登陆注册
5381100000003

第3章

The Supreme Being once posited by a primary mystical judgment, man immediately generalizes the subject by another mysticism, -- analogy.God, so to speak, is as yet but a point: directly he shall fill the world.

As, in sensing his social me, man saluted his Author, so, in finding evidence of design and intention in animals, plants, springs, meteors, and the whole universe, he attributes to each special object, and then to the whole, a soul, spirit, or genius presiding over it; pursuing this inductive process of apotheosis from the highest summit of Nature, which is society, down to the humblest forms of life, to inanimate and inorganic matter.From his collective me, taken as the superior pole of creation, to the last atom of matter, man extends, then, the idea of God, -- that is, the idea of personality and intelligence, -- just as God himself extended heaven, as the book of Genesis tells us; that is, created space and time, the conditions of all things.

Thus, without a God or master-builder, the universe and man would not exist: such is the social profession of faith.But also without man God would not be thought, or -- to clear the interval -- God would be nothing.

If humanity needs an author, God and the gods equally need a revealer;

theogony, the history of heaven, hell, and their inhabitants, -- those dreams of the human mind, -- is the counterpart of the universe, which certain philosophers have called in return the dream of God.And how magnificent this theological creation, the work of society! The creation of the demiourgos was obliterated; what we call the Omnipotent was conquered; and for centuries the enchanted imagination of mortals was turned away from the spectacle of Nature by the contemplation of Olympian marvels.

Let us descend from this fanciful region: pitiless reason knocks at the door; her terrible questions demand a reply.

"What is God?" she asks; "where is he? what is his extent? what are his wishes? what his powers? what his promises?" -- and here, in the light of analysis, all the divinities of heaven, earth, and hell are reduced to an incorporeal, insensible, immovable, incomprehensible, undefinable I-know-not-what; in short, to a negation of all the attributes of existence.

In fact, whether man attributes to each object a special spirit or genius, or conceives the universe as governed by a single power, he in either case but SUPPOSES an unconditioned, that is, an impossible, entity, that he may deduce therefrom an explanation of such phenomena as he deems inconceivable on any other hypothesis.The mystery of God and reason! In order to render the object of his idolatry more and more rational, the believer despoils him successively of all the qualities which would make him real; and, after marvellous displays of logic and genius, the attributes of the Being par excellence are found to be the same as those of nihility.This evolution is inevitable and fatal: atheism is at the bottom of all theodicy.

Let us try to understand this progress.

God, creator of all things, is himself no sooner created by the conscience, -- in other words, no sooner have we lifted God from the idea of the social me to the idea of the cosmic me, -- than immediately our reflection begins to demolish him under the pretext of perfecting him.To perfect the idea of God, to purify the theological dogma, was the second hallucination of the human race.

The spirit of analysis, that untiring Satan who continually questions and denies, must sooner or later look for proof of religious dogmas.Now, whether the philosopher determine the idea of God, or declare it indeterminable;

whether he approach it with his reason, or retreat from it, -- I say that this idea receives a blow; and, as it is impossible for speculation to halt, the idea of God must at last disappear.Then the atheistic movement is the second act of the theologic drama; and this second act follows from the first, as effect from cause."The heavens declare the glory of God,"

says the Psalmist.Let us add, And their testimony dethrones him.

Indeed, in proportion as man observes phenomena, he thinks that he perceives, between Nature and God, intermediaries; such as relations of number, form, and succession; organic laws, evolutions, analogies, -- forming an unmistakable series of manifestations which invariably produce or give rise to each other.He even observes that, in the development of this society of which he is a part, private wills and associative deliberations have some influence;

and he says to himself that the Great Spirit does not act upon the world directly and by himself, or arbitrarily and at the dictation of a capricious will, but mediately, by perceptible means or organs, and by virtue of laws.

And, retracing in his mind the chain of effects andcauses, he places clear at the extremity, as a balance, God.

A poet has said, --

Par dela tous les cieux, le Dieu des cieux reside.

同类推荐
  • 三极至命筌谛

    三极至命筌谛

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 尊孟辨

    尊孟辨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Mansion

    The Mansion

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 北窗炙輠录

    北窗炙輠录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Tik-Tok of Oz

    Tik-Tok of Oz

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 缘起缘灭终是劫

    缘起缘灭终是劫

    年少无知的我们,在年轻时老是想要冒险,想着谈一场轰轰烈烈的恋爱。可却不明白世事难料,人心险恶。两次的心动,两段无疾而终的感情,两场撕心裂肺的疼痛……情——世间最毒的毒药,碰不得,求不得,更要不得。轻则身心死亡、堕落无救,重则为之疯狂、粉身碎骨。遇到对的人相守一生,自然是好。若是遇到错的人呢……未来的一切,都还是未知数……
  • 叫板足坛腐败的体育局长

    叫板足坛腐败的体育局长

    足坛扫黑并非自今日始。早在2001年,在“5·19”黑哨事件和“甲B五鼠案”后,浙江省体育局局长陈培德等人即掀起一场“打假扫黑”风暴,结果却出人意料,中国足协贪官和众多“黑哨”仍逍遥法外。于是乎,足坛腐败日益深化,贪污受贿、赌球“黑哨”猖獗。针对2010年开始的新一轮“打黑反腐”风暴,陈培德说,南勇之后还会有大鱼出现。本期推出的著名报告文学作家朱晓军的力作《叫板足坛腐败的体育局长》,再现了体坛高官陈培德所策动的那场惊心动魄的打假扫黑风暴,不可不读。中国足坛犹如龙门山断裂带,地震不断。
  • 穿越娇妃太嚣张

    穿越娇妃太嚣张

    一朝穿越,她来到波谲云诡的后宫如不是怀了皇嗣,皇上要了她的命弄清后宫时局,她展开疯狂报复后宫与她为敌者,皆败下阵来她步步为营稳操胜券揭开良妃的真面目,冷帝才明了当初冤枉了她冷帝想方设法讨她欢心,她欲擒故纵却不知对冷帝动了情…
  • 佛说较量一切佛刹功德经

    佛说较量一切佛刹功德经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 中华美德歌谣全集

    中华美德歌谣全集

    歌谣,是一种非常具有生命力和影响力的民间文学,是人民大众喜闻乐见的诗歌艺术形式。歌谣是劳动人民的创作,一般是口头创作,口头流传。
  • 厉兵秣马

    厉兵秣马

    像当头浇了瓢冷水,杜春林的心一下子凉透了——他怎么也没想到,呕心沥血瞪眼扒皮地费了九牛二虎之力,这第二次练兵竟练了个如此结果。这大概是一条不成文的规定吧,高中毕业班三年的课程两年上完,剩下的时间,即开始三轮复习。每复习一遍,统考一次,名曰模拟高考,或曰考前练兵。练兵的题目由县教委教研室出,考完后,都要排出各校、各班、各人在全县、全校、全班的名次。排完后,先由教委主任在全县中学校长会上公布。校长回校后,除在全校教师大会上公布本校在全县的名次外,还要公布本校各毕业班的名次。之后,班主任再召开全班学生大会,公布每个人的名次。
  • 叫一声妈妈泪落如雨(下篇)

    叫一声妈妈泪落如雨(下篇)

    葛妈为救儿子抢了别人的钱包,儿子伤愈后十分鄙视母亲的行为。作为一位母亲,又怎样才能弥补过失和获得儿子的谅解呢?春寒料峭,葛妈依然每天夜里蹲守街头卖布娃娃。那些笨拙的小布娃娃确实很难卖,经常费尽口舌也勾不起顾客的购买欲望,不顺当的生意尽管非常难熬,可是白天只要遇上方小蕾,她都乐呵呵地把买卖所得的钱如数交给她。方小蕾很是感激,提出要分一半钱给她,她怎么也不肯要,说晚上反正都是闲着,坐在街道上权当看风景解心烦。这天夜里葛妈去蹲地摊儿,突然遇到一帮城管人员过来检查,看见小摊贩的货物一律没收。
  • 聆听大师胡适

    聆听大师胡适

    胡适一生,涉及了大量的学术文化、思想文化和政治文化的言论,其文字通俗易懂,生动活泼、朴实无华。兼具了可读性与思想性的统一。《聆听大师胡适》系列以独特的视角,从人生、治学、政治、社会等方面入手,在胡适作品中精选出能够代表胡适思想的篇章,收录图书:《不受人惑:胡适谈人生问题》《我们能做什么:胡适说中国》《儒教的使命:胡适谈国学》《习惯重于方法:胡适谈读书治学》《禅宗是什么:胡适谈禅说佛》《西洋文明的本质:胡适讲西学》《孤独与大胆:胡适自述》等七册。
  • 荣囚

    荣囚

    不想宅谋怎么办?杀夫!不想宫争怎么办?弑君!跟一群女人争个男人有什么意思,不如跟男人争天下!被屏蔽的章节在群相册。交流群.932296580
  • 写给女人的哈佛气质课

    写给女人的哈佛气质课

    如果一个女人的气质不好,仅靠外在的修饰是无法彻底改变现状的。如果你把个人气质的打造寄托于外在的修饰而不是内在的修炼,那么无异于掩耳盗铃,又如同画饼充饥,是自欺欺人的。那么,到底什么是女人的气质呢?气质的定义是:根据人的姿态、长相、穿着、性格、行为等元素结合起来给别人的一种心理感觉。气质是一个人内在涵养或修养的外在体现,是一个女人内在美感的自然外露,而不仅是表面功夫。