given one. As he has not given one, and as he did take upon himself to legislate in the case, on every principle of sound reasoning it must be held, that he did not think a belief in this or in that faith, as it is called, (which his profound wisdom well knew never can be a merit or demerit,) was necessary to salvation. This justifies its name, the poor man’s religion. The poor man’s whole duty to God is contained in this prayer, and the whole moral part of his duty to man is contained in the direction to every one to do to his neighbour as he would wish his neighbour to do to him. Its founder left nothing in writing, because the poor man’s religion does not require it.
This great simplicity makes the pure, unadulterated Christian religion the most beautiful religion that ever existed. Restore it to this pure and simple state, and ninety-nine out of every hundred of all the philosophers in the world will be its friends, instead of its enemies. In the accounts which we read of Jesus’s preaching, he is made to say, that if they believed on him they should be saved. In order to find some pretext for their own nonsense, the priests, by a gross, fraudulent mistranslation, have made him talk nonsense and say, if ye believe on me, instead of in me, or in my words, ye shall be saved. On this they found the necessity of faith in their dogmas. Some persons will think this a merely trifling critical emendation; but so far is it from being trifling, that it is of the very greatest importance, and on it some most important doctrines depend. All this tends to support the doctrines of the celebrated Christian philosopher Ammonius Saccas, of which I shall have much to say in the following work.
But it is necessary to observe, that this simple view of the religion leaves untouched every dogma of every sect. It shews that the religion damns no person for an opinion. It leaves every one to enjoy his own opinions. It censures or condemns the opinions of no one; but I fear that it will be liked almost by no one, because it prevents every one from condemning the opinion of his neighbour. If Jesus can be said to have established any rite, it will be found in the adoption of the very ancient ceremony of the Eucharistia, the most beautiful of all the religious ceremonies ever established, and of which I shall often have to treat in the course of my work. Jesus Christ was put to death, if the four gospel histories can be believed, merely for teaching what I have no doubt he did teach, that Temples, Priests, Mysteries, and Cabala, were all unnecessary. Mohamed, by abolishing priests, liturgies, and symbols, and by substituting a simple hymn in praise of the Creator, was a much more consistent Christian than the modern Paulite; and this, and nothing but this, was the religion of Mohamed. The Koran was none of his.
The priest to whom I lately alluded has called me misosierist. This he may do as long as he pleases.[1] How is it possible for a person who, like me, is a sincere friend of religion, not to be indignant at an order which has, by its frauds, rendered the history of all religions, and of every thing connected with them, doubtful—by frauds systematically practised in all ages, and continued even to the present day, and in our own country?
- ↑ My work called The Celtic Druids has never been noticed in any way which can be called a review, except in the fifth and sixth numbers of the Southern Review of North America, printed at Charleston. In that periodical it is reviewed by a very learned man, with whom I first became acquainted in consequence of his critique.
