About the Holy Bible: A Lecture
1894
Robert Green Ingersoll was the most famous agnostic in late 19th-century America, and this lecture showcases exactly why. Delivered to rapt audiences across the country, 'About the Holy Bible' brings his legendary wit and rhetorical ferocity to bear on the most foundational text of Western Christianity. Ingersoll doesn't merely question biblical authority; he dismantles it through sheer logical force, pointing to the Bible's contradictions, its reflection of ancient prejudices, and the complete absence of evidence for divine inspiration. He dissects the authorship claims, the historical inaccuracies, and the moral problems embedded in scriptural narratives. But this is not mere attack. Ingersoll builds toward something constructive: a passionate defense of human reason and ethical autonomy. He argues that true wisdom comes not from ancient texts but from the collective moral advancement of humanity. Over a century later, the lecture remains a landmark of freethought, a document that asks readers to think for themselves rather than defer to tradition.
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“Why should we place Christ at the top and summit of the human race? Was he kinder, more forgiving, more self-sacrificing than ? Was he wiser, did he meet death with more perfect calmness, than ? Was he more patient, more charitable, than ? Was he a greater philosopher, a deeper thinker, than ? In what respect was he the superior of ? Was he gentler than , more universal than ? Were his ideas of human rights and duties superior to those of ? Did he express grander truths than ? Was his mind subtler than ’s? Was his brain equal to ’s or ’s? Was he grander in death – a sublimer martyr than ? Was he in intelligence, in the force and beauty of expression, in breadth and scope of thought, in wealth of illustration, in aptness of comparison, in knowledge of the human brain and heart, of all passions, hopes and fears, the equal of , the greatest of the human race?””
— Robert Green Ingersoll
“Some Christian lawyers”
— Robert Green Ingersoll
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Ingersoll, Robert Green. About the Holy Bible: A Lecture. Lex, lex-books.com/book/about-the-holy-bible-a-lecture-64fa31a6-fdf2-47c6-a33c-679c5bf5af6c.Ingersoll, R. G. (1894). About the Holy Bible: A Lecture. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/about-the-holy-bible-a-lecture-64fa31a6-fdf2-47c6-a33c-679c5bf5af6cIngersoll, Robert Green. About the Holy Bible: A Lecture. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/about-the-holy-bible-a-lecture-64fa31a6-fdf2-47c6-a33c-679c5bf5af6c.
