What J. Williams Thorne believed

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:32:11 -0500

J. Williams Thorne didn't attack God per se, but Christianity.

Harry McKown of the UNC-Chapel Hill Library took a read through a pamphlet written by Thorne after his expulsion from the legislature.

From what he can tell, Thorne originally was responding to a lecture by Rev. Joseph Barker, who said (Thorne's words) that "as a class, those who denied the Divine authority of the Bible, were inferior in morals to those who thus accepted it."

In response, Thorne went after the Christian Church, particularly the evangelical church, and the depiction of God in the Old and New Testament, McKown writes Dome.

Here is one example of his writing:

"As the Christian Church rose in power and influence, civilization declined. And now civilization is advancing in exact proportion as the Church loses its power and influence among men."

More after the jump.

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What J. Williams Thorne believed