A Plea For Atheism

Author : Charles Bradlaugh
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781545217986
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (179 download)

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Download or read book Theological Essays written by Charles Bradlaugh and published by . This book was released on 2017-04-07 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WHAT is heresy that it should be so heavily punished? Why is it that society will condone many offences, pardon many vicious practices, and yet have such scant mercy for the open heretic, who is treated as though he were some horrid monster to be feared, hated, and, if possible, exterminated? Most religionists, instead of endeavoring with kindly thought to provide some solution for the difficulties propounded by their heretical brethren, indiscriminately confound all inquirers in one common category of censure; their views are dismissed with ridicule as sophistical and fallacious, abused as infinitely dangerous, themselves denounced as heretics and infidels, and libelled as scoffers and Atheists. With some religionists all heretics are Atheists. With the Pope of Rome, Garibaldi and Mazzini were Atheists. With the Religious Tract Society, Voltaire and Paine were Atheists. Yet in none of the above-named cases is the allegation true. Voltaire and Paine were heretics, but both were Theists. Garibaldi and Mazzini were heretics, but neither of them was an Atheist, though the latter had given color to the description by accepting the presidency of an Atheistical society. With few exceptions, the heretics of one generation become the revered saints of a period less than twenty generations later. Lord Bacon, in his own age, was charged with Atheism, Sir Isaac Newton with Socinianism, the famous Tillotson was actually charged with Atheism, and Dr. Burnet wrote vigorously against the commonly received traditions of the fall and deluge. There are but few men of the past of whom the church boasts to-day, who have not at some time been pointed at as heretics by orthodox antagonists excited by party rancor. Heresy is in itself neither Atheism nor Theism, neither the rejection of the Church of Rome, nor of Canterbury, nor of Constantinople; heresy is not necessarily of any-ist or-ism. The heretic is one who has selected his own opinions, or whose opinions are the result of some mental effort; and he differs from others who are orthodox in this:--they hold opinions which are often only the bequest of an earlier generation unquestioningly accepted; he has escaped from the customary grooves of conventional acquiescence, and sought truth outside the channels sanctified by habit. CONTENTS HERESY: ITS UTILITY AND MORALITY Chapter I. Introductory Chapter II. The Sixteenth Century Chapter III. The Seventeenth Century Chapter IV. The Eighteenth Century HUMANITY'S GAIN FROM UNBELIEF SUPERNATURAL AND RATIONAL MORALITY HAS MAN A SOUL? IS THERE A GOD A PLEA FOR ATHEISM A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE DEVIL WERE ADAM AND EVE OUR FIRST PARENTS? NEW LIFE OF ABRAHAM NEW LIFE OF JACOB NEW LIFE OF MOSES NEW LIFE OF DAVID A NEW LIFE OF JONAH WHO WAS JESUS CHRIST? WHAT DID JESUS TEACH? THE TWELVE APOSTLES THE ATONEMENT WHEN WERE OUR GOSPELS WRITTEN? MR. GLADSTONE IN REPLY TO COLONEL INGERSOLL ON CHRISTIANITY A FEW WORDS ON THE CHRISTIANS' CREED