Life of Ahmad — Page 745
as BISHOP OF LAHORE AND ISLAM 745 your faith which may best enable me to understand its true contents and doctrine; and, on the other, to give lectures such as those recently delivered in Lahore, thereby affording an opportunity for questions to be asked by which those who are present may, perhaps, come to a truer and clearer understanding of the doctrines of the Faith than they previously possessed. But this, I think you will see, is very different from joining in a controversy the professed result of which is to be the acceptance by those who take part in it, of that religion, the claims of which to be divine should seem at such a time to have been most conclusively demonstrated 172. It is not, therefore, possible for me at any time to engage in a discussion on this condition. Although this letter is not in print it is entirely open to you to have it printed, or to make such use of it as you deem desirable. I assume that I am dealing with Muhammadan gentlemen, and that, therefore, if printed at all, it will be printed in its entirety and without any variation. —I beg to remain, 172 'The Bishop,' remarked The Review of Religions, 'proceeds, upon the supposition that religious truths cannot be proved by arguments, and hence the uselessness of controversy. But this means that religious truths cannot be proved at all, for a proof without arguments is an unknown thing… the monstrous dogmas of Christianity defied all reasonable explanations, and were incapable of being rationally demonstrated…'