The overwhelming master-curse, springing out of these mythological fictions, in past and present times, is their perversion from a scientific purport, that was radically and wholly physical and _sub_-natural, to a sense that is chimerically called spiritual and _super_-natural. In thus fraudulently putting the latter of these words in place of the former, (which we maintain is contrary to the original meaning of the Bible itself,) does the whole science and essence of priestcraft consist. By this departure from everything tangible--from all that is to the human mind conceivable, the theologians have cunningly decoyed their dupes into imaginary regions, peopled, as in the old mythology, with existences of fabled creation, where phantasy takes all the hues of the chamelion; and where the intangibility of their whole apparatus eludes the grasp of reason, and secures their wild assertions against demonstration. When the minds of men are thus lured into the fictitious empire of theology, the good things of this world are over with them, and fall to the share of the priests, who live in luxury, while they preach to their deluded votaries the _unspeakable blessings_ of poverty; and that through the _unsearchable mysteries of God's love to man_, want and misery in this world are by far the best preparatives for "their exceeding great reward," in _kingdom come_. This is what is called "religious instruction," which, being interpreted, signifies the diffusion of that abject ignorance which shuts out the light of experience and reason--puts blind faith* in its place, and thereby fits both mind and body for slavery. In this element of ignorance, so congenial to the profession, from its being of their own creation, the priesthoods of Europe, aided by the corruption of civil rulers, have been allowed to embody themselves into vast and well organised phalanxes, regularly trained to wage perpetual war against the light of nature and common sense. * The only true definition of religious faith, is an implicit submission of the judgment--a belief in what we neither see, hear, feel, taste, or smell. The veracious translators of our "Word of God," have made Paul, on most occasions, use the word _faith_, in place of _truth_; for instance, in Rom. iv., 9, they make him affirm, "For we say that _faith_ was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness." Now, the true translation from the Greek is,--"For we affirm that the truth became to Abraham justice"