(NG) Ingersoll the Ignoramus (2010 03 26)

Robert Ingersoll was very proud of the fact that he was an agnostic. He wore his agnosticism proudly as if it were a Medal of Honor for the whole world to marvel at. As brilliant of a man as Ingersoll was, he must have never done his homework on what the word “agnostic” actually means. The term may sound quite intellectual, but its meaning is quite different than its perception. The literal translation of the word “agnostic” is “ignoramus”. So, when asked about his views on religion, Ingersoll would proudly proclaim, “I am an ignoramus!” Ingersoll made a career out of dismissing all organized religion, but was particularly trivializing of Christianity. The word Christian literally translates to “follower of Christ”. So Ingersoll made enough money to support his entire family by traveling around and asserting that, “Followers of Jesus Christ are foolish! I should know; I am an ignoramus!” Perhaps this is the best example of Ingersoll’s brilliance: he made a career out of being an ignoramus! He made many claims about the falsehoods and faults that, as he perceived it, plagued Christianity. It is these various claims that will be refuted this day from a Christian perspective. The first claim that Ingersoll makes is that “all the orthodox churches are obstructions on the highway of progress.” (Cummings and Dolbeare, 2010, pg. 341) Now, what type of progress is Ingersoll addressing? If it be social progress, consider George Muller. Muller took all of his guidance and inspiration from the Holy Bible, the book that Ingersoll so frequently ranted against, and helped the orphaned so much that he was accused of elevating them above their natural position in life. George Mueller was a very strong “follower of Christ” and, in his lifetime, cared for nearly ten thousand orphans by himself, providing them all with education. (Pierson, 1971, pg. 301) If it be military progress, consider Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson. Jackson was educated at West Point and would go on to earn fame in the American Civil War, a war in which Ingersoll served. Jackson, like Muller, was a very devout Christian who regularly attended church and Ingersoll would have a very hard time finding others who would agree with his above statement as it pertains to Jackson. Jackson was a Professor at the Virginia Military Institute where he taught artillery. Today, cadets at VMI still study the lectures that Jackson taught over one hundred and fifty years ago. In the field during the Civil War, Jackson inspired men to accomplish feats beyond that of other divisions with his religious views. Jackson would inspire his men by saying, “My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, [but aim] to always be ready… that is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.” (Tsouras, 2005, pg. 371) If it be intellectual progress, consider Blaise Pascal, who invented the hydraulic press and the syringe. He also contributed greatly to the field of mathematics, most notably in the form of “Pascal’s Triangle”. Pascal is quoted as saying, “In every man’s heart there is an emptiness that only God can fill with His Son, Jesus Christ.” (Crump, 2000, pg. 316) Consider Galileo Galilei, who created the modern telescope and is considered the “Father of Modern Science”. Galileo once said that, “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them” and “the Bible tells us how to go to the Heavens”. (Wallace, 1983, pg. 157) Consider Michael Faraday, who established the concept of the electromagnetic field in physics among many other things. Faraday is considered by many to be one of the most influential scientists in history. Once, Faraday was asked, “Have you ever pondered by yourself what will be your occupation in the next world?” Faraday’s response was, “I shall be with Christ, and that is enough.” (Levere, 1968, pg. 102) Consider Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph and for whom Morse Code is named after. Morse once said, “The nearer I approach the end of my pilgrimage, the clearer is the evidence of the divine origin of the Bible, the grandeur and sublimity of God’s remedy for fallen man, and more appreciated, and the future is illuminated with hope and joy.” (Morse, 1914, pg. 64) If it be political progress, consider George Washington. Washington is almost unanimously considered the most influential politician in American history. He led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolution and established presidential precedents that still stand today. From what source did Washington derive his strength? Washington kept a prayer journal that reveals the answer to this question. One entry from his prayer journal reads, “Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the blood of the Lamb and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of thy son, Jesus Christ." (Novak and Novak, 2007, pg. 138) Another statement that Ingersoll makes is that “the energies of this world have been wasted in the service of a phantom”. (Cummings and Dolbeare, 2010, pg. 341) Ingersoll infers here that all those who have spent their life energy serving Jesus Christ are wasting their energy in the service of a non-existent entity; the phantom. He is indeed referring specifically to Jesus Christ, rather than a vague “god” because of his earlier references to the Old Testament. A very simple and small sample of individuals is all that is required to disprove this claim; a sample of only four men will do just fine. These four men are four American military chaplains who have earned the Medal of Honor – the earliest coming from World War II. Chaplain Joseph O’Callahan was a Jesuit priest who served with the Navy in World War II. O’Callahan was stationed on the USS Franklin when it was hit by two bombs from a Japanese aircraft. O’Callahan was wounded by shrapnel but used his “energy” to make it up to the flight deck to administer the last rites to the dying, as well as comforting and rescuing the wounded. He personally led a crew of men who watered down stored ammunition in order to prevent it from exploding. Chaplain O’Callahan personally saved over seven hundred crewmen aboard the ship. All of his energy was concentrated in performing as a “follower of Christ” and if you were to ask any one of the seven hundred men he saved, they would tell you that his energy was not wasted in the service of a phantom, but thankful for his service to Christ. (US Army Center of Military History, 2009) Chaplain Vincent Capodanno was a Roman Catholic Navy Chaplain who served in the Vietnam War. Capodanno was serving the First Marine Division in Vietnam when they unexpectedly ran into a North Vietnamese force of approximately two thousand five hundred men. The Marines were greatly outnumbered and, because of the unexpected nature of the battle, they were extremely disorganized. Capodanno went among the wounded and dying who littered the terrain comforting them with the words of Christ, and performing the last rites for them. Because of his energy that he used to do so, Capodanno was wounded in the face and had his hand nearly severed off. Using his energy in the service of Jesus, Capodanno noticed a wounded soldier in need who was just a few yards away from enemy machine gun fire. He crawled to the soldier and ministered to him until he himself was killed. All of his energy was concentrated in performing as a “follower of Christ” and if you were to ask any one of the men who witnessed this, they would tell you that his energy was not wasted in the service of a phantom, but thankful for his service to Christ. (US Army Center of Military History, 2009) Chaplain Angelo Liteky was a Roman Catholic chaplain serving with the United States Army in Vietnam. His unit came under intense fire from enemy forces numbering about one thousand men. Liteky and his men were caught completely off-guard and began to fall all over the field. Liteky crawled within fifteen meters of enemy machine gun fire and began to minister to the wounded as well as carrying them back to the Medivac zone. Some men were too heavy for Liteky to carry so he layed on his back, placed the men on his front-side, and shimmied back to safety, all the while administering the last rites to them and comforting them. After this, he personally directed the evacuation of the Medivac helicopters and, in doing so, saved more than twenty men and ministered to countless others. All of his energy was concentrated in performing as a “follower of Christ” and if you were to ask any one of the men he saved and ministered to, they would tell you that his energy was not wasted in the service of a phantom, but thankful for his service to Christ. (US Army Center of Military History, 2009) Chaplain Charles J. Watters was a Roman Catholic chaplain serving with the United States Army in Vietnam. Similar to the previous two chaplains, Watters and his men came under heavy fire and his men began falling. Chaplain Watters went all over the battlefield to minister to those soldiers in need, and doing so in the service of Jesus Christ. He saved dozens of men and, when his unit dropped back and made a new perimeter, Watters noticed that a few men were outside of their new perimeter. Despite attempts to restrain him, Watters made three trips to rescue the wounded soldiers and bring them to safety. He was killed as he continued to minister to those in need. All of his energy was concentrated in performing as a “follower of Christ” and if you were to ask any one of the men he saved, they would tell you that his energy was not wasted in the service of a phantom, but thankful for his service to Christ. (US Army Center of Military History, 2009) Ingersoll is a seemingly brilliant man, yet even he labels himself as an ignoramus. He seems to have taken the image of his over-bearing father and plastered that face and attitude across all of Christianity. He makes the claim that orthodox churches, and consequentially all who worship within its walls, are obstructions on the highway of progress. History will not stand for such a statement. The love of Christ has compelled many people to do wonderful things here on Earth. He makes the claim that all who serve Jesus Christ are wasting their energy in the service of a phantom who does not exist. Yet, in a sample of only four men, thousands of others have been saved, both physically and, no doubt for some, spiritually. Christians, followers of Christ, have been and will continue to make a positive difference in this world. Ingersoll considered followers of Christianity to be blinding themselves to reason because of their religion. What he failed to see is that because of their religion they had access to the very source of reason, and it was because of their religion, and beyond that their love of Jesus Christ, that these wonderful discoveries were made and these lives were changed. While most of us may never be as smart as Michael Faraday, hopefully we can all have his same aspiration: “I shall be with Christ, and that is enough.”

Bibliography Page

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​U.S. Army Center of Military History. (5 AUG 2009) Medal of Honor Citations. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/vietnam-m-z.html