Reasons to Be Agnostic by Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)

The doctrine of eternal punishment is in perfect harmony with the savagery of the men who made the orthodox creeds. It is in harmony with torture, with flaying alive, and with burnings. The men who burned their fellow-men for a moment, believed that God would burn his enemies forever.
— Robert Green Ingersoll, “** you do not have permission to see this link **“

All laws for the purpose of making man worship God, are born of the same spirit that kindled the fires of the auto da fe, and lovingly built the dungeons of the Inquisition. All laws defining and punishing blasphemy — making it a crime to give your honest ideas about the Bible, or to laugh at the ignorance of the ancient Jews, or to enjoy yourself on the Sabbath, or to give your opinion of Jehovah, were passed by impudent bigots, and should be at once repealed by honest men. An infinite God ought to be able to protect himself, without going in partnership with State Legislatures. Certainly he ought not so to act that laws become necessary to keep him from being laughed at. No one thinks of protecting Shakespeare from ridicule, by the threat of fine and imprisonment. It strikes me that God might write a book that would not necessarily excite the laughter of his children. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that a real God could produce a work that would excite the admiration of mankind. Surely politicians could be better employed than in passing laws to protect the literary reputation of the Jewish God.
— Robert Green Ingersoll, proving himself a prophet, of sorts, while discrediting prophesy itself! quoted from, ** you do not have permission to see this link **, Section III, “The Politicians,” in Works, Dresden Edition, Volume 2

The doctrine that future happiness depends upon belief is monstrous. It is the infamy of infamies. The notion that faith in Christ is to be rewarded by an eternity of bliss, while a dependence upon reason, observation and experience merits everlasting pain, is too absurd for refutation, and can be relieved only by that unhappy mixture of insanity and ignorance, called “faith.” What man, who ever thinks, can believe that blood can appease God? And yet, our entire system of religion is based upon that belief. The Jews pacified Jehovah with the blood of animals, and according to the Christian system, the blood of Jesus softened the heart of God a little, and rendered possible the salvation of a fortunate few. It is hard to conceive how the human mind can give assent to such terrible ideas, or how any sane man can read the Bible and still believe in the doctrine of inspiration.
— Robert Green Ingersoll, The Gods

A few years ago the Deists denied the inspiration of the Bible on account of its cruelty. At the same time they worshiped what they were pleased to call the God of Nature. Now we are convinced that Nature is as cruel as the Bible; so that, if the God of Nature did not write the Bible, this God at least has caused earthquakes and pestilence and famine, and this God has allowed millions of his children to destroy one another. So that now we have arrived at the question — not as to whether the Bible is inspired and not as to whether Jehovah is the real God, but whether there is a God or not.
— Robert Green Ingersoll, quoted from the book Ingersoll the Magnificent, edited by Joseph Lewis, which does not cite references

— Robert Green Ingersoll, proving himself a prophet, of sorts, while discrediting prophesy itself! quoted from, ** you do not have permission to see this link **, Section III, “The Politicians,” in Works, Dresden Edition, Volume 2

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

Steefen:

When the Biblical God gave laws to Moses it was not for God’s protection.

Robert Green Ingersoll:

Certainly he ought not so to act that laws become necessary to keep him from being laughed at.It strikes me that God might write a book that would not necessarily excite the laughter of his children.

Steefen:

Again, the notion of God is off, the notion of God is erroneous.

Robert Ingersoll:

In fact, I think it would be safe to say that a real God could produce a work that would excite the admiration of mankind.

Steefen:

Christians admire God when they sing How Great Thou Art.

Robert Ingersoll:

Surely politicians could be better employed than in passing laws to protect the literary reputation of the Jewish God.

Steefen:

Then this should be a book for Bart Ehrman to write: How the Jewish God mistakenly became a global god or a god of the Solar System or a god of the Milky Way Galaxy.