Mangasar Magurditch Mangasarian (December 29, 1859–June 26, 1943) was born in Ottoman Empire, attended Robert College in Constantinople; in 1880 he enrolled at Princeton University. He was pastor at a Presbyterian church in Philadelphia from 1885-1887, resigned in 1887 and became an independent lecturer in Philadelphia, in 1890 became affiliated with the Ethical Culture Society of NYC. In 1890 he founded the Independent Religious Society, of which he remained the leader until his resignation in 1925. During his life Mangasarian wrote a number of books. His most popular book deals with the evidence against the existence of an historical Jesus. He also wrote hundreds of essays and lectures on questions of the times. His books and essays were translated into French, German, Spanish, and other foreign languages. The general subject of his writing was religious criticism and the philosophy of religion. Note: One of the issues of the 1925 "The Christian Register" (a Unitarian publication) devoted a large article to him.
The four following posts are excerpts from Mangasarian’s three books:
1. The Bible Unveiled
2. The Truth about Jesus—Is He a Myth?
3. Is the Morality of Jesus Sound?
About Me
- PERMAN WILSON
- MY BELIEF IN GOD IS NATURALISTIC: Unlike most people who use the name, God, I have a rational definition for the concept: I define 'god' to mean 'ruler'. When I write the name 'God' with a capital "G," I am referring to each one of the elements in my trinity working together in harmony. Thus, for me: (1) Nature is god of the Universe. (2) Humanity is god of the planet Earth. (3) My own mind is god of my own body. I SERVE NATURE BEST BY KNOWING AND OBEYING THE LAWS OF NATURE AS MUCH AS I CAN DETERMINE WITH SCIENCE AND MY SCIENTIFIC THINKING. I SERVE HUMANITY BE BEING HUMANE. I SERVE MY OWN MIND BY CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING AS MUCH AS I REASONABLY CAN, AND THINKING OPTIMISTICALLY, HEALTHFULLY, AND WHOLESOMELY WHILE ENJOYING EVERY MOMENT.