Letters from the Earth



Speaking of the Christian God in the essay "Letters from the Earth" by Mark Twain:

Human history in all ages is red with blood, and bitter with hate, and stained with cruelties; but not since Biblical times have these features been without a limit of some kind. Even the Church, which is credited with having spilt more innocent blood, since the beginning of its supremacy, than all the political wars put together have spilt, has observed a limit. A sort of limit. But you notice when the Lord God of Heaven and Earth, adored Father of Man, goes to war, there is no limit. He is totally without mercy–he, who is called the Fountain of Mercy. He slays, slays, slays! All the men, all the beasts, all the boys, all the babies; also all the women and all the girls, except those that have not been deflowered.

He makes no distinction between innocent and guilty. The babies were innocent, the beasts were innocent, many of the men, many of the women, many of the boys, many of the girls were innocent, yet they all had to suffer with the guilty. What the insane Father required was blood and misery; he was indifferent as to who furnished it.

Posted: Tue - April 6, 2004 at 09:20 PM          

©