...The old man was not frightened. He was perfectly calm. In a weak and broken voice he said: "Mr. Preacher, I suppose you noticed my farm. My wife and I came here more than fifty years ago. We were just married. It was a forest then and the land was covered with stones. I cut down the trees, burned the logs, picked up the stones and laid the walls. My wife spun and wove and worked every moment. We raised and educated our children -- denied ourselves. During all these years my wife never had a good dress, or a decent bonnet. I never had a good suit of clothes. We lived on the plainest food. Our hands, our bodies are deformed by toil. We never had a vacation. We loved each other and the children. That is the only luxury we ever had. Now I am about to die and you ask me if I am prepared. Mr. Preacher, I have no fear of the future, no terror of any other world. There may be such a place as hell -- but if there is, you never can make me believe that it's any worse than old Vermont...
2007-05-13 17:30:33 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Actually, I am not relating to agnosticism.The book is called "Why I am an agnostic"
2007-05-13 17:37:37 · update #1
Interesting story. I think of Jesus' words when I read this... that the god of this age (Satan) has blinded the eyes of unbelievers so they do not see the grace of God. This man is so focused on himself that he is blind to the free gift of eternal life offered to him so he rejects it.
2007-05-13 17:37:45 · answer #1 · answered by Blessed 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like a joke for the retarded. Why? First of all, this man (the character in the story) is to be envied: he worked hard, he turned that forest into a farm (you have to be healthy to do that!), they educated their children, they ate the plainest food (which is the healthiest) and they had the LUXURY to love each other and their children. It sounds like heaven on earth to me. Obviously, the author of this so-called story put bitter words in a happy man's mouth. And, if it is true, if the man thought that his life was hell on earth, then God gave him a life that he never deserved. He should have been given good clothes, the finest food, the finest drinks, he should have attended the hottest parties and have his kids addicted to drugs, his wife an alcoholic (cheating on him with the gardener), and he himself full of AIDS taken from a sailor. What a good life he would have had...
Anyway, thank you for bringing this name, Green Ingersoll, to my attention. I wouldn't have liked to waste my time reading the whole book.
2007-05-13 17:43:41 · answer #2 · answered by mrquestion 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe that the old man didn't understand what his blessings from God were. He had a farm, trees and stones for a house, land, children, food, health, the love of wife and children but he said that Vermont was worse than Hell.
Had he looked around at his blessings, he should have realized from whom they came.
2007-05-13 17:42:08 · answer #3 · answered by 4HIM- Christians love 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Interesting Ingersoll was known for his debates against believing in Jesus personally and His salvation. He uses this story in part to justify his beliefs.
Yet this story is about a man that while being very commendable, yet went to excess-never took time for Jesus,
yet used his overworked worshipping the farm in his running out life as reason for living for self rather that the creator-as his excuse not to believe in Jesus as well as thinking even hell would be better than his life had been.
2007-05-15 20:26:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I want to cheer for this old man even if he did waste much of his life. The congregation could have been supported him better. It's true that this world is hell and heavan is better but who wants to live without a body and miss enjoying what is so special about this earth?
2007-05-13 17:42:44 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can surely see why the man lived a life like that.. He would have had a great time if he were a christian..
Ingersoll is still ahead of his time.. Give him another thousand years and we will see.
2007-05-13 17:47:58 · answer #6 · answered by † PRAY † 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think after 150 years, it has lost a bit of its punch.
(BTW, I live across the river from Vermont, and it's no longer such a difficult life.)
2007-05-13 17:40:27 · answer #7 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An updated version would replace Vermont with Jersey.
2007-05-13 17:34:19 · answer #8 · answered by kenny 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think its yet another example of pride and arrogance on the part of mankind thinking he is something great without God, when in fact he is nothing.
Even fools and criminals fear the consequences of their actions. What does that say about a boastful man that has no fear?
2007-05-13 17:48:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Huh?
Yes... it can be worse, like hell, a real place.
The above is deluded nonsense - fodder for those who find it easier to buy something like this rather than denying themselves for the truth of God.
2007-05-13 17:44:37 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋