I. Happiness the true End and Aim of Life--Spiritual People and their Literature--Shakespeare's Clowns superior to Inspired Writers--Beethoven's Sixth Symphony Preferred to the Five Books of Moses--Venus of Milo more Pleasing than the Presbyterian Creed--II. Religions Naturally Produced--Poets the Myth-makers--The Sleeping Beauty--Orpheus and Eurydice--Red Riding Hood--The Golden Age--Elysian Fields--The Flood Myth--Myths of the Seasons--III. The Sun-god--Jonah, Buddha, Chrisnna, Horus, Zoroaster--December 25th as a Birthday of Gods--Christ a Sun-God--The Cross a Symbol of the Life to Come--When Nature rocked the Cradle of the Infant World--IV. Difference between a Myth and a Miracle--Raising the Dead, Past and Present--Miracles of Jehovah--Miracles of Christ--Everything Told except the Truth--The Mistake of the World--V. Beginning of Investigation--The Stars as Witnesses against Superstition--Martyrdom of Bruno--Geology--Steam and Electricity--Nature forever the Same--Persistence of Force--Cathedral, Mosque, and Joss House have the same Foundation--Science the Providence of Man--VI. To Soften the Heart of God--Martyrs--The God was Silent--Credulity a Vice--Develop the Imagination--"The Skylark" and "The Daisy"--VII. How are we to Civilize the World?--Put Theology out of Religion--Divorce of Church and State--Secular Education--Godless Schools--VIII. The New Jerusalem--Knowledge of the Supernatural possessed by Savages--Beliefs of Primitive Peoples--Science is Modest--Theology Arrogant--Torque-mada and Bruno on the Day of Judgment--IX. Poison of Superstition in the Mother's Milk--Ability of Mistakes to take Care of Themselves--Longevity of Religious Lies--Mother's religion pleaded by the Cannibal--The Religion of Freedom--O Liberty, thou art the God of my Idolatry PREFACE.