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| Twain in 1909 (Public Domain) |
Some religionists claim Mark Twain as one their own. They
cite his devotion to Joan of Arc, his Masonic membership, and his Presbyterian ties as "proof" of his faithful tendencies.
Certainly, Twain gave many indications of wanting to believe.
He was duly preoccupied with life's big questions, and was constantly seeking some meaningful answers.
Although Twain had what Einstein would call a "holy curiosity," he also possessed a sharp wit and an equally cutting logic. When these
three qualities merged, they resulted in such insights as the following:
The Church has opposed every invention and discovery from the day of Galileo down to our own time, when the use of anesthetics in childbirth was regarded as a sin because it avoided the biblical curse pronounced against Eve.
Man is a Religious Animal.
He is the only Religious Animal. He
is the only animal that has True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn't straight.
The church is always trying to get other people to reform; it might not be a bad idea to reform itself a little, by way of example.
The jury is still out on whether Twain was a believer of sorts, an agnostic, or an atheist.
The answer to that mainly concerns Twain. But the questions he raised might very well concern us all…
Resources
http://formerfundy.blogspot.com/2010/02/quotes-on-religion-from-mark-twain.html
Copyright December 30, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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