Superstition In All Ages (1732) by baron d' Paul Henri Thiry Holbach

[Libertarian_Guard]

There is a vast empire governed by a monarch, whose conduct does but
confound the minds of his subjects. He desires to be known, loved,
respected, and obeyed, but he never shows himself; everything tends to
make uncertain the notions which we are able to form about him. The
people subjected to his power have only such ideas of the character and
the laws of their invisible sovereign as his ministers give them; these
suit, however, because they themselves have no idea of their master, for
his ways are impenetrable, and his views and his qualities are totally
incomprehensible; moreover, his ministers disagree among themselves in
regard to the orders which they pretend emanated from the sovereign
whose organs they claim to be; they announce them diversely in each
province of the empire; they discredit and treat each other as impostors
and liars; the decrees and ordinances which they promulgate are obscure;
they are enigmas, made not to be understood or divined by the subjects
for whose instruction they were intended. The laws of the invisible
monarch need interpreters, but those who explain them are always
quarreling among themselves about the true way of understanding them;
more than this, they do not agree among themselves; all which they
relate of their hidden prince is but a tissue of contradictions,
scarcely a single word that is not contradicted at once. He is called
supremely good, nevertheless not a person but complains of his decrees.
He is supposed to be infinitely wise, and in his administration
everything seems contrary to reason and good sense. They boast of his
justice, and the best of his subjects are generally the least favored.
We are assured that he sees everything, yet his presence remedies
nothing. It is said that he is the friend of order, and everything in
his universe is in a state of confusion and disorder; all is created by
him, yet events rarely happen according to his projects. He foresees
everything, but his foresight prevents nothing. He is impatient if any
offend him; at the same time he puts every one in the way of offending
him. His knowledge is admired in the perfection of his works, but his
works are full of imperfections, and of little permanence. He is
continually occupied in creating and destroying, then repairing what he
has done, never appearing to be satisfied with his work. In all his
enterprises he seeks but his own glory, but he does not succeed in being
glorified. He works but for the good of his subjects, and most of them
lack the necessities of life. Those whom he seems to favor, are
generally those who are the least satisfied with their fate; we see them
all continually revolting against a master whose greatness they admire,
whose wisdom they extol, whose goodness they worship, and whose justice
they fear, revering orders which they never follow. This empire is the
world; its monarch is God; His ministers are the priests; their subjects
are men.

http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/wor...18894&pageno=7


When we wish to examine in a cool, calm way the opinions of men, we are
very much surprised to find that in those which we consider the most
essential, nothing is more rare than to find them using common sense;
that is to say, the portion of judgment sufficient to know the most
simple truths, to reject the most striking absurdities, and to be
shocked by palpable contradictions. We have an example of this in
Theology, a science revered in all times, in all countries, by the
greatest number of mortals; an object considered the most important, the
most useful, and the most indispensable to the happiness of society. If
they would but take the trouble to sound the principles upon which this
pretended science rests itself, they would be compelled to admit that
the principles which were considered incontestable, are but hazardous
suppositions, conceived in ignorance, propagated by enthusiasm or bad
intention, adopted by timid credulity, preserved by habit, which never
reasons, and revered solely because it is not comprehended. Some, says
Montaigne, make the world believe that which they do not themselves
believe; a greater number of others make themselves believe, not
comprehending what it is to believe. In a word, whoever will consult
common sense upon religious opinions, and will carry into this
examination the attention given to objects of ordinary interest, will
easily perceive that these opinions have no solid foundation; that all
religion is but a castle in the air; that Theology is but ignorance of
natural causes reduced to a system; that it is but a long tissue of
chimeras and contradictions; that it presents to all the different
nations of the earth only romances devoid of probability, of which the
hero himself is made up of qualities impossible to reconcile, his name
having the power to excite in all hearts respect and fear, is found to
be but a vague word, which men continually utter, being able to attach
to it only such ideas or qualities as are belied by the facts, or which
evidently contradict each other. The notion of this imaginary being, or
rather the word by which we designate him, would be of no consequence
did it not cause ravages without number upon the earth. Born into the
opinion that this phantom is for them a very interesting reality, men,
instead of wisely concluding from its incomprehensibility that they are
exempt from thinking of it, on the contrary, conclude that they can not
occupy themselves enough about it, that they must meditate upon it
without ceasing, reason without end, and never lose sight of it. The
invincible ignorance in which they are kept in this respect, far from
discouraging them, does but excite their curiosity; instead of putting
them on guard against their imagination, this ignorance makes them
positive, dogmatic, imperious, and causes them to quarrel with all those
who oppose doubts to the reveries which their brains have brought forth.
What perplexity, when we attempt to solve an unsolvable problem! Anxious
meditations upon an object impossible to grasp, and which, however, is
supposed to be very important to him, can but put a man into bad humor,
and produce in his brain dangerous transports. When interest, vanity,
and ambition are joined to such a morose disposition, society
necessarily becomes troubled. This is why so many nations have often
become the theaters of extravagances caused by nonsensical visionists,
who, publishing their shallow speculations for the eternal truth, have
kindled the enthusiasm of princes and of people, and have prepared them
for opinions which they represented as essential to the glory of
divinity and to the happiness of empires. We have seen, a thousand
times, in all parts of our globe, infuriated fanatics slaughtering each
other, lighting the funeral piles, committing without scruple, as a
matter of duty, the greatest crimes. Why? To maintain or to propagate
the impertinent conjectures of enthusiasts, or to sanction the knaveries
of impostors on account of a being who exists only in their imagination,
and who is known only by the ravages, the disputes, and the follies
which he has caused upon the earth.

SUPERSTITION IN ALL AGES

By Jean Meslier

1732


A ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, WHO, AFTER A PASTORAL SERVICE OF THIRTY YEARS
AT ETREPIGNY IN CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE, WHOLLY ABJURED RELIGIOUS DOGMAS, AND
LEFT AS HIS LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT TO HIS PARISHIONERS, AND TO THE
WORLD, TO BE PUBLISHED AFTER HIS DEATH, THE FOLLOWING PAGES, ENTITLED:
COMMON SENSE.

[Saul Mine]

In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth. This offended a lot of people and is generally regarded as a bad idea.

[TPTB]

In a word God that is one long mf'n sentence.

I just say, "I'm agnostic."

In a word, whoever will consult
common sense upon religious opinions, and will carry into this
examination the attention given to objects of ordinary interest, will
easily perceive that these opinions have no solid foundation; that all
religion is but a castle in the air; that Theology is but ignorance of
natural causes reduced to a system; that it is but a long tissue of
chimeras and contradictions; that it presents to all the different
nations of the earth only romances devoid of probability, of which the
hero himself is made up of qualities impossible to reconcile, his name
having the power to excite in all hearts respect and fear, is found to
be but a vague word, which men continually utter, being able to attach
to it only such ideas or qualities as are belied by the facts, or which
evidently contradict each other.

[illumin19]

I wonder what an atheistic society looks like



That's right............one was never CREATED.

[singular_me]

his name
having the power to excite in all hearts respect and fear, is found to
be but a vague word, which men continually utter, being able to attach
to it only such ideas or qualities as are belied by the facts, or which
evidently contradict each other.

dogmas do not achieve their aims because jut as anything else, they are against new incoming data and will fight to teeth to survive as writen at the moment of heir inception. The reason as why they always lag behind and constantly threaten societies. with shock waves. it is their rigidity, monolthic framework: they are no better than multinationals today. They will cause judgment day by their lack of flexibility. Anybody understanding this can predict the so-called Revelation.

Anything we project does eventually happen. The power of thoughs, Supersitiion makes thus sense

enough said.

[singular_me]

I wonder what an atheistic society looks like

if you have strong ethics (what you can learn with philosophy), it doesnt matter if a society doesnt subscribe to a religious docrine. You may practice the 10 commandments without even believing in God.

An atehistic society will be much less fooled by the tyranny of the good intentions, ainy form of collectivism, thats for sure.

As for moral behaviors, religions target so much sexuality that people are repressed and repression is the root cause of depravation and neurotic diseases. If you wish to greatly reduce the number of amoral people out there, the best is not to make people feel **guilty** about sexuality. Guilt is a psychic motion that conflicts individuals for the best and the worse. There is never any equilibrium attained.

as for a topic like the stem cell research, just remember that it still in discovery phase. Scientists will come up with better solutions in a few years, fighting it just delay new findings. Interventionism is a huge problems when doctrines shape people's minds.

also keep in minds that the more one fights atheists, the more their number will be increasing.. something to chew on.

[illumin19]

I wonder what an atheistic society looks like

if you have strong ethics (what you can learn with philosophy), it doesnt matter if a society doesnt subscribe to a religious docrine. You may practice the 10 commandments without even believing in God.

An atehistic society will be much less fooled by the tyranny of the good intentions, ainy form of collectivism, thats for sure.

also keep in minds that the more one fights atheists, the more their number will be increasing.. something to chew on.

I see what you're saying, alot of people confuse a "religion" per se with traditions or culture of a certain group said to practice that "religion".

The thing about an "atheistic" society is.......where would the moral fabric come from?
I would really like to see one start from the ground up and see how it works. How the doucuments and founders would start it up. Who would listen? How big or how far would that society get? I'm guessing it would die very quick.....you would need a basis for something it's hardwired in us.
That should be a hint.

Atheists (as in don't believe in a higher power) don't exist......their ego/pride has taken over that's all.......but what do I know.

[Book]

As for moral behaviors, religions target so much sexuality that people are repressed and repression is the root cause of deprivation and neurotic diseases. If you wish to greatly reduce the number of amoral people out there, the best is not to make people feel **guilty** about sexuality.

One in four teenage girls in the U.S. has an STD, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In Wisconsin, the rate of four of the most commonly reported STDs among teens jumped 53 percent between 1997 and 2007. Females and minorities, especially African-Americans, have been hit hard. And these are numbers that have been reported; actual cases may be much higher.

Linky

[Jewboo]

As for moral behaviors, religions target so much sexuality that people are repressed and repression is the root cause of depravation and neurotic diseases...

Joseph was a Cuck