272. Infidels the Pioneers of Progress

The history of intellectual progress is written in the lives of infidels. Political rights have been preserved by traitors--the liberty of the mind by heretics. To attack the king was treason--to dispute the priest was blasphemy. The sword and cross were allies. They defended each other. The throne and the altar were twins--vultures from the same egg. It was James I. who said: "No bishop, no king." He might have said: "No cross, no crown." The king owned the bodies, and the priest the souls, of men. One lived on taxes, the other on alms. One was a robber, the other a beggar. These robbers and beggars controlled two worlds.

The king made laws, the priest made creeds. With bowed backs the people received the burdens of the one, and, with wonder's open mouth, the dogmas of the other. If any aspired to be free, they were slaughtered by the king, and every priest was a Herod who slaughtered the children of the brain. The king ruled by force, the priest by fear, and both by both. The king said to the people: "G.o.d made you peasants, and He made me king. He made rags and hovels for you, robes and palaces for me. Such is the justice of G.o.d." And the priest said: "G.o.d made you ignorant and vile. He made me holy and wise. If you do not obey me, G.o.d will punish you here and torment you hereafter. Such is the mercy of G.o.d."

273. Infidels the Great Discoverers

Infidels are the intellectual discoverers. They sail the unknown seas, and in the realms of thought they touch the sh.o.r.es of other worlds. An infidel is the finder of a new fact--one who in the mental sky has seen another star. He is an intellectual capitalist, and for that reason excites the envy of theological paupers.

274. The Altar of Reason

Virtue is a subordination, of the pa.s.sions to the intellect. It is to act in accordance with your highest convictions. It does not consist in believing, but in doing. This is the sublime truth that the Infidels in all ages have uttered. They have handed the torch from one to the other through all the years that have fled. Upon the altar of reason they have kept the sacred fire, and through the long midnight of faith they fed the divine flame.

G.o.dS AND DEVILS

275. Every Nation has Created a G.o.d

Each nation has created a G.o.d, and the G.o.d has always resembled his creators. He hated and loved what they hated and loved. Each G.o.d was intensely patriotic, and detested all nations but his own. All these G.o.ds demanded praise, flattery and worship. Most of them were pleased with sacrifice, and the smell of innocent blood has ever been considered a divine perfume. All these G.o.ds have insisted on having a vast number of priests, and the priests have always insisted upon being supported by the people; and the principle business of these priests has been to boast that their G.o.d could easily vanquish all the other G.o.ds put together.

276. G.o.ds with Back-Hair

Man, having always been the physical superior of woman, accounts for the fact that most of the high G.o.ds have been males. Had women been the physical superior; the powers supposed to be the rulers of Nature would have been woman, and instead of being represented in the apparel of man, they would have luxuriated in trains, low-necked dresses, laces and back-hair.

277. Creation the Decomposition of the Infinite

Admitting that a G.o.d did create the universe, the question then arises, of what did he create it? It certainly was not made of nothing. Nothing, considered in the light of a raw material, is a most decided failure. It follows, then, that the G.o.d must have made the universe out of himself, he being the only existence. The universe is material, and if it was made of G.o.d, the G.o.d must have been material. With this very thought in his mind, Anaximander of Miletus, said: "Creation is the decomposition of the infinite."

278. The G.o.ds Are as the People Are

No G.o.d was ever in advance of the nation that created him. The negroes represented their deities with black skins and curly hair: The Mongolian gave to his a yellow complexion and dark almond-shaped eyes. The Jews were not allowed to paint theirs, or we should have seen Jehovah with a full beard, an oval face, and an aquiline nose. Zeus was a perfect Greek, and Jove looked as though a member of the Roman senate. The G.o.ds of Egypt had the patient face and placid look of the loving people who made them. The G.o.ds of northern countries were represented warmly clad in robes of fur; those of the tropics were naked. The G.o.ds of India were often mounted upon elephants; those of some islanders were great swimmers, and the deities of the Arctic zone were pa.s.sionately fond of whale's blubber.

279. G.o.ds Shouldn't Make Mistakes

Generally the devotee has modeled them after himself, and has given them hands, heads, feet, eyes, ears, and organs of speech. Each nation made its G.o.ds and devils not only speak its language, but put in their mouths the same mistakes in history, geography, astronomy, and in all matters of fact, generally made by the people.

280. Miracles

No one, in the world's whole history, ever attempted to substantiate a truth by a miracle. Truth scorns the a.s.sistance of miracle. Nothing but falsehood ever attested itself by signs and wonders. No miracle ever was performed, and no sane man ever thought he had performed one, and until one is performed, there can be no evidence of the existence of any power superior to, and independent of nature.

281. Plenty of G.o.ds on Hand

Man has never been at a loss for G.o.ds. He has worshipped almost everything, including the vilest and most disgusting beasts. He has worshipped fire, earth, air, water, light, stars, and for hundreds, of ages prostrated himself before enormous snakes. Savage tribes often make G.o.ds of articles they get from civilized people. The Todas worship a cowbell. The Kodas worship two silver plates, which they regard as husband and wife, and another tribe manufactured a G.o.d out of a king of hearts.

282. The Devil Difficulty

In the olden times the existence of devils was universally admitted. The people had no doubt upon that subject, and from such belief it followed as a matter of course, that a person, in order to vanquish these devils, had either to be a G.o.d, or to be a.s.sisted by one. All founders of religions have established their claims to divine origin by controlling evil spirits, and suspending the laws of nature. Casting out devils was a certificate of divinity. A prophet, unable to cope with the powers of darkness, was regarded with contempt. The utterance of the highest and n.o.blest sentiments, the most blameless and holy life, commanded but little respect, unless accompanied by power to work miracles and command spirits.

283. Was the Devil an Idiot?

The Christians now claim that Jesus was G.o.d. If he was G.o.d, of course the devil knew that fact, and yet, according to this account, the devil took the omnipotent G.o.d and placed him upon a pinnacle of the temple, and endeavored to induce him, to dash himself against the earth. Failing in that, he took the creator, owner and governor of the universe up into an exceeding high mountain, and offered him this world--this grain of sand--if he, the G.o.d of all the worlds, would fall down and worship him, a poor devil, without even a tax t.i.tle to one foot of dirt! Is it possible the devil was such an idiot? Should any great credit be given to this deity for not being caught with such chaff? Think of it! The devil--the prince of sharpers--the king of cunning--the master of finesse, trying to bribe G.o.d with a grain of sand that belonged to G.o.d!

284. Industrious Deities

Few nations have been so poor as to have but one G.o.d. G.o.ds were made so easily, and the raw material cost so little, that generally the G.o.d market was fairly glutted, and heaven crammed with these phantoms. These G.o.ds not only attended to the skies, but were supposed to interfere in all the affairs of men. They presided over everybody and everything.

They attended to every department. All was supposed to be under their immediate control. Nothing was too small--nothing too large; the falling of sparrows and the motions of the planets were alike attended to by these industrious and observing deities.

285. G.o.d in Idleness