Free Thought | AdventAI

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 12, 1863

Free Thought.

Now a days when so many are thinking, and so many are writing; at a time when great thoughts are shaking the social world; when olden creeds are paling in the searching light of dawning science, it ill becomes any one to set up the bounds of thought and expression. Whenever and wherever a word is to be said or a thought to be uttered, 'tis a gross and miserable assumption that dictates its reception. Much as we prate of freedom—intellectual freedom—freedom of thought, will, and action, but few, very few, dare bring out their own true thoughts to the open light; for should they do violence to popular sentiment, the sect, the order, the crowd, the populace, are all down upon them with an avalanche of denunciation.

Hence, while we boast of liberty, we are generally slaves—slaves to popular sentiment. A man must think just so, or be branded as a barbarian; and speak just so, or be denounced as a bigot, a heretic, or a traitor. Woe! to the man that dares to raise his voice against modern orthodoxy, however corrupt or mixed up with error and superstition. As terrible thunders will be fulminated against him as ever issued from the eternal city against Wickliffe, John Huss, or Martin Luther. He must knuckle down like a whipped cur and sanction the system of every ignoramus, no matter how repugnant to truth or common sense.

It would seem that reason had forsaken her throne, and superstition with all its dark train of absurdities had taken her place; so that under the name of orthodoxy we are wont to sit and listen with approbation to the most palpable absurdities, worthy only of the dark ages.

For this reason so few genuine writers are among us; and while so many are babbling and warring among the tombs and shades of unmeaning dogmas, but few dare proclaim the truthful inspirations of their own hearts. But true lives exist; true thought is growing. It will one day find a tongue and will speak out and be regarded; for men are not all bad—cowards and conformists by custom; by nature, noble, strong, and independent. A web of circumstances surrounds and controls them. Yet there's a soundness at the bottom; and despite the servility of society there is still latent in the mind a respect, a love, for the very spirit that scorns and defies the power; and even now, every exhibition of heroic independence but raises our regard to loftiest admiration, before which the time-serving conformists of the day sink to utter crawling.

A sorry picture society presents; the many, perched upon the mountain tops of their own delusion, stoutly maintaining the beliefs and opinions of their kind; while the few, yet powerful, have fixed themselves upon the more sure foundation of truth, reason, and God's word. They stand on the broad line of truth and reason, and their electric thoughts sweep out upon the world and fall with irresistible force upon the hearts and minds of men. Their influence will be felt. Another grand struggle for truth, freedom, and religion, is dawning on the world. Old creeds and Romish fables must fall before it in its onward march. In the first century the great structure of superstition had reached its culminating point—God put forth his hand; it crumbled to dust. In the sixteenth century it again towered up to the skies—God breathed forth his Spir-

it, Martin Luther spoke, and it came crushing to the ground. Once more its lofty pinacles are bathed in the clouds—again God has spoken, and it must fall.—Sel.