THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, DECEMBER 21, 1899.
2
A Rational View of the Bible.
BY B. F. UNDERWOOD.
Many radicals exhibit a hostility
to the Bible not born of reason and
not in accord with the impartial
philosophic spirit. The explana­
tion of this is obvious enough. The
most irrational claims have been
made as to the origin, character
and authority of the collection of
books called the Bible. It has been
declared absolutely infallible, en­
tirely free from defect and error of
every kind, to have been written by
the direct inspiration of God, un­
surpassable, unapproachable even,
perfect in all its teachings, and in
science, history, philosophy and
poetry, as well as in religion and
morals, incomparably superior to
any and all other productions in
the languages of antiquity and of
the present day. Denial or doubt
of these extravagant assumptions
has been denounced as criminal
perversity and folly, deserving
pains and penalties here and pun­
ishment without end hereaffer.
Against these false and prepos­
terous claims reason, honesty and
common sense have protested. For
centuries an absurd theology,
taught as the religion of Christ, ob­
fuscated the minds of men, and
ecclesiastical machinery reduced
them to the condition of religious
automatons; conformity was the
rule and men who were intelligent
enough to disbelieve or doubt, and
courageous enough to express their
thoughts were consigned to the
flames, to the dungeon, or to the
horrors of the Inquisition. As the
conquests of science over supersti­
tion and the consequent increase of
the tolerant spirit have made free
speaking less dangerous, men have
criticised the so-called Christian
dogmas, and pointed out the falsity
of certain claims regarding the
Bible. They have met the “believe
or be damned” argument with de­
monstrations that the collection of
books called the Bible contain
numerous historical mistakes, many
anachronisms, unscientific state­
ments, imperfect moral teachings
and examples, and a multitude of
absurdities of one kind and another.
To this the only reply for centuries
was: “ He that believeth not shall
be damned,” and “ Unbelief springs
from a depraved heart.”
How natural it was that men
should come to feel contempt for
the clergy and be accustomed to
treat the Bible from a purely critic­
al point of view, dwelling chiefly
upon its errors and almost ignoring
its many excellencies. In their in­
dignation that men should call
black white aud white black, and
demand that all dissenters be mur­
dered or tortured, or if that were
not possible, ostracized and subject­
ed to political disabilities, how-
natural that courageous and honest
men should say to the priests and which later develop into great re­ and its teachings attested by mira­
cles, there will continue to be “in­
their disciples, “Your religion is an sults.
There has been no age in which fidels” of the old-fashioned type,
imposture and the Bible is a pack
of lies.” The spirit of this utter­ so-called inspiration, vision, pro­ who will indignantly point to the
ance was the spirit of honest pro­ phecy and miracles have not been 31st chapter of Numbers, to the
test against falsehood, of manly re­ among the religious experiences of 109th Psalm and to numerous acts
sistance to wrong, of respect for men and women. The accounts of recorded as done by “Thus saith
human reason, of loyalty to truth. them are frequently distorted, ex­ the Lord,” and ask, “Did God in­
We can honor the motives, the aggerated and misleading. This is spire this?” “Did God command
spirit and the courage of the true of many Bible narratives that to be done?”
For those who apply to the Bible
brave iconoclasts who refused to which should be subjected to the
worship the Bible, and who dared, same rules of historical criticism the ordinary canons of historical
when they had everything to lose that are applied to all other ancient criticism and read it in the light of
and nothing to gain by so doing, to religious books and to profane lit­ modern knowledge, the old method
of attack and the old method of
show that the collection of Jewish erature.
The Bible contains much that is defense are of interest only as illus­
writings was no revelation from
God. Their excesses and mistakes legendary, mucn that is archaic, trating how ideas which have been
of criticism belonged to the times, much that is unsuited to these demonstrated to be untrue, and
and as such, are not now regarded later times, hut these books are a methods which have been shown to
as indications of any peculiar de­ natural outgrowth of the human be based upon misconception, may
fect in those whose writings they mind; they represent conditions of persist and continue to have repre­
life and thought which were real sentatives and admirers, when they
disfigure.
It is, however, inexcusable at this and which still have their survivals have been discarded by the science,
day to repeat these mistakes. The in some parts of the world—con­ advanced scholarship and progres­
Freethinker who today says “the ditions which modern civilization sive thought of the age.
After the preacher has exhausted
Bible is a pack of lies,” “the Bible has passed beyond. They were
is an imposture,” simply proclaims necessary to the evolutionary pro­ his resources in trying to prove
his own ignorance and prejudice cess, and the religious writings of that the Bible is infallible iu its
and the “survival” character of his those times, including accounts of teachings, a revelation from God,
intellectual condition. It is true miracles, and interviews with God, exceptional in its origin, and divine
that the old claims for the Bible represented the conceptions and and authoritative in its character,
are untenable, that as history it feelings, the fears, hopes and aspir­ and when the Freethinker has dis­
proved these claims, as he easily
will not compare with Thucydides, ations of the people.
The Bible as a collection of an­ can, by appealing to the book it­
Xenophen or Tacitus, not to speak
of Gibbon and Macaulay, that in cient writings, in prose and poetry, self, to history and to science, there
science it is insignificant in the the imperfect history, the laws, is work for the constructive liberal
light of modern research, like that proverbs, songs, genealogies, etc., thinker to apply evolution to Juda­
of Lyell and Darwin, that in of an ancient, people who lived, be­ ism and to Christianity, and to the
morals and religion even it is lieved and hoped according to the books which compose the Bible,
marked by grave defects, yet it is ideas and ideals which belonged to and to prove thereby that these
no “imposture,” no “ pack of lies,” their stage of mental and moral forms of religion have had a nat­
no “fraud.” It is a natural out­ development, is a priceless posses­ ural development and these books
growth of the human mind, and it sion that has come to us from the a natural origin. The Bible, like
contains expressions of the honest rich harvest fields of the past. It the Vedic hymns, like the Iliad,
thoughts and feelings of men who belongs not merely to Christians like the dramas of Shakespeare, is
belonged to a far-off past. The and Jews, but to the entire civil­ a product of human thought, and
various books of the Bible were ized world. Viewed in the light of the human mind is entitled to the
written at different times and under evolution and modern rational credit of all the moral beauties
different circumstances, and very thought, it is and ever will be re­ which may justly be claimed for it,
naturally contain incongruous and garded as a work of incalculable just as the human mind is entitled
contradictory statements and ex­ worth to all scholars, thiukers and to the credit of having produced
pressions. In them are fact and intelligent readers who have the the works of Plato and Aristotle,
fable, reality and romance, truth historic sense and are able to con­ Newton and Bacon, Darwin aud
and error. Inaccuracy, the mix­ sider sympathetically the cherished Spencer.
ture of myths with history was i beliefs and conditions of every peo­
common in the times the books' ple and of every age.
Our Representative Abroad.
This
would
be
true
even
if
the
composing the Bible were written.
But the Hebrews were a devout Bible contained a less lofty moral­
BY FRANK J . BEATY.
ity
or
fewer
moral
les.-ons
than
may
people; they had pre-eminently the
religious spirit as the Greeks had justly be claimed for it; but many
H onolulu , H. I.,
the spirit of beautv which took of the books of the Bible have a re­
Nov. 18, E. M. 299.
form in their sculpture and archi­ ligious and moral value which will
I think this is the fabled garden
tecture, in their painting and poet­ always give them an assured place that our ancestors were turned out
ry, and in their marvellous lan­ for popular moral instruction. As of, as we read in the good book.
guage.
Huxley says: “Take the Bible as a Anyway it is nearer the popular
The gospels and epistles which whole; make the severest deduc­ idea of that country than anything
make up the New Testament bear tions which fair criticism can dic­ I ever saw. This morning a light
testimony to the sincerity aud re­ tate, and there still remains in this rain fell, and now the sun is shin­
ligious enthusiasm of converts to a old literature a vast residuum of ing again. The thermometer stands
new faith. Although they abound moral beauty and grandeur.” All at 70, and a pleasant breeze blows
in errors, they are of incalculable this may truthfully be said with from the sea. Flowers and singing
value in the information thev •» con- full knowledge that the Bible con­ birds are everywhere. I am told it
vey in regard to the movement of tains errors iu regard to facts, and is like this all the year, and the re­
which the Nazarene was central moral teachings and examples cords show a variation from 58 to
figure.
which are bad.
80 degrees (Fahrenheit). And the
Buddha was a similar personal
So long as there are people who fruit—yuml yum! There is every­
moral and religious force in India. believe that the collection of books thing you could imagine, and more.
Indeed, every age has one or more known as the Bible is the infallible
1 w’as out to the north end of
characters in whom are concentrat­ authoritative “ Word of God,” writ­ this (Oahu) island last week ou my
ed and embodied the tendencies, ten by special divine inspiration i bike. It is 41 miles by the govern-