The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll Volume V Part 34

_Question_. Was that before the sun was made?

_Answer_. Yes; a "good-while" before.

_Question_. How did vegetation grow without sun- light?

_Answer_. My own opinion is, that it was either "nourished by the glare of volcanoes in the moon or "it may have gotten sufficient light from rivers "of molten granite;" or, "sufficient light might have "been emitted by the crystallization of rocks." It has been suggested that light might have been fur- nished by fire-flies and phosph.o.r.escent bugs and worms, but this I regard as going too far.

_Question_. Do you think that light emitted by rocks would be sufficient to produce trees?

_Answer_. Yes, with the a.s.sistance of the "Aurora "Borealis, or even the Aurora Australis;" but with both, most a.s.suredly.

_Question_. If the light of which you speak was sufficient, why was the sun made?

_Answer_. To keep time with.

_Question_. What did G.o.d make man of?

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_Answer_. He made man of dust and "omnipo- "tence."

_Question_. Did he make a woman at the same time that he made a man?

_Answer_. No; he thought at one time to avoid the necessity of making a woman, and he caused all the animals to pa.s.s before Adam, to see what he would call them, and to see whether a fit companion could be found for him. Among them all, not one suited Adam, and Jehovah immediately saw that he would have to make an help-meet on purpose.

_Question_. What was woman made of?

_Answer_. She was made out of "man's side, out of his right side," and some more "omnipotence." Infi- dels say that she was made out of a rib, or a bone, but that is because they do not understand Hebrew.

_Question_. What was the object of making woman out of man's side?

_Answer_. So that a young man would think more of a neighbor's girl than of his own uncle or grand- father.

_Question_. What did G.o.d do with Adam and Eve after he got them done?

_Answer_. He put them into a garden to see what they would do.

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_Question_. Do we know where the Garden of Eden was, and have we ever found any place where a "river parted and became into four heads"?

_Answer_. We are not certain where this garden was, and the river that parted into four heads cannot at present be found. Infidels have had a great deal to say about these four rivers, but they will wish they had even one, one of these days.

_Question_. What happened to Adam and Eve in the garden?

_Answer_. They were tempted by a snake who was an exceedingly good talker, and who probably came in walking on the end of his tail. This supposition is based upon the fact that, as a punishment, he was condemned to crawl on his belly. Before that time, of course, he walked upright.

_Question_. What happened then?

_Answer_. Our first parents gave way, ate of the forbidden fruit, and in consequence, disease and death entered the world. Had it not been for this, there would have been no death and no disease.

Suicide would have been impossible, and a man could have been blown into a thousand atoms by dynamite, and the pieces would immediately have come together again. Fire would have refused to

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burn and water to drown; there could have been no hunger, no thirst; all things would have been equally healthy.

_Question_. Do you mean to say that there would have been no death in the world, either of animals, insects, or persons?

_Answer_. Of course.

_Question_. Do you also think that all briers and thorns sprang from the same source, and that had the apple not been eaten, no bush in the world would have had a thorn, and brambles and thistles would have been unknown?

_Answer_. Certainly.

_Question_. Would there have been no poisonous plants, no poisonous reptiles?

_Answer_. No, sir; there would have been none; there would have been no evil in the world if Adam and Eve had not partaken of the forbidden fruit.

_Question_. Was the snake who tempted them to eat, evil?

_Answer_. Certainly. '

_Question_. Was he in the world before the for- bidden fruit was eaten?

_Answer_. Of course he was; he tempted them to eat it

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_Question_. How, then, do you account for the fact that, before the forbidden fruit was eaten, an evil serpent was in the world?

_Answer_. Perhaps apples had been eaten in other worlds.

_Question_. Is it not wonderful that such awful con- sequences flowed from so small an act?

_Answer_. It is not for you to reason about it; you should simply remember that G.o.d is omnipotent.

There is but one way to answer these things, and that is to admit their truth. Nothing so puts the Infinite out of temper as to see a human being impudent enough to rely upon his reason. The moment we rely upon our reason, we abandon G.o.d, and try to take care of ourselves. Whoever relies entirely upon G.o.d, has no need of reason, and reason has no need of him.

_Question_. Were our first parents under the im- mediate protection of an infinite G.o.d?

_Answer_. They were.

_Question_. Why did he not protect them? Why did he not warn them of this snake? Why did he not put them on their guard? Why did he not make them so sharp, intellectually, that they could not be deceived? Why did he not destroy that

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snake; or how did he come to make him; what did he make him for?

_Answer_. You must remember that, although G.o.d made Adam and Eve perfectly good, still he was very anxious to test them. He also gave them the power of choice, knowing at the same time exactly what they would choose, and knowing that he had made them so that they must choose in a certain way. A being of infinite wisdom tries experiments. Knowing ex- actly what will happen, he wishes to see if it will.