The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll Volume V Part 35

_Question_. What punishment did G.o.d inflict upon Adam and Eve for the sin of having eaten the for- bidden fruit?

_Answer_. He p.r.o.nounced a curse upon the woman, saying that in sorrow she should bring forth children, and that her husband should rule over her; that she, having tempted her husband, was made his slave; and through her, all married women have been de- prived of their natural liberty. On account of the sin of Adam and Eve, G.o.d cursed the ground, saying that it should bring forth thorns and thistles, and that man should eat his bread in sorrow, and that he should eat the herb of the field.

_Question_. Did he turn them out of the garden because of their sin?

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_Answer_. No. The reason G.o.d gave for turning them out of the garden was: "Behold the man is "become as one of us, to know good and evil; and "now, lest he put forth his hand and take of the "tree of life and eat and live forever, therefore, the "Lord G.o.d sent him forth from the Garden of Eden "to till the ground from whence he was taken."

_Question_. If the man had eaten of the tree of life, would he have lived forever?

_Answer_. Certainly.

_Question_. Was he turned out to prevent his eating?

_Answer_. He was.

_Question_. Then the Old Testament tells us how we lost immortality, not that we are immortal, does it?

_Answer_. Yes; it tells us how we lost it.

_Question_. Was G.o.d afraid that Adam and Eve might get back into the garden, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life?

_Answer_. I suppose he was, as he placed "cher- "ubim and a flaming sword which turned every "way to guard the tree of life."

_Question_. Has any one ever seen any of these cherubim?

_Answer_. Not that I know of.

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_Question_. Where is the flaming sword now?

_Answer_. Some angel has it in heaven.

_Question_. Do you understand that G.o.d made coats of skins, and clothed Adam and Eve when he turned them out of the garden?

_Answer_. Yes, sir.

_Question_. Do you really believe that the infinite G.o.d killed some animals, took their skins from them, cut out and sewed up clothes for Adam and Eve?

_Answer_. The Bible says so; we know that he had patterns for clothes, because he showed some to Moses on Mount Sinai.

_Question_. About how long did G.o.d continue to pay particular attention to his children in this world?

_Answer_. For about fifteen hundred years; and some of the people lived to be nearly a thousand years of age.

_Question_. Did this G.o.d establish any schools or inst.i.tutions of learning? Did he establish any church?

Did he ordain any ministers, or did he have any re- vivals?

_Answer_. No; he allowed the world to go on pretty much in its own way. He did not even keep his own boys at home. They came down and made

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love to the daughters of men, and finally the world got exceedingly bad.

_Question_. What did G.o.d do then?

_Answer_. He made up his mind that he would drown them. You see they were all totally depraved,--in every joint and sinew of their bodies, in every drop of their blood, and in every thought of their brains.

_Question_. Did he drown them all?

_Answer_. No, he saved eight, to start with again.

_Question_. Were these eight persons totally de- praved?

_Answer_. Yes.

_Question_. Why did he not kill them, and start over again with a perfect pair? Would it not have been better to have had his flood at first, before he made anybody, and drowned the snake?

_Answer_. "G.o.d's way are not our ways;" and besides, you must remember that "a thousand years "are as one day" with G.o.d.

_Question_. How did G.o.d destroy the people?

_Answer_. By water; it rained forty days and forty nights, and "the fountains of the great deep were "broken up."

_Question_. How deep was the water?

_Answer_. About five miles.

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_Question_. How much did it rain each day?

_Answer_. About eight hundred feet; though the better opinion now is, that it was a local flood. In- fidels have raised objections and pressed them to that degree that most orthodox people admit that the flood was rather local.

_Question_. If it was a local flood, why did they put birds of the air into the ark? Certainly, birds could have avoided a local flood?

_Answer_. If you take this away from us, what do you propose to give us in its place? Some of the best people of the world have believed this story.

Kind husbands, loving mothers, and earnest patriots have believed it, and that is sufficient.

_Question_. At the time G.o.d made these people, did he know that he would have to drown them all?

_Answer_. Of course he did.

_Question_. Did he know when he made them that they would all be failures?

_Answer_. Of course.