Robert G Ingersoll was one of the most famous agnostics and orators of the 1900’s in the United States of America. This is why he was nicknamed ‘The Great Agnostic of the Golden Age of Freethought’. He was born in the city of Dresden, New York on the 11th of August, 1833. He was also a lawyer, a Civil War veteran, Political Leader and an orator during the period of the 1900’s.
Robert G Ingersoll was famous for his great speeches and quotes to popularise criticism to the Bible and scientific rationalism. He was known nationally as a funny lecturer who exposed the superstitions of Orthodox at that time. John Ingersoll, his father, was the man of his time with a broad mind for others …show more content…
He did not believe that the Bible was of divine origin. He categorised the Bible the same way as all other olden texts. He believed “there is some truth, a great deal of error, considerable barbarism and a most plentiful lack of good sense”. Since all the people in the 19th century were very superstitious and religious, Robert was a very atheistic man and questioned people about their thoughts and actions on religions and gods. He also questioned the society of his time on the suffrage of women and regarded them as the backbone of home life. He was also very cautious of the cultures that were around him. He interrogated what he thought was unjust and which in turn abused the human rights of a person or of the whole culture. He strived hard for the right of free thought for all the people in his country so everyone is able to express their own ideas and feelings. Robert was the most popular orator of the age when oratory was considered public entertainment. He continued doing oratory on almost all subjects – from Shakespeare to Reconstruction until he was 65 when he died of congestive heart failure. Soon after his death, his brother in law collected copies of all the speeches to publish it and save it for future generations. His body lies in the Arlington National Cemetery. His solid defence of Science, Humanism and Agnosticism make him one of the great heroes of the free thought movement.