The way of truth is straight; that of imposture is crooked and dark. Truth, ever necessary to man, must necessarily be felt by all upright minds; the lessons of reason are to be followed by all honest men. Men are unhappy, only because they are ignorant; they are ignorant, only because every thing conspires to prevent their being enlightened; they are wicked only because their reason is not sufficiently developed. By what fatality then, have the first founders of all sects given to their gods ferocious characters, at which nature revolts? Can we imagine a conduct more abominable, than that which Moses tells us his God showed towards the Egyptians, where that assassin proceeds boldly to declare, in the name and by the order of _his God_, that Egypt shall be afflicted with the greatest calamities, that can happen to man? Of all the different ideas, which they give us of a supreme being, of a God, creator and preserver of mankind, there are none more horrible, than those of the impostors, who represented themselves as inspired by a divine spirit, and "Thus saith the Lord." Why, O theologians! do you presume to inquire into the impenetrable mysteries of a being, whom you consider inconceivable to the human mind? You are the blasphemers, when you imagine that a being, perfect according to you, could be guilty of such cruelty towards creatures whom he has made out of nothing. Confess, your ignorance of a creating God; and cease meddling with mysteries, which are repugnant to _Common Sense_. DETAILED TABLE OF CONTENTS GIVEN IN THE FRENCH EDITION Section 1. APOLOGUE 2, 3. What is Theology? 4. Man is not born with any ideas of Religion 5. It is not necessary to believe in a God 6. Religion is founded on credulity 7. All religion is an absurdity 8. The idea of God is impossible 9. On the Origin of Superstition 10. On the Origin of all Religion 11. Religious fears expose men to become a prey to imposters 12, 13. Religion seduces ignorance by the aid of the marvellous 14. There would never have been any Religion, if there had not been ages of Stupidity and Barbarism 15. All Religion was produced by the desire of domination 16. What serves as a basis to Religion is most uncertain 17, 18. It is impossible to be convinced of the existence of a God 19. The existence of God is not proved 20. It explains nothing to say, that God is a spirit 21. Spirituality is an absurdity 22. Whatever exists is derived from Matter 23. What is the metaphysical God of modern Theology? 24. It would be less unreasonable to adore the Sun, than to adore a spiritual Deity 25. A spiritual Deity is incapable of volition and action 26. What is God? 27. Some remarkable Contradictions in Theology 28. To adore God, is to adore a fiction 29. Atheism is authorised by the infinity of God, and the impossibility of knowing the Divine essence