The unpopularity of that grand conception it would be vain to deny.  A vast majority of mankind associate with the idea of disbelief in their Gods, everything stupid, monstrous, absurd and atrocious.  Absolute Universalism is thought by them the inseparable ally of most shocking wickedness, involving ‘blasphemy against the Holy Ghost,’ which we are assured shall not be forgiven unto men ’neither in this world nor in that which is to come.’  Educated to consider it ’an inhuman, bloody, ferocious system, equally hostile to every restraint and to every virtuous affection,’ the majority of all countries detest and shun its apostles.  Their horror of them may be likened to that it is presumed the horse feels towards the camel, upon whom (so travellers tell us) he cannot look without shuddering.

To keep alive and make the most of this superstitious feeling has ever been the object of Christian priests, who rarely hesitate to make charges of Atheism, not only against opponents, but each other; not only against disbelievers but believers.  The Jesuit Lafiteau, in a Preface to his ‘Histoire des Sauvages Americanes,’ [10:1] endeavours to prove that only Atheists will dare assert that God created the Americans.  Not a metaphysical writer of eminence has escaped the ‘imputation’ of Atheism.  The great Clarke and his antagonist the greater Leibnitz were called Atheists.  Even Newton was put in the same category.  No sooner did sharp-sighted Divines catch a glimpse of an ’Essay on the Human Understanding’ than they loudly proclaimed the Atheism of its author.  Julian Hibbert, in his learned account ’Of Persons Falsely Entitled Atheists,’ says, ’the existence of some sort of a Deity has usually been considered undeniable, so the imputation of Atheism and the title of Atheist have usually been considered as insulting.’  This author, after giving no fewer than thirty and two names of ’individuals among the Pagans who (with more or less injustice) have been accused of Atheism,’ says, ’the list shews, I think, that almost all the most celebrated Grecian metaphysicians have been, either in their own or in following ages, considered, with more or less reason, to be Atheistically inclined.  For though the word Atheist was probably not often used till about a hundred years before Christ, yet the imputation of impiety was no doubt as easily and commonly bestowed, before that period, as it has been since.’ [11:1]

Voltaire relates, in the eighteenth chapter of his ’Philosophie de L’Histoire,’ [11:2] that a Frenchman named Maigrot, Bishop of Conon, who knew not a word of Chinese, was deputed by the then Pope to go and pass judgment on the opinions of certain Chinese philosophers; he treated Confucius as Atheist, because that sage had said, ’the sky has given me virtue, and man can do me no hurt.’