the
TORCH
of
REASON, SIL V E R T O N , o R E tiO N , T H I'R S D A Y , -H LV ■>!>, 1st',
Church M eeting.
self-evident tiu th th a t the universe
so-called heavenly holies are kept
Atheism and Agnosticism .
¡s w ithout limit. But really, you
There will lx? a regular business
in place. If there was a lim it, be­
don’t
know , ami so you are some­
m eeting of the Silverton Secular
yond which there were no such
E iutok T oki ii of R eason :
what
agnostic.
We
cannot
conceive
We find in vour issue of J u * v i bodies, there would lie nothing to
C hurch at Liberal H all next Sun­
the
universe
or
anything
w
ithout
a
8th. the following, to which we de- ho|(j tbe o u t|ying ones in place,
day. The principle business coin­
lim
it;
neither
can
we
th
in
k
of
it
sire to make a few suggestions, a> rtl,d they would fall into the n ex t
ing before the meeting will he the
wi
h
a
limit.
We
cannot,
therefore,
we cannot accept your statem ent near„st> a nd the attraction having
adoption or rejection of a resolution
conceive
of
a
center;
neither
can
we
th at the existence of a God cannot been withdraw n by the displace-
amending the constitution so as to
c
*nc
ive
of
a
thing
w
ithout
a
center.
be disproved: “ We believe that me|1^ of ^be first, they too, with J
conform with the S tate I Ilion. It
We
no
not know , and we still m ust
atheism and agnosticism are both ^jiej r increase, would fall into the
is of the utm ost im portance th a t
remain
atheistic
a
n
d
agnostic.
right
If we were asked the que
next nearest, and all would coin*
all the mem bers he in attendance
tion do you believe there is a , toj, eth er in <»ne common mass at
co th at an intelligent vote may be
E q u a l-R ig h ts For th e Boy.
G od?’ we Could truthfully answ er one COI1|I1JO11 center. A common
had.
‘n o ,’ and this belief makes one an (.e i|le r js> therefore, logically an
As the requirem ents for m em ber­
If a man had a $50 hull pup lie
atheist.
If, however, we were ¡m jM)S!*ibility for tu.it which Iris n » would look after it carefully and ship now stan d any one may become
asked the question ‘do you know | | m j( can j1;|Ve
center
Ami as
not h*t it run around at night all a m em ber by signing the objects of
there i.-no God?’ we would answer, tfaer can be nQ cel,ter. there can
over town. But if he has a boy it the church, and no fees or dues are
•no, we do not positively know ;’ and be no central source ruling ami
is different.
He is turned loose at required. T his does not ap p ear to
th is lack of absolute knowledge governing the uuiver-e, and tr<>m
a tender age to go f » 'h e devil, and be a safe way, since the church
makes one agnostic.”
which all au th o rity and law- em a­ then people wonder where the owns considerable property and
W hile we fully adm it it is im ­
nate.
g reat arm y of tram ps, bum s, dead- should, of course, he very careful
possible to prove there is a God,
It is sim ply an imp'»ssibility, ami
in regard to m em bership. If the
it would seem quite easy <d dein from these sell-evident tru th s, the beats, loafers, gam blers and d ru n k ­
organization is worth belonging to
onstration th at there can he no such conclusion is irresistable, there can ards come from each decade. They
at all, it is worth paying for and
thing as the C hristian Go 1, if any , be no such th in g as a God ruling are germ inated from pure seed,
surely every true Seculsriet would
credit is given to the logic of re a ­ and governing t n* universe. I he gathered from our homes ami sown
be willing to pay a sm all m em ber­
son. T he first proposition is based point where your university is lo - , broadcast on our streets and alleys,
ship fee and thereby assist in getting
en tirely on faith w ithout reason, cated is as much the center as any it may he th at your boy is m aking
At all I some funds into the Church treas­
and no th in g hut the fancies of im other conceivable point, and any ; a trrowlh in this direction.
agination to support if, while the other conceivable poi.it is as m uch events the hoy ought to he given an ury bv which w’e can oetter < a n \
latter is as susceptible of dem on­ th e center as it. The sim ple tru th equal showing with the hull pup.— on our work.
A M embek .
stration as th at one and one make is, the laws w hich govern the uni-
Ex.
two, or the geom etrical proposition verse, and all things w ithin it, are
th at the square, described upon the a part of it, and alw ays have been.
base of a right angle triangle, is They are of it, and a part of it.
equal to the sum of the squares de­ They em anate from no central
scribed on the two sides. These source, for there is and can he no
are reasoning processes, based on central source from which to e m a ­
self-evident tru th s, and m ust he nate.
They operate only when
correct, as they prove them selves. conditions perm it, a id tlicv create
The so called pagan delegated to the conditions u »on which to oper­
different objects suprem e powers,
ate.
attrib u tes and au th o rity .
Each
The C hristian conception th at
god w ithin its own sphere being God is an enlarged m an, ex istin g
suprem e. I he C hristian God com ­ at some central point and com ­
bines all these attrib u tes, powers m anding ami directing all things is
and auth o rity . He is the one su ­ not tenable. It is co n trary
to
preme central source, com m anding known facts, and co n trary to the
and directing all things from one logic of reason from known facts.
central source, and from this cen­
Such a God is an im possibility.
tral source all laws and all things
The proposition cannot he m ain ­
pertaining to the uni verse em anate tained by facts or reason. T he
This claim presupposes a common
. . .
. .
«„hi
,
, . ,
, ,.
wicked pagan had as m uch rig h t ,
center, from which such directions
. . . .
to delegate these powers to any v ls-
come, and from which such laws
“ Keep the Torch of Reason Burning
ible object their fancies m ight se­
em anate. If, then, there is no cen­
lect, as the modern C hristian to a
ter there can be no central source
fancied enlarged m an.
from which directions come, or
Both are pure products of fancy,
laws em anate, and the theory or
and the world is rapidly coming to
claim of a central governing C hris­ know and understand this, and are
tian God m ust tall by the very looking hevond m an-m ade Gods
fa d s of the situati.....
for the tru e solution of the pro!.-
We believe it to he a sell evident
1
Price, Ten cents.
tru th that the universe is w ithout lems ot the u n i\c i-e .
C has K. 'T e n n e y .
lim it. At h a st it is so adm itted
IJoifGh ©f 1 «
S o n g Book
1.
by those who are not blinded by
W isconsin.
prejudice, and whose minds can
, • v. o
r
,
f
.
...
.. .
T h a t’s right, B rother le n n y , let’s
get beyond the lim its ot a forty-
,
,
*
'
..
ta k about these things, and perhaps
acre lot. To illustrate our position,
, ,
. , ..
...
. . r
wc and our friends may lx? lead to
wre m ight, if possible, sta rt from
, .
.
,
discover some tru th s,
anv point on this earth , and going
.
- 1
We like your criticism , and are
in a straight line in anv direction,
•
,
s e ,
perfectly well satisfied th a t vou are
at the rate of a billion miles a sec- '
. •
.
.
, „
,
right in believing th a t there is no
ond, fo ra billion years and we would
, . .
...
i
.
,
such being as a m an-like god, or
be no nearer the limit than when
?
.
.
th a t there is one particle of proof
we started. 1 here would still be a
,
'
v
.
, .
.«
. o f any god w hatever. \ ou see, we
beyond, and there is no place at
J
e
’
¡ 1 ,»
i
i are atheistic. But when we talk of
which there would not be a beyond.
,
.. ..
„•
.
knowing , we have to adm it that we
The law s of a ttra c tio n and gravita-
’
ti >n dem onstrate there can be no don’t know very much,
lim it. It is by these laws th a t all
You sav you believe it to be a (
The above shows the exact size of the little song book we
have just completed. It contains thirty-two pages. The eongs
are set to familiar tunes and should be in every Freethought
home and Sunday school. Send us an order. I rice, 10 cts.
P lie L i t t l e C a n d le
A weekly paper for the young people. Entirely free from supersti­
tion. Devoted to Secular Sunday-school work, and containing les­
sons for each Snnday. Per year, 25 cents.