Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers."Bradlaugh, Charles
Religion
Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers."
Bradlaugh, Charles
Rationalists -- Biography
"In order that man may become virtuous, it is absolutely requisite that
he should have an interest, that he should find advantages in practicing
virtue. For this end, it is necessary that education should implant in
him reasonable ideas; that public opinion should lean towards virtue, as
the most desirable good; that example should point it out as the object
most worthy of esteem; that government should faithfully recompense,
should regularly reward it; that honor should always accompany its
practice; that vice should constantly be despised; that crime should
invariably be punished. Is virtue in this situation amongst men!
Does the education of man infuse into him just, faithful ideas of
happiness--true notions of virtue---dispositions really favorable to the
beings with whom he is to live? The examples spread before him, are
they suitable to innocence of manners? Are they calculated to make him
respect decency, to cause him to love probity, to practice honesty,
to value good faith, to esteem equity, to revere conjugal fidelity,
to observe exactitude in fulfilling his duties? Religion, which alone
pretends to regulate his manners, does it render him sociable? does
it make him pacific? does it teach him to be humane? The arbiters, the
sovereigns of society, are they faithful in recompensing punctual in
rewarding, those who have best served their country, in punishing
those who have pillaged, who have robbed, who have plundered, who have
divided, who have ruined it? Justice, does she hold her scales with
a firm, with an even hand, between all the citizens of the state? The
laws, do they never support the strong against the weak, favor the rich
against the poor, uphold the happy against the miserable? In short, is
it an uncommon spectacle to behold crime frequently justified, often
applauded, sometimes crowned with success, insolently triumphing,
arrogantly striding over that merit which it disdains, over that virtue
which it outrages? Well, then, in societies thus constituted, virtue
can only be heard by a very small number of peaceable citizens, a few
generous souls, who know how to estimate its value, who enjoy it in
secret. For the others, it is only a disgusting object; they see in
it nothing but the supposed enemy to their happiness, or the censor of
their individual conduct."
In the tenth chapter, which is upon the soul, the author says:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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