Robert Ingersoll was America''s finest orator and foremost leader of freethinkers. Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Eugene V. Debs, and Elizabeth Cady used to gather to hear the speeches of "the great agnostic."Roger E. Greeley has selected the best from speeches and essays of this iconoclastic orator who labored to destroy the superstition and hypocrisy of fundamentalism in America and who answered the Moral Majority in the last century.One hundred years after he advanced into the national spotlight, Ingersoll''s commentaries still retain their fresh, penetrating, and witty character. His pleas for civil rights, the rights of women and children, responsible and responsive government, and individual freedom of conscience and religious belief have placed him in the vanguard of enlightened thinkers.Today the legacy of Robert Ingersoll, prophet and pioneer, merits the attention of anyone who espouses humane, liberal, rational, or agnostic opinions.

"Latest Lectures of Col. R. G. Ingersoll" is a collection of lectures by Robert Green Ingersoll, a prominent American orator and freethinker of the 19th century. In this compilation, Ingersoll delivers thought-provoking and also controversial speeches that challenge traditional religious beliefs and championing reason, science, and also humanism over dogma and superstition. Throughout the lectures, Ingersoll passionately advocates for intellectual freedom and the separation of church and state. He addresses topics such as religious skepticism, the importance of critical thinking, the flaws in organized religion, and the need for a more rational and other one compassionate society. Ingersoll's eloquent and eloquently delivered speeches earned him the nickname "The Great Agnostic. "He fearlessly criticizes religious authorities and also traditional beliefs, promoting a worldview based on empirical evidence and humanist ethics. Ingersoll's wit, humor, and charismatic speaking style captivated audiences, but his ideas also garnered him both admirers and detractors. In "Latest Lectures of Col. R. G. Ingersoll," the author challenges his listeners to question long-held beliefs and embrace reason and science as the guiding principles of human progress. The collection showcases Ingersoll's commitment to advocating for the freedom of thought, the rights of individuals, and the advancement of humanity through reason and knowledge.

Civil War veteran, successful lawyer, persuasive spokesman for the Republican Party, spellbinding orator, and controversial iconoclast, Col. Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) was one of the best-known intellectuals of the 19th century. He rose to national prominence through his gift for oratory, which he publicly displayed on numerous lecture circuit tours. For almost twenty years this dedicated popularizer of progressive thinking and staunch critic of superstition would regularly address huge audiences, opening their minds to ideas that often provoked guarded whispers in private. Ingersoll was a man far ahead of his time, who advocated agnosticism, birth control, voting rights for women, the advancement of science, and civil rights for all races. Though eloquent on a wide variety of topics, he became most famous, and notorious, for his provocative lectures questioning the traditional, Bible-based Christian worldview of the age. In this volume are collected his best-known lectures on religion, the Bible, and related subjects. Included are "Why I Am an Agnostic"; "The Truth"; "What Is Religion?"; "Superstition"; "What Infidels Have Done"; "What Should You Substitute for the Bible as a Moral Guide?"; "Crumbling Creeds"; "The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child"; and "Love." This outstanding collection is indispensable for freethinkers, humanists, and open-minded people of all persuasions. Note: This volume is available individually or as part of a two-volume set with On the Gods and Other Essays by Robert by Ingersoll: two-volume set (ISBN 1-59102-171-5): $50.