Renan says, in his _Life of Jesus_, that "were Jesus to return amongst us He would recognise as His disciples, not those who imagine they can compress Him into a few catechismal phrases, but those who labour to carry on His work." My Christian friends, I am a Socialist, and as such believe in, and work for, universal freedom, and universal brotherhood, and universal peace. And you are Christians, and I am an "Infidel." Well, be it even so. I am an "Infidel," and I now ask leave to tell you why. FOREWORDS It is impossible for me to present the whole of my case in the space at my command; I can only give an outline. Neither can I do it as well as it ought to be done, but only as well as I am able. To make up for my shortcomings, and to fortify my case with fuller evidence, I must refer the reader to books written by men better equipped for the work than I. To do justice to so vast a theme would need a large book where I can only spare a short chapter, and each large book should be written by a specialist. For the reader's own satisfaction, then, and for the sake of justice to my cause, I shall venture to suggest a list of books whose contents will atone for all my failures and omissions. And I am justified, I think, in saying that no reader who has not read the books I recommend, or others of like scope and value, can fairly claim to sit on the jury to try this case. And of these books I shall, first of all, heartily recommend the series of cheap sixpenny reprints now published by the Rationalist Press Association, Johnson's Court, London, E.C. R.P.A. REPRINTS Huxley's _Lectures and Essays._ Tyndall's _Lectures and Essays._ Laing's _Human Origins._ Laing's _Modern Science and Modern Thought._ Clodd's _Pioneers of Evolution._ Matthew Arnold's _Literature and Dogma._ Haeckel's _Riddle of the Universe._ Grant Allen's _Evolution of the Idea of God._ Cotter Morrison's _Service of Man._ Herbert Spencer's _Education._ Some Apologists have, I am sorry to say, attempted to disparage those excellent books by alluding to them as "Sixpenny Science" and "Cheap Science." The same method of attack will not be available against most of the books in my next list: _The Golden Bough_, Frazer. Macmillan, 36s. _The Legend of Perseus_, Hartland. D. Nutt, 25s. _Christianity and Mythology_, Robertson. Watts, 8s. _Pagan Christs_, Robertson. Watts, 8s. _Supernatural Religion_, Cassels. Watts, 6s. _The Martyrdom of Man_, Winwood Reade. Kegan Paul, 6s. _Mutual Aid_, Kropotkin. Heinemann, 7s. 6d. _The Story of Creation_, Clodd. Longmans, 3s. 6d. _Buddha and Buddhism_, Lillie. Clark, 3s. 6d. _Shall We Understand the Bible?_ Williams. Black, 1s. _What is Religion?_ Tolstoy. Free Age Press, 6d. _What I Believe_, Tolstoy. Free Age Press, 6d. _The Life of Christ_, Renan. Scott, 1s. 6d.