Superstition In All Ages (1732) eBook

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Start of eBook	1
Translated from the French original by Miss Anna Knoop	1
LIFE OF JEAN MESLIER BY VOLTAIRE.	1
DECREE	4
PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR.	4
COMMON SENSE.	8
I.—APOLOGUE.	8
II.—WHAT IS THEOLOGY?	9
III.	9
IV.—MAN BORN NEITHER RELIGIOUS NOR DEISTICAL.	10
	10
VI.—RELIGION IS FOUNDED UPON CREDULITY.	10
VII.—EVERY RELIGION IS AN ABSURDITY.	10
VIII.—THE NOTION OF GOD IS IMPOSSIBLE.	11
IX.—ORIGIN OF SUPERSTITION.	11
X.—ORIGIN OF ALL RELIGION.	11
	11
XII.—RELIGION ENTICES IGNORANCE BY THE AID OF THE MARVELOUS.	11
XIII.—CONTINUATION.	12
	12
XV.—ALL RELIGION WAS BORN OF THE DESIRE TO DOMINATE.	12
XVI.—THAT WHICH SERVES AS A BASIS FOR ALL RELIGION IS VERY UNCERTAIN.	12
XVII.—IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE CONVINCED OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.	12
XVIII.—CONTINUATION.	13
XIX.—THE EXISTENCE OF GOD IS NOT PROVED.	13
	13
XXI.—SPIRITUALITY IS A CHIMERA.	13
XXII.—ALL WHICH EXISTS SPRINGS FROM THE BOSOM OF MATTER.	13
XXIII.—WHAT IS THE METAPHYSICAL GOD OF MODERN THEOLOGY?	14
XXIV.—IT WOULD BE MORE RATIONAL TO WORSHIP THE SUN THAN A SPIRITUAL GOD.	14
XXV.—A SPIRITUAL GOD IS INCAPABLE OF WILLING AND OF ACTING.	14
XXVI.—WHAT IS GOD?	14
XXVII.—REMARKABLE CONTRADICTIONS OF THEOLOGY.	15
XXVIII.—TO ADORE GOD IS TO ADORE A FICTION.	15
	15
	16
	16
XXXII.—IT IS A PREJUDICE WHICH HAS BEEN HANDED FROM FATHER TO CHILDREN.	17
XXXIII.—ORIGIN OF PREJUDICES.	17
XXXIV.—HOW THEY TAKE ROOT AND SPREAD.	17
XXXVI.—THE WONDERS OF NATURE DO NOT PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.	17
XXXVII.—THE WONDERS OF NATURE EXPLAIN THEMSELVES BY NATURAL CAUSES.	18
XXXVIII—CONTINUATION.	18
XXXIX.—THE WORLD HAS NOT BEEN CREATED, AND MATTER MOVES BY ITSELF.	19
XL.—CONTINUATION.	19
	19
XLII.—THE EXISTENCE OF MAN DOES NOT PROVE THAT OF GOD.	20
XLIII.—HOWEVER, NEITHER MAN NOR THE UNIVERSE IS THE EFFECT OF CHANCE.	21
	22
XLV.—CONTINUATION.	22
	23
	23
XLVIII.—CONTINUATION.	24
	24
L.—GOD IS NOT MADE FOR MAN, NOR MAN FOR GOD.	25
	25
LII.—WHAT IS CALLED PROVIDENCE IS BUT A WORD VOID OF SENSE.	25
	26
LIV.—NO! THE WORLD IS NOT GOVERNED BY AN INTELLIGENT BEING.	27
LV.—GOD CAN NOT BE CALLED IMMUTABLE.	27
	28
LVIII.—ANOTHER IDLE FANCY.	29
	29
	30
LXI.—CONTINUATION.	31
	31
	32
	32
	33
LXVII.—THEOLOGY IS BUT A SERIES OF PALPABLE CONTRADICTIONS.	34
	35
	35
	35
	35
LXXII.—IT IS ABSURD TO SAY THAT EVIL DOES NOT COME FROM GOD.	36
	36
	37
LXXV.—THE DEVIL, LIKE RELIGION, WAS INVENTED TO ENRICH THE PRIESTS.	37
	38
	38
	40
LXXX.—FREE WILL IS AN IDLE FANCY.	41
	43
LXXXII.—REFUTATION OF THE ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF FREE WILL.	43
LXXXIII.—CONTINUATION.	44
	44
	45
	45
	46
	46
	48
	50
	50
XCV.—COMPARISON BETWEEN MAN AND ANIMALS.	51
XCVI.—THERE ARE NO MORE DETESTABLE ANIMALS IN THIS WORLD THAN TYRANTS.	52
XCVII.—REFUTATION OF MAN’S EXCELLENCE.	52
XCVIII.—AN ORIENTAL LEGEND.	53
	54
	56
CII.—IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE WHOLE OF MAN DIES.	56
CIII.—INCONTESTABLE PROOFS AGAINST THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE SOUL.	57
CIV.—THE ABSURDITY OF SUPERNATURAL CAUSES, WHICH THEOLOGIANS CONSTANTLY	57
CV.—IT IS FALSE THAT MATERIALISM CAN BE DEBASING TO THE HUMAN RACE.	58
CVI.—CONTINUATION.	58
	58
	59
	61
	61
CXII.—CONTINUATION.	62
CXIII.—CONTINUATION.	63
CXIV.—A UNIVERSAL GOD SHOULD HAVE REVEALED A UNIVERSAL RELIGION.	63
	63
	64
CXVII.—OPINION OF A CELEBRATED THEOLOGIAN.	65
	65
	66
CXXI.—ALL RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES BEAR THE SEAL OF STUPIDITY OR BARBARITY.	67
	68
	69
CXXIV.—REVELATION REFUTED.	70
	71
CXXVI.—NOTHING ESTABLISHES THE TRUTH OF MIRACLES.	71
CXXVIII.—OBSCURE AND SUSPICIOUS ORIGIN OF ORACLES.	73
CXXIX.—ABSURDITY OF PRETENDED MIRACLES.	73
	73
	74
	75
	75
	76
	76
	77
	78
CXXXVIII.—FAITH TAKES ROOT BUT IN WEAK, IGNORANT, OR INDOLENT MINDS.	78
	79
CXL.—RELIGION IS NOT NECESSARY TO MORALITY AND TO VIRTUE.	81
	81
CXLII.—HONOR IS A MORE SALUTARY AND A STRONGER CHECK THAN RELIGION.	82
	84
	85
	86
	87
CLXIX.—A RELIGIOUS KING IS A SCOURGE TO HIS KINGDOM.	87
	89
CLII.—WHAT IS AN ENLIGHTENED SOVEREIGN?	89
CLIV.—CHARLATANRY OF THE PRIESTS.	90
	91
	92
CLVII.—ABUSE OF A STATE RELIGION.	93
CLVIII.—RELIGION GIVES LICENSE TO THE FEROCITY OF THE PEOPLE BY	93
	94
CLX.—ALL MORALITY IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH RELIGIOUS OPINIONS.	94
CLXI.—THE MORALS OF THE GOSPEL ARE IMPRACTICABLE.	96
CLXII.—A SOCIETY OF SAINTS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.	96
	97
CLXIV.—OF JESUS CHRIST, THE PRIEST’S GOD.	98
	99
CLXVI.—THE FEAR OF GOD IS POWERLESS AGAINST HUMAN PASSIONS.	99
CLXVII.—THE INVENTION OF HELL IS TOO ABSURD TO PREVENT EVIL.	100
	100
	101
	103
	104
	105
	105
CLXXIV.—CREEDS ARE BURDENSOME AND RUINOUS TO THE MAJORITY OF NATIONS.	106
CLXXV.—RELIGION PARALYZES MORALITY.	107
CLXXVI.—FATAL CONSEQUENCES OF PIETY.	107
	108
CLXXVIII.—AN ATHEIST HAS MORE MOTIVES FOR ACTING UPRIGHTLY, MORE	108
	109
CLXXX.—THE MORALITY ACQUIRED BY PHILOSOPHY IS SUFFICIENT TO VIRTUE.	109
CLXXXI.—OPINIONS RARELY INFLUENCE CONDUCT.	110
CLXXXIII.—FEAR ALONE CREATES THEISTS AND BIGOTS.	112
CLXXXIV.—CAN WE, OR SHOULD WE, LOVE OR NOT LOVE GOD?	112
	113
	113
CLXXXVII.—PRIESTS, MORE THAN UNBELIEVERS, ACT FROM INTEREST.	114
	114
	116
	117
	118
CXCIII.—IT IS NOT TRUE THAT ATHEISM SUNDERS ALL THE TIES OF SOCIETY.	119
	119
CXCV.—EVERY RATIONAL SYSTEM IS NOT MADE FOR THE MULTITUDE.	120
CXCVI.—FUTILITY AND DANGER OF THEOLOGY. WISE COUNSELS TO PRINCES.	121
CXCVII.—FATAL EFFECTS OF RELIGION UPON THE PEOPLE AND THE PRINCES.	121
CXCVIII.—CONTINUATION.	122
	124
CCI.—THEOLOGY HAS ALWAYS TURNED PHILOSOPHY FROM ITS TRUE COURSE.	125
	125
	126
CCIV.—CONTINUATION.	127
	128
CCVI.—RELIGION IS PANDORA’S BOX, AND THIS FATAL BOX IS OPEN.	128
JOHN MESLIER	129
I.—OF RELIGIONS.	129
II.—OF MIRACLES.	140
III.—SIMILARITY BETWEEN ANCIENT AND MODERN MIRACLES.	143
IV.—OF THE FALSITY OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.	146
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.	148
VI.—(2) THE NEW TESTAMENT.	149
VII.—ERRORS OF DOCTRINE AND OF MORALITY.	152
PUBLISHER’S PREFACE.	157
PREFATORY NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR	159
PREFACE OF THE EDITOR OF THE FRENCH EDITION OF 1830.	159
VOLTAIRE TO D’ALEMBERT.	160
VOLTAIRE TO THE SAME.	161
D’ALEMBERT’S ANSWER.	161
VOLTAIRE TO D’ALEMBERT.	161
D’ALEMBERT’S ANSWER.	162
D’ALEMBERT TO VOLTAIRE.	162
VOLTAIRE TO D’ALEMBERT.	162
VOLTAIRE TO THE COUNT D’ARGENTAL.	162
VOLTAIRE TO THE SAME.	162
VOLTAIRE TO D’AMILAVILLE.	162
VOLTAIRE TO THE SAME.	163
VOLTAIRE TO THE SAME.	163
VOLTAIRE TO THE SAME.	163
VOLTAIRE TO THE SAME.	163
VOLTAIRE TO MADAM DE FLORIAN.	163
VOLTAIRE TO THE MARQUIS D’ARGENCE.	163
VOLTAIRE TO HELVETIUS.	163

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Superstition In All Ages (1732) from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.