Latest / The Principles of Secularism / The Place of Secularism

Transcript

The Place of Secularism · The Principles of Secularism

• 0:00
  Chapter eight of the Principles of Secularism by George Jacob Holyoake. This LibriVox recording
• 0:08
  is in the public domain. Chapter eight The place of secularism. We do,
• 0:15
  not, however, deny that false as the whole theory of secularism appears
• 0:20
  to us. It is capable of attracting the belief of large numbers of people,
• 0:25
  and of exercising considerable influence over their conduct, And we should admit that
• 0:31
  the influence so exercised is considerably better than no influence at all. Saturday Review,
• 0:38
  July second, eighteen fifty nine. This first step is to win from
• 0:45
  public opinion a standing place for secularism. So long as people believe secularism not
• 0:52
  to be wanted, indeed impossible to be wanted, that it is error,
• 0:57
  wickedness, and unmitigated evil, it will receive no attention, no respect,
• 1:02
  and make no way, but show that it occupies a vacant place. Supplies
• 1:07
  of want is a direction where no other party supplies any and it at once
• 1:12
  appears indispensable. It is proved to be a service to somebody, and from
• 1:18
  that moment it is tolerated, if not respected. It may be like war
• 1:23
  or medicine or work, or a law disagreeable or unpalatable, but when seen
• 1:30
  to be necessary, it will have recognition and support. We are sure this
• 1:34
  case can be made out for secularism. It is not only true, but
• 1:38
  it is known. It is not only known, but it is notorious.
• 1:42
  That there are thousands and tens of thousands of persons in every district of this
• 1:48
  and most European countries, who are without the pale of Christianity. They reject
• 1:53
  it, they disprove it, they dislike it, or they do not understand
• 1:57
  it. Some have vices and passions which Christianity, as preached around them,
• 2:04
  condemns as devils are said to do. They believe and tremble, and so
• 2:09
  disown what they have not the virtue to practice faith does not touch them,
• 2:15
  and reason is not tried. Indeed, reason is decried by the evangelically religious,
• 2:21
  so that not being converted in one way, no other way is open
• 2:24
  to them. Others are absorbed or insensate. They are busy or stupid or
• 2:31
  defiant, and regard Christianity as a waste of time, or as monotonous or
• 2:37
  offensive. It bores them or threatens them. They are already dull therefore it
• 2:43
  does not attract them. They have some rude sense of independence and some feeling
• 2:47
  of courage, and they object either to be snubbed into conformity or kicked into
• 2:53
  heaven. Another and a yearly increasing portion of the people have, after patiently
• 3:00
  and painfully thinking over Christianity, come to believe it to be untrue, unfounded,
• 3:06
  historically, wrong morally, and a discreditable imputation upon God. It outrages
• 3:13
  their affections, It baffles their understandings. It is double tongued. Its expounders
• 3:20
  are always multiplying, and the more they increase, the less they agree,
• 3:23
  and hence skeptics. The more abound these believers therefore exist, they augment.
• 3:30
  They can neither be convinced, converted, nor conciliated, because they will yield
• 3:36
  no allegiance to a system which has no hold on their conscience. It is
• 3:40
  we repeat more than known. It is notorious that these persons live and die
• 3:46
  in skepticism. These facts are the cry of the pulpit, the theme of
• 3:52
  the platform, the burden of the religious tract. Now is nothing to be
• 3:57
  done with these people. You cannot exterminate them, The Church cannot direct them.
• 4:02
  The Bible is no authority to them. The will of God, as
• 4:06
  the clergy call it in their eyes, is mere, arbitrary, capricious,
• 4:12
  dogmatical assumption, sometimes indeed wise precept, but oftener a cloak for knavery,
• 4:17
  or a pretext for despotism. To open the eyes of such persons to the
• 4:23
  omnipresent teachings of nature, to make reason and authority with them, to inspire
• 4:29
  them with precepts which experience can verify, To connect conscience with intelligence, right
• 4:34
  with interest, duty with self respect, and goodness with love, must truly
• 4:41
  be useful if secularism accomplishes some such work, Where Christianity confessedly accomplishes nothing,
• 4:48
  it certainly has a place of its own. It is no answer to it.
• 4:53
  To claim that Christianity is higher, more complete, better. The advocates
• 4:59
  of every old religion say the same. Christianity may be higher, more complete,
• 5:04
  better for somebody else, But nothing can be high, complete, or
• 5:11
  good for those who do not see it, accept it, want it,
• 5:15
  or act upon it. That is first, which is fit, that is
• 5:19
  supreme, which is most productive of practical virtue. No comparison, which would
• 5:26
  be as irrelevant as offensive, between secularism and Christianity, is set up here.
• 5:31
  The question is is secularism useful? Or may it be useful to anybody?
• 5:38
  The question is not does it contain all truth? But does it contain
• 5:43
  as much as may be serviceable to many minds otherwise uninfluenced? For good arithmetic
• 5:50
  is useful, though algebra is more compendious. Mensuration performs good offices in hands
• 5:57
  ignorant of eucleid. There may be lot without Whatly, and melody without Beethoven.
• 6:02
  And there may be secular ethics which shall be useful without the pretension of
• 6:08
  Christianity. End of Chapter eight