to life? Should people
aloof from them will not make them
Think of the blood shed, the thus he would also be saved from wast their time any longer in try
better. Let us not lie afraid of soil-( hangings, the burnings done all in the degrading servitude of the gross ing to believe these stories? Is the
ing our own characters. We can, the name cf Christ; both catholic est of superstitions.
bible the word of God? Why
if we have the manhood or woman- and protestant worshipping the The truth is we are personally must we believe it when after car
hood that we may have, keep our- same god, trusting in the same acquainted with Mr. So-and-So and ful investigation we can see no
selves pure and yet a-Bociate with savior and believing the same mir- know the cause of his drinking, j logical reason for believing that
what some would call pu bhcans aculous story of the virgin mother. J When a hoy he was carefully kept it’s not the works of men? Would
and sinners. Dear Christian friends And has this war ceased? No, al in Sunday school, and here he had
a kind aud loving father place
they will not come to us, we must though men who possessed corn- indelibly stamped upon his young
any of his children in such a pre-
go to them. Will you leave your mon sense have made laws which mind that he must believe or lie dieament? Think of it carefully
“lofty throne of creedism” and be- protect us from the worst fanati- damned.
At church this was and honestly. Isn’t it the work
come a savior of men by preaching asms yet the work of hatred is go- drilled into him bv a very pow
of men who have had an object in
to the needy the glad gospel of ¡ng 0„ today. To be sure there , erfu,
pl.eacl,er> wh„ worked a„
view
Secularism.
have been many truths mixed with though his bread and butter de-
Are we obliged to believe that a