Page:The Collected Works of Theodore Parker volume 3.djvu/135

122 the hardihood to pretend it is all divine, all true, and that every truth in the science and morals of our times, nay, any piety and benevolence in human consciousness, his come from the miraculous revelation, and this alone I Truly it is a teacher's duty to expose this claim, so groundless, so wicked, so absurd, and refer men to the perpetual revelation from God, in the facts of his world of matter and of man. So much for the general basis on which the popular theology of Christendom is said to rest, a basis of fancy. Next, a word of some of its erroneous doctrines.

There are five doctrines common to the theology of Christendom, namely—the false idea of God, as imperfect in power, wisdom, justice, benevolence, and holiness; the false idea of man, as fallen, depraved, and by nature lost; the false idea of the relation between God and man—a relation of perpetual antagonism, man naturally hating God, and God hating "fallen" and "depraved" man; the false idea of inspiration, that it comes only by a miracle on God's part, not by normal action on man's; and the false idea of salvation, that it is from the "wrath of God," who is to a consuming fire "breaking out against "poor human nature," by the "atoning blood of Christ," that is, by the death of Jesus of Nazareth, which appeased the "wrath of God;" and on condition of belief in this popular theology, especially of these five false ideas.

I will not now dwell on these monstrous doctrines. But this scheme of theology stands in the way of man's progressive improvement. It impedes human progress more than all the vices of passion, drunkenness, and debauchery; more than all the abominations of slavery, which puts the chains on every eighth man in this republican democracy ! Accordingly the teacher who wishes to secure a normal development of the religious faculties of men, and to direct their powers so as to produce the highest human welfare, must use all the weapons of science