In the early and mid-1800s, Peter Cartwright was a circuit rider in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois. Once, on one of his forays into the frontier, he stayed overnight at the home of a spiritually skeptical physician. As they talked, the doctor was more than willing to share that the only reality was that which our senses could discern. The doctor asked Cartwright: "Did you ever see religion?" Cartwright replied he hadn’t. "Did you ever hear religion?" "No." "Did you ever smell religion?" "No." "Did you ever taste religion?" "No." "Did you ever feel religion?" "Yes." "Now then," said the doctor showing a smile that signaled his supposed success, "I have proven, beyond a doubt, by four respectable witnesses that religion is neither seen, heard, smelled, or tasted. Only feeling has testified that religion is an experimental fact.” The doctor summed up by saying: “The weight of evidence is overpowering, sir, and you must give it (religion) up."
Cartwright offered his rebuttal. He began, "Doctor, in pretending to relieve pain in the human system, you have been playing the hypocrite and practicing a most wretched fraud on the gullibility of the people." Such talk did not please the physician, and he voiced his objection. Not to be put off, Cartwright continued, "Sir, did you ever see a pain?" The doctor had to confess he had not. "Did you ever hear a pain?" "No sir." Did you ever smell a pain?" "No sir." "Did you ever taste a pain?" "No sir." "Did you ever feel a pain?" "Certainly I did, sir." "Then, concluded Cartwright, "four respectable witnesses have testified that there is no such thing as pain in a human system." It was then, with the doctor’s confidence somewhat shaken, Cartwright dropped to his knees and began to pray for the doctor’s salvation. I am pleased to share that the doctor was converted, set free his slaves and, himself, became a preacher.
