Posted by Gonzo on April 24, 2000 at 16:42:01:
In Reply to: Sol Invictus posted by James Vinson Wingo on December 25, 1997 at 03:48:19:
: Sol Invictus
: Again we celebrate the victory of Light over Darkness,
: of the God of day over the hosts of night. Again Samson
: is victorious over Delilah, and Hercules triumphs once
: more over Omphale. In the embrace of Isis, Osiris rises
: from the dead, and the scowling Typhon is defeated once
: more. Again Apollo, with unerring aim, with his arrow
: from the quiver of light, destroys the serpent of
: shadow. This is the festival of Thor, of Baldur and of
: Prometheus. Again Buddha by a miracle escapes from the
: tyrant of Madura, Zoroaster foils the King, Bacchus
: laughs at the rage of Cadmus, and Chrishna eludes the
: tyrant.
: This is the festival of the sun-god, and as such let
: its observance be universal.
: This is the great day of the first religion, the mother
: of all religions—the worship of the sun.
: Sun worship is not only the first, but the most natural
: and most reasonable of all. And not only the most
: natural and the most reasonable, but by far the most
: poetic, the most beautiful.
: The sun is the god of benefits, of growth, of life, of
: warmth, of happiness, of joy. The sun is the all-seeing,
: the all-pitying, the all-loving.
: This bright God knew no hatred, no malice, never sought
: for revenge.
: All evil qualities were in the breast of the God of
: darkness, of shadow, of night. And so I say again, this
: is the festival of light. This is the anniversary of
: the triumph of the Sun over the hosts of Darkness.
: Let us all hope for the triumph of Light—of Right and
: Reason— for the victory of Fact over Falsehood, of
: Science over Superstition.
: And so hoping, let us celebrate the venerable festival
: of the Sun.
:
: Robert G. Ingersoll, originally published as
: “The Agnostic Christmas,” in The Journal, New York,
: December 25, 1892: p. 477 of The Works of Robert G.
: Ingersoll, Vol. 11, NY, 1900, pp. 375-376:
:
: What I Want for Christmas
: If I had the power to produce exactly what I want for
: next Christmas, I would have all the kings and emperors
: resign and allow the people to govern themselves.
: I would have all the nobility drop their titles and
: give their lands back to the people. I would have the
: Pope throw away his tiara, take off his sacred
: vestments, and admit that he is not acting for God—is
: not infallible—but is just an ordinary Italian. I would
: have all the cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests
: and clergymen admit that they know nothing about
: theology, nothing about hell or heaven, nothing about
: the destiny of the human race, nothing about devils or
: ghosts, gods or angels. I would have them tell all
: their “flocks” to think for themselves, to be manly men
: and womanly women, and to do all in their power to
: increase the sum of human happiness.
: I would have all the professors in colleges, all the
: teachers in schools of every kind, including those in
: Sunday schools, agree that they would teach only what
: they know, that they would not palm off guesses as
: demonstrated truths.
: I would like to see all the politicians changed to
: statesmen,—to men who long to make their country great
: and free,—to men who care more for public good than
: private gain—men who long to be of use.
: I would like to see all the editors of papers and
: magazines agree to print the truth and nothing but the
: truth, to avoid all slander and misrepresentations, and
: to let the private affairs of the people alone.
: I would like to see drunkenness and prohibition both
: abolished.
: I would like to see corporal punishment done away with
: in every home, in every school, in every asylum,
: reformatory, and prison. Cruelty hardens and degrades,
: kindness reforms and ennobles.
: I would like to see the millionaires unite and form a
: trust for the public good.
: I would like to see a fair division of profits between
: capital and labor, so that the toiler could save enough
: to mingle a little June with the December of his life.
: I would like to see an international court established
: in which to settle disputes between nations, so that
: armies could be disbanded and the great navies allowed
: to rust and rot in perfect peace.
: I would like to see the whole world free—free from
: injustice—free from superstition.
: This will do for next Christmas. The following
: Christmas, I may want more.
: Robert G. Ingersoll, The Arena, Boston, December, 1897.