CHRISTIANITY AND FREETHOUGHT.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2807, 23 March 1882, Page 3

CHRISTIANITY AND FREETHOUGHT.

“ Jacob Terry,” the San Francisco correspondent of the “Otago Daily” •ays “ At the head of American Freethinkers stands the Rev. Dr Frothingham. He is by long odds the ablest exponent of the Gospel of Doubt. For many years the head of the Universalists he drifted away from that exceedingly latitudinarian sect, and took up with Freelovisro, Freethoughtism, eternal Nihilism, and, indeed every other ‘ ism ’ opposed to creeds and Christianity, Yet his life has been a pure one all through. Like Colonel Ingersoll, he stands free from reproach among men—a saintly character, clothed in white raiment. Well, this champion debater has published a card, addressed to the American --u in which he admits the failure of iua «,w.Ca and life. While recanting nothing, and regretting nothing, he is yet forced to admit that there is a subtle power in Christianity too strong for the combined assaults of pure reason. Every attempt to substitute something else for Christianity he admits has failed, and in the presence of this fact he doubts the propriety of continuing the fight. He is filled with gloom. Faith he has not and cannot have ; it is repugnant to bis reason; but he doubts

if he should continue to undermine the faith of others. It may he said that this proves nothing. To my mind it proves a great deal. It proves that a conscientious Freethinker who stops to consider the merits of the whole question and who realises the momentous issues of life and death which faith or no faith open up for mankind, is unable to preach the doctrine or cold negation with the moral and spiritual forces of nature manifestly against him. Colonel Ingersoll has not ceased to lecture for coin. With him the lecture-field is his means of livelihood. The time will come when he too will be true to his better nature, and with the still greater doubt before mentioned exclaim in substance, * I doubt the purpose and scope, of my work. It has been a failure. . Men cannot rest upon a mere negation of a future state of being at the end and outcome of life any more than they can sustain their bodies without food and air. Hope springs perennial in the human breast, and though I am without hope myself, I will live and die in gloom, out I shall refrain from casting the chilling shadow of doubt over the fair and brighter domain of- 1 simple, faith.’ Those who know Colonel Ingersoll best believe that he is a man capable of _ making as heroic a confession of the failure of the Gospel of Doubt as Mr Frothingham has already done. The cause of religious truth would be promoted thereby.”