Robert Ingersoll
Robert Ingersoll
Robert Green "Bob" Ingersollwas an American lawyer, a Civil War veteran, political leader, and orator of the United States during the Golden Age of Free Thought, noted for his broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism. He was nicknamed "The Great Agnostic"...
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth11 August 1833
future hell testament
The Old Testament describes the hell of the past, and the New the hell of the future
creed happiness happy others time
My creed is that; Happiness is the only good. The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now. The way to be happy is to make others so.
diamonds pebbles polished
A place where pebbles are polished and diamonds are dimmed.
arrogant conceive god impossible jewish thoroughly
It is impossible to conceive of a more thoroughly despicable, hateful, and arrogant being, than the Jewish god
doctrine given heresy minority name powerful weak
Heresy is what the minority believe, it is the real name given by the powerful to the doctrine of the weak
disagree god inspired reason witnesses
But if the witnesses are inspired of God then there is no reason for their disagreeing on anything, and if they do disagree it is a demonstration that they were not inspired
copied detestable except founded government modeled succeeded
Calvin founded a little theocracy, modeled after the Old Testament, and succeeded in erecting the most detestable government that ever existed, except the one from which it was copied
amazed author bandage brain drive form heart holy ignorance infinite phantom purity push reverence supposed throne
Read it as you would any other book; think of it as you would of any other; get the bandage of reverence from your eyes; drive from your heart the phantom of fear; push from the throne of your brain the cowled form of superstition - then read the Holy Bible, and you will be amazed that you ever, for one moment, supposed a being of infinite wisdom, goodness, and purity to be the author of such ignorance and of such atrocity.
god health near permitted testament
Calvin was as near like the God of the Old Testament as his health permitted
anger blows great lamp
Anger blows out the lamp of the mind. In the examination of a great and important question, everyone should be serene, slow-pulsed and calm.
argue dead giving man medicine reason
To argue with a man who has renounced his reason is like giving medicine to the dead
highways
You have no right to erect your toll-gate upon the highways of thought
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To prevent famine, one plow is worth a million sermons, and even patent medicines will cure more diseases than all the prayers uttered since the beginning of the world
contempt destroy devout except held jews others people save sayings showing wished
There are some of his sayings which show him to have been a devout Jew, others that he wished to destroy Judaism, others showing that he held all people except the Jews in contempt and that the wished to save no others, others showing that he wished