CONTENTS. PREFACE.. MOTTOES. INTRODUCTORY... CHAPTER I.-Indecorous Language of Mr. Ingersoll-Father Lambert's Vulgar and Abusive Methods-" Physician, Heal Thyself"-The Promise to "Grant Nothing and to Take Nothing for Granted," followed by the Substitution of Assertion for Proof-" Glib Little Whiffets," and "Smirched Character". .......... CHAPTER II.-Priestly Metaphysics, according to which God, Time, Space, and Matter CHAPTER V.-The Common Scold-The Cotton of Catholicity-The Argument from "Design"-Eternal Succession of Being-Plurality of Gods-The Fall of Man-Is it Just that Animals should Endure Uncompensated Suffering because "In Adam's Fall we Sinned All?"-Divine Mercy not a Sin-License.................. CHAPTER VI.-Mr. Ingersoll's Reply to the Argument from "Design "-Self-existence Alleged by Father Lambert to Imply the Infinity and Perfection of every Attribute; the Fallacy of the Doctrine-" Infinite Justice" a Redundant Expression; the Word Just not Logically Admitting of Degrees of Comparison-God Supposed to be Flattered by Complimentary Words-The Finite Cannot Measure the Infinite, but may Test its Nature and Quality-Opinion, Good or Bad, is Judgment......... CHAPTER VII.-The Priest "Begs the Question"-Should we Pin our Faith to the Sleeves of Great Men?-The Spirit of Inquiry in the Air-Subtle and Ingenious Argument from Brownson's Quarterly Review; its Fallacy-Logic and Logical Quibbles-Good-bye to Metaphysics-Is the Bible Inspired?.. CHAPTER VIII.-Father Lambert on the Esthetic-Art Culture-Painting and Sculpture -The Jews as an Art Cultivating People Contrasted with Greeks, Romans, etc.-The Father's Definition of Art too Contracted-" The Roving Lecturer CHAPTER IX.-Jewish Atrocities Charged on God--The Right of God to Inflict Wanton Suffering on His Creatures Denied-God has no Right to do Wrong-Justice with God and Man Qualitatively Alike though Quantitatively Unequal-Gross Conceptions of Deity-Jewish Barbarities-" Captive Maidens "-Lying Spirits, etc., etc....................... (3) 5 8 9 15 20 26 31 38 43 48 54 59 CHAPTER X.-A Grand Fallacy-Witches, Ghosts and Demons-The Myths of Mythol- ogy-" Religious Toleration, Free Thought and Treason"-Idolatries of King Solomon -"The Liberty to Think Error". CHAPTER XI.-Father Lambert's Dignified Headings-Human Ignorance and Divine Pity-Sinful Ignorance-Wars of Persecution-Exterminating the Heathen-The Father's Advice to "Brain" the Infants of Savages.............. CHAPTER XII.-Wars of Extermination-Slavery-Defensive Wars not Wars of Con- quest-Alleged Superiority of Physical over Moral Power......... CHAPTER XIII.-Liberty-Polygamy-Rousseau's Opinion of Philosophers-Philosophy CHAPTER XIV.-Woman's Rights and the Bible-Woman's Condition in Heathen and Pagan Nations-Mr. Ingersoll's Articles Garbled and Misquoted in the "Notes"-St. CHAPTER XV.—Adam, Eve, and the Serpent-The Comparative Merits of Jews and Heathens-Carrion Flesh for Strangers and Aliens-The God of the Jews Established Slavery-" Exterminate" Defined-William Penn and the Indians......... CHAPTER XVI.—Argument and Assumption—Slavery-Polygamy-Legislation of the Roman Catholic Church Against Slavery-Father Lambert to Make a "Point" Splits a Sentence in Two and Changes Punctuation-Misquotations by the Father-Slavery in Itself, is it Sinful?-Blanchard and Rice's Debate on Slavery-Miracles... CHAPTER XVII.-The Authorship of the Gospels-The Gospels do not Purport to have been Written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John-Diverse Renderings in Manuscripts of the Scriptures-Orthodox Authority-Original Purity of Text of Scripture Early Lost- Catholic Authority-The Bible does not Prove Itself-Translations of Scripture-Miracles. 120 CHAPTER XVIII.-Miracles-Hume-Gibbon-Witchcraft a Superstition-Catholic Tes- timony-"The Star in the East" and the "Wise Men"-Fenelon and the Bible Question -Josephus-Tooley Street Tailors-The Prodigies Attending the Birth of Jesus-Renan CHAPTER XIX.-Father Lambert's Chow-chow Method-The Dogma of Atonement- Necessity of Belief and of the Second Birth-Josephus Again-Rev. Lambert's Terrible Mistake about John's Reference to the Ascension-Genealogy of Jesus........................... CHAPTER XX.-Proof of Miracles-Who Wrote the Gospels?--The Evangelists Neither Claim to Write by Authority nor to be Guided by Inspiration-Neither Catholics nor Prot- estants have an Authoritative Translation of the Scriptures-The Father's Statements Show that John the Apostle could not have Written the Fourth Gospel................ CHAPTER XXI.-The Honest Infidel-Should Men be Punished for Honest Belief?- Judas Iscariot-If Catholicity is the True Faith the Whole Protestant World will be Sent to Hell to Keep Company with the Infidel-Vicarious Suffering, etc., etc.. CHAPTER XXII.-Non-Resistance-The Standard of Right and Wrong-Experience Teaches that Evil Acts Produce Evil Consequences-A Saint and Father of the Catholic Church Justified the Polygamy of the Jews..................... CHAPTER XXIII.-Father Lambert's Vulgar and Abusive Methods Chargeable, not to the Man, but to his Religion-The Millennial Dawn-"Criticism Born of the Present Generation"-Catholic Lambs and Green Pastures-Noble and Pure Religions of the PREFACE. SHOULD censure be visited upon the writer for having penned the following essay for public inspection, such reproof cannot, in justice, proceed from adherents to the Roman Catholic faith. From attacks from that earnest and devout class the author may safely shelter himself behind the sacred vestments of the Reverend Father whose urgent and repeated invitation has called forth this reply. The author desires it to be distinctly understood that his present task was undertaken in response to multiple requests and challenges scattered through the length and breadth of the land and wafted in profusion to foreign shores. This zeal is not to be deprecated. So confident is the Father of the impenetrability of his armor that, like a second Fitz James, he defies one and all of the friends of free thought to expend their might on his shield and helmet. "Come one, come all! this rock shall fly From its firm base, as soon as I." This spirit evinces the sublime of moral heroism, and cannot be too highly praised. Then how commendable in the good priest not to reserve to himself and his church a monopoly of the truth. With lavish beneficence and persistent effort he would fain disseminate those doctrinal verities which gladden his own soul and trace for him a pathway to the skies. In gratifying the desires of such a man the author cannot fear that he is doing amiss. As to that small and ignorant class who may think that the "Notes" are not entirely worthy of serious reply, let me say, that the Father's work has received the very highest encomiums and has been proclaimed an unanswerable argument by a very respectable part of the religious and secular press of this and other countries. As a commercial rule, at least, when the maker of paper is of questionable solvency it is legitimate to look to its endorsers. That our readers may appreciate these remarks we publish (see Appendix A.) one of the Father's challenges and a few of the many favorable notices from the press which his work has called forth. The Father, surely, will not object to this gratuitous advertisement of his work, which we desire our readers to purchase and peruse. There be many, not in sympathy with the Roman Catholic faith, who believe that the cause of righteousness can be best subserved by a suppression of truths which seem to them to militate against religion, and of sentiments, however honestly entertained, which are regarded by the majority as erroneous. This well-meaning class should remember that there is a correlation of truths as well as of forces, and that two truths cannot possibly antagonize each other. That especially in this age of enlightenment and of intellectual freedom we may safely discard the disguises and spiritual enchantments which lent a charm to primitive faiths; and that error, exposed to popular scrutiny, is less dangerous than when hidden in the secret recesses of the individual mind or whispered into the ears of the few who may entertain kindred sentiments. To errors exposed the proper antidotes may be administered; to errors concealed no adequate correctives can be applied. PHILADELPHIA, January 1st, 1885. |