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Robert Green Ingersoll

Robert Green Ingersoll Quotes

Lawyer

Robert Green Ingersoll was a prominent lawyer, orator, and freethinker. Born on August 11, 1833, and died on July 21, 1899, he was one of the most celebrated orators in 19th-century America. Known for his criticism of religion and government, Ingersoll was a leading advocate for individual freedom.

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All Men Ifs Atheism Religion World Positive Atheism Should Knows Liberty Believe People Humans Giving Has Beens Thinking Church Reason Children Creeds Doe

Famous Robert Green Ingersoll Quotes

“The priests of one religion never credit the miracles of another religion. Is this because priests instinctively know priests?”

Knows Religion Miracle Credit Priests

Book:The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

“The old doctrine that God wanted man to do something for him, and that he kept a watchful eye upon all the children of men; that he rewarded the virtuous and punished the wicked, is gradually fading from the mind. We know that some of the worst men have what the world calls success. We know that some of the best men lie upon the straw of failure. We know that honesty goes hungry, while larceny sits at the banquet. We know that the vicious have every physical comfort, while the virtuous are often clad in rags.”

Source: The Works of Robert G.Ingersoll. [Dresden Ed.]

“According to the celestial multiplication table, once one is three, and three times one is one, and according to heavenly subtraction if we take two from three, three are left. The addition is equally peculiar, if we add two to one we have but one. Each one is equal to himself and the other two.”

Ifs Two Religion Three Left Equal Tables Add Absurd Heavenly Peculiar Dogma Three Times Celestial Trinity Idiotic Multiplication Subtraction

Author:Robert Green Ingersoll

“I know of no crime that has not been defended by the church, in one form or other. The church is not a pioneer; it accepts a new truth, last of all, and only when denial has become useless.”

Knows Lasts Form Religion Church Accepting Crime Denial Useless Pioneers

Book:The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

“The Christians say, that among the ancient Jews, if you committed a crime you had to kill a sheep. Now they say 'charge it.' 'Put it on the slate.' The Savior will pay it. In this way, rascality is sold on credit, and the credit system in morals, as in business, breeds extravagance.”

Ifs Way Christian Religion Pay Moral Crime Ancient Committed Jew Credit Savior Sheep Slate Extravagance

Author:Robert Green Ingersoll

“The idea that there is a God who rewards and punishes, and who can reward, if he so wishes, the meanest and vilest of the human race, so that he will be eternally happy, and can punish the best of the human race, so that he will be eternally miserable, is subversive of all morality.”

Ifs Humans Ideas Religion Wish Race Morality Rewards Miserable Human Race Subversive

Book:The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

“Just to the extent that the Bible was appealed to in matters of science, science was retarded; and just to the extent that science has been appealed to in matters of religion, religion has advanced - so that now the object of intelligent religionists is to adopt a creed that will bear the test and criticism of science.”

Has Beens Matter Religion Objects Bears Criticism Tests Intelligent Creeds Retarded

Book:Superstition and Other Essays

Source: Superstition and Other Essays

“No man of sense in the whole world believes in devils any more than he does in mermaids, vampires, gorgons, hydras, naiads, dryads, nymphs, fairies, the Fountain of Youth, [or] the Philosopher's Stone. . . .”

Men World Believe Doe Whole Religion Youth Devil Stones Philosopher Whole World Vampire Fairy Fountain Mermaid Nymphs Fountain Of Youth Hydra

Book:The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

“Catholicism is contrary to human liberty. Catholicism bases salvation upon belief. Catholicism teaches man to trample his reason under foot. And for that reason it is wrong.”

Men Humans Reason Religion Belief Liberty Teach Feet Bases Salvation Contrary Catholicism

Book:The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

“The Catholic Church is a thousand times better than your Protestant Church upon that question [of damnation]. The Catholic Church believes in purgatory - that is, a place where a fellow can get a chance to make a motion for a new trial.”

Believe Religion Church Chance Thousand Catholic Fellows Trials Catholic Church Protestants Damnation Purgatory

Author:Robert Green Ingersoll

“As a matter of fact, no one knows that God exists and no one knows that God does not exist. To my mind there is no evidence that God exists - that this world is governed by a being of infinite goodness, wisdom and power, but I do not pretend to know.”

Knows World Mind Doe Matter Facts Religion This World Goodness Evidence Infinite Matter Of Fact God Exists

Book:Lectures and Essays (a Selection)

Source: Lectures and Essays (a Selection)

“Where is the soul? . . . I refuse to believe anything of that kind without proof. The idea that, as soon as a man's breath leaves his body, the soul flops out like a chicken's head and flies off into space to find a lodgment where there [are] harps and haloes. Too much for me.”

Men Believe Kind Ideas Soul Body Religion Space Too Much Breaths Refuse Proof Chickens Harps

Author:Robert Green Ingersoll

“Religion has not civilized man, man has civilized religion.”

Men Religion Civilized

Book:The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

“When a man really believes that it is necessary to do a certain thing to be happy forever, or that a certain belief is necessary to ensure eternal joy, there is in that man no spirit of concession. He divides the whole world into saints and sinners, into believers and unbelievers, into God's sheep and Devil's goats, into people who will be glorified and people who are damned.”

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

“An infinite God ought to be able to protect Himself, without going in partnership with State Legislatures.”

States Able Religion Ought Protect Infinite Partnership Legislature Blasphemy State Legislatures

Book:Some Mistakes of Moses

Source: Some Mistakes of Moses

“An honest God is the noblest work of man.”

Men God Religion Honest Morality Glory

Author:Robert Green Ingersoll

“My principal objections to orthodox religion are two: slavery here and hell hereafter.”

Two Religion Hell Slavery Orthodox Principal Hereafter Objections

Book:The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

“One thing I do know, and that is, that neither hope, nor fear, belief, nor denial, can change the fact. It is as it is, and it will be as it must be.”

Knows Facts Religion Belief One Thing Denial

Book:The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll

Source: The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll