"The air can be navigated..... But by what kind of machinery? Here is the secret. It requires living machinery of a most complex and subdivided character, and all under the command, to its minutest fibre, of a will acting with lightning speed and with knowledge of the motions wanted. This can never be done by lifeless mechanism. Air ships are a dream."
Robert Roberts, ‘A Voyage to Australia, New Zealand, and other Lands’, The Christadelphian (32.377.413), 1895.
Editor's Note:
Robert Roberts was the first editor of the Christadelphian magazine. He made numerous predictions based on his "interpretation" of Bible prophecy, all of which have failed. He also predicted that Christ would return during the reign of Queen Victoria and that when Christ did return the Christadelphians would slaughter millions to "greatly thin the population of the World." - Christendom Astray Chapter 15.
Robert Roberts was a Phrenologist. He analysed personalities by examining the "bumps" on their heads. This lunatic, together with slave owner and slavery defender Dr John Thomas were the "pioneering brethren" of the Christadelphian religion. Thomas abandoned his wife in America, (who was sick with Tuberculosis) to travel to Britain to establish the Christadelphian religion in that country. This pair of charlatans built the foundation upon which Christadelphians of today base their beliefs and their hopes of living for eternity in this vast universe.
That has nothing to do with religion
ReplyDeleteJust FYI, the author of this post is no longer associated with the site.
ReplyDeleteHowever, yes, you are absolutely right that most of this isn't directly associated with religion. But the question "If the founders of the religion could be mistaken about every day things, could they also be mistaken about Bible interpretation?" is a valid question. Of course, some parts of the denomination take "the Pioneers" more seriously than other parts, and that makes a difference.
However, I'd argue that the Bible has exactly the same problem. It makes a lot of statements about reality. Maybe they made sense back when they were first written, maybe they didn't. Not sure. But we've learned a lot since then. And the Bible hasn't kept up.
When you're the founder of a religion, one shaping the lives other human beings, such misstatements of reality and fact have everything to do with the religion's tenets.
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