Inhaltsangabe
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1907. Excerpt: ... deity, why does she not strike me dead for such an indignity?" Possibly the Rev. Mr. Shoolbred is at this moment horrifying his Baptist congregation with the immortal myth of the English infidel taking out his watch and giving Jehovah five minutes to strike him dead. Timocles was equally scandalised when Damis asked him why the gods did not interpose to prevent denials of their existence, and Christians can see that as a reasonable test for Jupiter. But it doesn't apply to Jehovah! A story is going the rounds of our pious Press that an infidel lecturer asked his audience, "If there be a god, why does he not strike me down for my opinions?" Upon which a pious Scotchman started forward and exclaimed, "His servant will do it for him," and knocked the lecturer down. The adoption of the story by certain orthodox journals excites the suspicion that, if they had been at the debate in Athens, they would have joined Timocles in throwing tiles at Damis for the sake of Zeus, who would not or could not use his thunderbolts, as he was so ready to do in the stories of mythology. It is clear that the increasing wrath of the orthodox towards heretics, their irritation under ridicule of their dogmas, are due to a growing scepticism in their own minds. They believe in the value of their churches, chapels, altars, parsonages, livings; but do they believe in an Almighty God who cares for these things, who can and will protect them, who reigns over the world, and holds its tribes in the hollow of his hand? If they believe that, why all this rage? why this anxiety? Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? It has almost become a proverb that the age of miracles is past, and many people suppose that it is a very long time since orthodox people believed that miracles might ...
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