p. 77 | Flabby Religion by Talmage

California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists · Oakland, Cal. · Dec 3, 1874

Flabby Religion.

By Talmage

MUCH of the religion of the day is flabby, very flabby indeed. It is afflicted with a sort of Saint Vitus' dance; now bending this way, and now that; and it is uncertain which way it will wriggle next. It accommodates itself to the whims of the world. It is almost disposed to exchange our Bible for a science that, instead of tracing our origin to Adam, makes us only a better order of tadpoles; and instead of reading, "Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Joseph," would read: "The fish begat the reptile, and the reptile begat a marsupial animal, and the marsupial animal begat the inadrumana, and the inadrumana begat the gorilla, and the gorilla begat the ape, and the ape begat Darwin." Much of our modern religion begins with an eulogy of human nature, instead of an exposition of its utter downfall. It makes us sick to hear all this talk about the dignity of manhood. It is a heap of putrefaction, unless Saint John lied when he described it as "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."—Talmage.