Martin A. Larson Remembered March 2, 1897 - January 15, 1994 by William B. Lindley The freethought community has lost one more good friend, a fine scholar and promoter of individual freedom, both political and religious. Early in life Larson became dissatisfied with his evangelical upbringing, and in college did a dissertation on John Milton. His interest in religious freedom and unorthodoxy grew over the years. In middle life he pursued a business career, which was apparently successful enough to enable him to retire in his early 50's and get busy on his favorite activity, the pursuit and distillation of knowledge. His long life gave him time to produce numerous books on several subjects of importance to readers of Truth Seeker. A brief review of five of his books will provide some idea of his interests and contributions. 1. New Thought: A Modern Religious Approach (1985) is a thorough and detailed review of the New Thought movement from the 1700's to the present time. (New Thought, roughly, is the set of religions that claim to be based on the Bible and Jesus Christ but reject many basic Christian doctrines.) The book doesn't give just names, places, and dates; it examines the ideas that are the substance of New Thought. The story begins with Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), and traces his influence on the Shakers and on the healers: Phineas Quimby, Warren Felt Evans, and Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. Modern New Thought institutions: the Church of Divine Science, Unity, the Churches of Religious Science, and the International New Thought Alliance, are covered. Larson regards the New Thought religions as basically happy ones. 2. The Essene-Christian Faith (1989, 273 pp.) is a thorough and scholarly review of the development of the Essene movement within Judaism, of the Teacher of Righteousness (ca. 95 - ca. 69 B.C.), and of his close parallel, Jesus, probably an Essene, and of Christianity, the religion that developed out of his person. If you tackle this book, prepare for submersion in a mass of facts. The story is not simple. 3. The Story of Christian Origins (1977) is a more comprehensive book than the one above, with a correspondingly larger page count (711 pp.). Just one chapter is devoted to the Essenes. Earlier chapters give the pagan and Judaic background. The book reviews in detail, in 22 sections, the theological doctrines in the gospels. Finally, the book covers the development of early Christianity in the pagan world, describing the many factional splits and variant theologies, ending with the ascendancy of the Roman Catholic Church during and after the time of St. Augustine. 4. The I.R.S. vs. The Middle Class (1980) is a work that offers practical help to those who feel besieged by the IRS. It explains how the IRS operates, offers some techniques of tax reduction and avoidance, and deals at length with audits. There is even helpful material for when things get really tough, as in the tax court and the appeals courts. Several cases are cited in detail. 5. Last but not least is Jefferson: Magnificent Populist. This book is not a biography; it is something better. It is a collection of Jefferson's own words, organized by Larson into 23 categories and numerous subcategories. It thus provides both a quick source for some excellent quotes and ample material for very pleasurable browsing. It is one of the best possible ways for us to get better acquainted with our third president. Martin Larson. Whatta man! We'll miss him. Table of Contents | 1994 Issues | Subscribe Truth Seeker | Feedback | Freethought.com Webmaster Credit card Orders call: 800-321-9054 or fax: (619)676-0433 Or send check or money order to: Truth Seeker / 16935 W. Bernardo Drive, Suite 103 / San Diego, CA 92127 $20.00 annual U.S. subscription ($35.00 international). Individual issues—$10.00 + $2.50 postage and handling Or be a committed freethinker and send $35.00 for a two year subscription. Truth Seeker is published by Truth Seeker Co., Inc. (ISSN 0041-3712) © 1996