Charles Chilton Moore (1837–1906)

The writer, a grandson of Barton W. Stone, documents why he moved from a believer and a minister of the Christian Church to that of an unbeliever.

He provides a concise summery as to the purpose of the book on p. 189: "I do not wish to be regarded simply as have written against the inspiration of the scriptures, in arguing against miracles and supernaturalism. I wish rather to be regarded as having written for the chiristian code and as having opposed the doctrine of miracles, and of all supernaturalism, because they are stumbling blocks in the way of a general highly cultivated tendency to accept that code."

The book has no index.

I have all three books written by the author. They still may be found on the used book market.… (mais)

Infidel author Charles Chilton Moore provides a travelogue of his trip to the holy land during the Feb-Apr 1903 time frame. The book enables Moore to put his wit and wisdom on display, and overall the book is a fun read.

While I learned little about Moore's Stone-Campbell religious heritage (he is the grandson of Barton W. Stone), I nonetheless learned that I would have liked him as a person (I think!), in spite of his negative views of religion and specifically, Christianity.

The book is out of print, but available via the used book market.… (mais)

Author Charles Chilton Moore (b. 1837) was the grandson of Barton Warren Stone, the "Stone" in the Stone-Campbell religious heritage. Moore graduated from Bethany College, Virginia (now West Virginia) with a Bachelor of Arts degree on July 4, 1858. After preaching in Christian churches in Kentucky for a few years, he became an infidel and ended his ministry.

In 1884 he began publishing a (soon to be weekly) paper, Blue Grass Blade, in Lexington, Kentucky that was intended to promote prohibition, atheism, and free thinking causes.

The book was written by Moore in 1899 while he was serving a two-year sentence in a federal prison in Columbus, Ohio, after being found guilty of sending "obscene matter" through the mails. He subsequently had his sentence reduced to six months by President McKinley.

I found the book to be entertaining and educational. Entertaining in that the author's writing style is conversational and at times humorous. Educational in that he shared numerous details about his personal experiences while at Bethany College and the Campbell family. For example, I learned that that author was actually formally engaged to be married to Decima ("Dessie") Campbell, a daughter of Alexander Campbell (the "Campbell" in the Stone-Campbell religious heritage).

Persons who are of the Stone-Campbell religious tradition and wish to learn more of it should find this book to of value.… (mais)