REPLY TO MR WOOD.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3223, 18 June 1879, Page 2

REPLY TO MR WOOD.

• (To the Editor of the Evening Staft.)''' 1'1 * ; ,Siß,Tr-Mr Wood says that/he l; .p,a^ot 'understand how it is that any real Christian,could; allow such sceptical effusions as those of Mr Horn and myself to pass unnoticed ; the real fact beipgthat neither M£?Horn pr myself harelWe!ifJjni|ty of saying anything that was likely to hurt the feelings of any real Christian. J :I was congratulated by several person's" on the temperate nature of my letter, and for haring treated a difficult subject in such a manner |as to avoid giting} affpnci».|..|Mr Wood says : " Oh, how Very good these Eationalists, ''■ Spiritualists, and Atheists are, until they are found out! Are they not, Christian reader ?" This is general abuse of a class that can compare fa?orably with professing Christians; for the fact is that it is no advantage socially for a man to hypotheiically pretend to b> a Bationalist, while it is often an advantage to pretend in this Christian land to be a Christian. In the second and third cen turies the Pagans used the term 'i|ou! are a Christian" as a mark of opprobrium.; Mr Wood apparently.would lflce to usej the term " you are. a nationalist" in &\ similar manner. Mr Wood finds it diffi's cult to believe my assertion, that what is f blasphemy in one place is not bla*phemy: in.jinotlieri ') Therefore, 1.,wi1l gh^|]uim another illustration : for instance,'to as-} sort,a» Mr Wood,has dpnp-intheThames{ Evening Star 'that 1 the"ptophotic' writing! ipfrrthe.Prophet • Yjdai.jis r^ ridicjfljous j effusion, and that,.the prophet is ; §bj ignoramus, is not blasphemy,. thafc^ paper! being open to rarious pha'fps.pf opinion. \ But to say the same ihiug'in the presence ■of-the prophet: would bo blasphemy of the most shocking character, and might get:the blasphemer into trouble. Mr; Wood BaysT*tfrat I do not know what! blasphemy is. Would; he .bo Jviml enough in' his" nest effusion to give hie a correct! definition, as I have not got a, blasphemy! dictionary handy?- Mean#Mle! "I Sstill| maintain that^^ithe;-;CreatorxisnpjtOmni-potent. If he were, Mr .Woodi we 'should! not have so much sin and misery in the; world. Consequently it, is clear that if* your theory is correcjt, \ the Creator likea I sin and misery.' Ifk the 'Deity' iil -'O^mtii- i potent, then there is no need of ministers,! no. need of the sacrifice on Mount Caljary. ■ Ey a slight exertion of his will he could haf c . redeemed mankind without it. I If, as you allege, Christ* wat'^rabifieH \ because *i he liked ity^ inpt because it| was necessary, ' ttien' I 'fail to j see what mankind hare 'to-b^tuankfal for. | You tell me that my'B,ed r eeemer is coming i ;6 destroy me—a pretty characfcerT y6u ! giT^him. Eut I' am hot afraid of being 'destroyed. Thb difficulty at *: present • is,! not so much to die as to live. You say we all go astray from the womb, speaking lies. f , Uayid, in his haste, said all men are liars, ibut, he seemSito'haye ragrfltipd it, for he is particular to explain that it Ira's-in his haste. But 'you delitierafcely .make this unjust charge against mankiqd in the' face of the fact that George' 'Washington could not tell alie. Oh, Mr Wood, aro you not ashamsd- to slaader maukiud in this way. —I am, <&c, Geoege Viuai.