A Theological-Political Treatise [Part III] — Baruch Spinoza — John Shaqi
A Theological-Political Treatise [Part III]
Baruch Spinoza · en
(43) As, then, each man's faith must be judged pious or impious only in
respect of its producing obedience or obstinacy, and not in respect of its
truth; and as no one will dispute that men's dispositions are exceedingly
varied, that all do not acquiesce in the same things, but are ruled
some by one opinion some by another, so that what moves one to devotion
moves another to laughter and contempt, it follows that there can be no
doctrines in the Catholic, or universal, religion, which can give rise to
controversy among good men. (44) Such doctrines might be pious to some and
impious to others, whereas they should be judged solely by their fruits.
(45) To the universal religion, then, belong only such dogmas as are
absolutely required in order to attain obedience to God, and without which
such obedience would be impossible; as for the rest, each man-seeing that
he is the best judge of his own character-should adopt whatever he thinks
best adapted to strengthen his love of justice. (46) If this were so, I
think there would be no further occasion for controversies in the Church.
(47) I have now no further fear in enumerating the dogmas of universal faith
or the fundamental dogmas of the whole of Scripture, inasmuch as they all
tend (as may be seen from what has been said) to this one doctrine, namely,
that there exists a God, that is, a Supreme Being, Who loves justice and
charity, and Who must be obeyed by whosoever would be saved; that the
worship of this Being consists in the practice of justice and love towards
one's neighbour, and that they contain nothing beyond the following
doctrines:-
(48) I. That God or a Supreme Being exists, sovereignly just and merciful,
the Exemplar of the true life; that whosoever is ignorant of or
disbelieves in His existence cannot obey Him or know Him as a Judge.
(49) II. That He is One. (50) Nobody will dispute that this doctrine is
absolutely necessary for entire devotion, admiration, and love towards God.
(51) For devotion, admiration, and love spring from the superiority of one
over all else.
(52) III. That He is omnipresent, or that all things are open to Him, for if
anything could be supposed to be concealed from Him, or to be unnoticed by,
Him, we might doubt or be ignorant of the equity of His judgment as
directing all things.
(53) IV. That He has supreme right and dominion over all things, and that He
does nothing under compulsion, but by His absolute fiat and grace. (54) All
things are bound to obey Him, He is not bound to obey any.
(55) V. That the worship of God consists only in justice and charity, or
love towards one's neighbour.
(56) VI. That all those, and those only, who obey God by their manner of
life are saved; the rest of mankind, who live under the sway of their
pleasures, are lost. (57) If we did not believe this, there would be no
reason for obeying God rather than pleasure.