I have always noticed that the people who have the smallest souls make the most fuss about getting them saved. Robert Green Ingersoll More Quotes by Robert Green Ingersoll More Quotes From Robert Green Ingersoll Whoever imagines himself a favorite with God holds others in contempt. Robert Green Ingersoll contempt imagine The ministers are in duty bound to denounce all intellectual pride, and show that we are never quite so dear to God as when we admit that we are poor, corrupt and idiotic worms; that we never should have been born; that we ought to be damned without the least delay.... The old creed is still taught. They still insist that God is infinitely wise, powerful and good, and that all men are totally depraved. They insist that the best man god ever made, deserved to be damned the moment he was finished. Robert Green Ingersoll powerful pride wise The book, called the Bible, is filled with passages equally horrible, unjust and atrocious. This is the book to be read in schools in order to make our children loving, kind and gentle! This is the book they wish to be recognized in our Constitution as the source of all authority and justice! Robert Green Ingersoll book children school The churches have no confidence in each other. Why? Because they are acquainted with each other. Robert Green Ingersoll positive-atheism atheism church A few years ago the Deists denied the inspiration of the Bible on account of its cruelty. At the same time they worshiped what they were pleased to call the God of Nature. Now we are convinced that Nature is as cruel as the Bible; so that, if the God of Nature did not write the Bible, this God at least has caused earthquakes and pestilence and famine, and this God has allowed millions of his children to destroy one another. So that now we have arrived at the question - not as to whether the Bible is inspired and not as to whether Jehovah is the real God, but whether there is a God or not. Robert Green Ingersoll inspiration real children Let us account for all we see by the facts we know. If there are things for which we cannot account, let us wait for light. To account for anything by supernatural agencies is, in fact to say that we do not know. Theology is not what we know about God, but what we do not know about Nature. Robert Green Ingersoll agency light waiting The record of a generous life runs like a vine around the memory of our dead, and every sweet unselfish act is now a perfumed flower. Robert Green Ingersoll running sweet memories I cannot see why we should expect an infinite God to do better in another world than he does in this. Robert Green Ingersoll atheist doe world I read the other day an account of a meeting between John Knox and John Calvin. Imagine a dialogue between a pestilence and a famine! Robert Green Ingersoll pestilence atheism imagine The more a man knows, the more willing he is to learn-the less a man knows, the more positive he is that he knows everything. Robert Green Ingersoll willing humility men Every church pretends to have found the exact truth. This is the end of progress. Why pursue that which you have? Why investigate when you know? Every creed is a rock in running water: humanity sweeps by it. Every creed cries to the universe, "Halt!" A creed is the ignorant Past bullying the enlightened Present. The ignorant are not satisfied with what can be demonstrated. Science is too slow for them, and so they invent creeds. They demand completeness. A sublime segment, a grand fragment, are of no value to them. They demand the complete circle... the entire structure. Robert Green Ingersoll bullying running past God cannot send to eternal pain a man who has done something toward improving the condition of his fellow-man. If he can, I had rather go to hell than to heaven and keep company with such a god. Robert Green Ingersoll pain men heaven I would rather be a beggar and spend my money like a king, than be a king and spend money like a beggar. Robert Green Ingersoll beggar money kings Why should we desire the destruction of human passions? Take passions from human beings and what is left? The great object should be not to destroy passions, but to make them obedient to the intellect. To indulge passion to the utmost is one form of intemperance - to destroy passion is another. The reasonable gratification of passion under the domination of the intellect is true wisdom and perfect virtue. Robert Green Ingersoll passion perfect desire The good part of Christmas is not always Christian -- it is generally Pagan; that is to say, human, natural. Robert Green Ingersoll paganism christian life Life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud-and the only answer is the echo of our wailing cry. From the voiceless lips of the unreplying dead there comes no word. But in the night of Death Hope sees a star and listening Love can hear the rustling of a wing. Robert Green Ingersoll echoes stars night I honestly believe that the doctrine of hell was born in the glittering eyes Robert Green Ingersoll hate running believe All religion is slavery. Robert Green Ingersoll slavery atheism Meekness is the mask of malice. Robert Green Ingersoll wickedness mask evil The mechanic, when a wheel refuses to turn, never thinks of dropping on his knees and asking the assistance of some divine power. He knows there is a reason. He knows that something is too large or too small; that there is something wrong with his machine; and he goes to work and he makes it larger or smaller, here or there, until the wheel will turn. Robert Green Ingersoll machines atheism thinking
