up very far; still, I believe
we are doing very well, considering.

But, speaking of man's early philosophy, his morality was founded first
on self-defense. When gathered together in tribes, he held that this
infinite being would hold the tribe responsible for the actions of any
individual who had angered him. They imagined this being got angry.
Just imagine the serenity of an infinite being being disturbed, and a
God breaking into a passion because some poor wretch had neglected to
bring two turtle doves to a priest!

Then they sought out this poor offending individual, to punish him and
appease the wroth of this being. And here commenced religious
persecution.

Now, I do not say there is no God, but what I do say is that I do not
know. The only difference between me and the theologian is that I am
honest. There may or there may not be an infinite being, but I do not
know it, and until I do I cannot conceive of any obedience I owe to any
unknown being.

As soon as men began to imagine they would be held responsible for the
act of any other person, came the necessity for some one to teach them
how to keep from offending the being. Some called him medicine man,
some called him priest; now, we call him theologian. These men set out
to teach men how to keep from offending this being, and they laid down
certain laws to regulate the conduct of men. First of all it was
necessary to believe in this power. To disbelieve in him was the worst
offense of all. To have some human being, dressed in the skin of a wild
beast, deny the existence of this infinite being, was more than the
infinite being could stand. The first thing, therefore, was to believe
in this power, the next to support this gentleman standing between you
and the supreme wrath. These gentlemen were the lobbyists with the
power, and sometimes succeeded in getting the veto used in favor of
their clients.

For ages, as mankind slowly came through the savage state, the world
was filled with infinite fear. They accounted for everything bad that
happened as the wrath of this supreme being. But they went from
savagery to barbarism--a step in improvement--and then began to build
temples to, and make images of, this being. Then man began to believe
he could influence this being by prayer, by getting on his knees to the
image he had made.

Nothing, I suppose astonishes a missionary more than to see a savage in
Central Africa on his knees before a stone pr