Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

ON THE MORALS OF CIIRISTIANS. 233wliilc the religion of Christ directs us to love our neighbours as ourselves;to ri'tuni good for evil; to give our coat when our cloak is taken; to submitpassively to blows, and that the possession of wealth interferes withaccess to heaven. Christianity is, moreover, unfavourable to polygamy orconcubinage.1210. It follows that the precepts of Jesus call for restraint upon thepredominant passions of liuman nature, while those of Mohammed, in justifyingwarfare, excessive indulgence in women, and inthe spoliation andmassacre of unbelievers, coincide with the most predominating propensitiesof human nature. It is, therefore, far easier to be faithful to theprecepts of Mohammed than those of Christ.1211. Nevertheless, as both Christ and Mohammed treated the OldTestament as authentic, it is to be feared that the Turks and llussiansmay look to it for justification of their intolerant cruelty.1212. None of the ancient Pagans were as hostile to the Hebrews, asthe disciples of Mohammed have been to the Greek Christians. But noteven the Mohammedans have been so intolerant to those whom they callinfidels, as Christian sectarians have been, to such persons as they havedogmatically adjudged to be heretics.1213. It should be well considered whether any authority dependenton human records can justify the inference that God, anywhere, or in anyage, ever authorized such cruelty as that exhibited at Sinope.1214. Whenever men adopt the idea entertained by the Jews and Mohammedans,and certain sects of Christians, that a peculiar creed isnecessaryto salvation, it isdeemed humane to inflict any temporal evil in orderto eradicate any other belief which will subject souls to eternal punishment.When to the Catholics in the reign of Queen Mary it was urged that burningheretics alive would not change their creed, the reply was, that althoughthe victims should not be converted, the souls of their progeny would besaved from damnation by the extirpation of the heresy with the heretics.Admitting the premises, the conclusion was correct, and the auto-da-fe andthe tortures of the inquisition were even more excusable than a painfulchirurgical operation, when it preserves the temporal life of the patient.1215. If the Czar is of opinion, that for every Christian who may replacea Turk, a soul will be saved from damnation, he may conceive himself aswell authorized to extirpate the Turks, as were Moses and Joshua to extirpateany heathen nation.121G. Moreover, by some Christians, Jesus is considered as having sanctionedthe retention of that characteristic of the Hebrew portraiture ofJehovah, which makes it right to exterminate unbelievers in the orthodoxcreed. This must be a source of discord wherever it is recognised, as itinduces persecution from conscientious regard to the salvation of the victimsupon whom it acts, while in them it naturally creates bitter resentmentinstead of gratitude.