Page images
PDF
EPUB

or not be felt by the ignorant, but it cannot be in opposition to reason. The superior qualities of man, called Theological, for instance, cannot be given to mankind in order to gratify the selfish views of some individuals or to entail misery upon the community. Reason will admit every cognition of any immutable law, whether physical or moral, as the will of God, but it will not acknowledge any proposition contrary to the evident decrees of the Creator, nor will it pardon those who impose duties to others which they themselves neglect.

The aim of Religion.

Notions of this kind are intimately connected with those of the relationship between God and man. Most contradictory opinions prevail amongst religious persons. This study has been and commonly still is, considered as the monopoly of a peculiar profession, and degraded to a technical phraseology. A priesthood everywhere decided about the articles of belief, and declared the terms unbeliever and immoral as synonymous. But we ought to be aware that belief cannot be forced upon man any more than physical love, attachment, benevolence or any other feeling. Religious intolerance therefore can only encourage hypocrisy. On the other hand, religious belief must be distinguished from our innate moral feelings; hence the moral and religious sentiments may act separately from each other, or in union.

Though marvellousness is an essential part of the constitution of man, religion should be ranked with other sciences and liberal researches. I think with Dr. Channing that the claims of religion on intelligent men are not yet understood, and the low place which it holds among the objects of liberal inquiry will one day be recollected as the shame of our age.' Whoever believes in the existence of God, should consider religion as the most important object of his reflections, and being personally concerned in this respect, his union with God should be left free from human authority, particularly from the spirit of those who have seized upon it as

their particular property. It is evident that all mental applications ought to be rational; is it not therefore strange that religion-the most important of human concerns-shall not admit the use of human reason, but that on this subject human understanding shall be obscured by symbolic terms and trampled upon by civil and religious governments; and that in this enlightened age, religion shall remain a technical study, disjoined from all liberal inquiries, and disfigured by errors which gathered round it in times of barbarism and ignorance ?

Priesthood, it is true, does no longer lay down all the moral precepts; their power has gradually diminished, and civil governments have established a moral code independently of religious belief, so that nowadays we distinguish between civil laws and the rules of religious legislators. Who does not observe many of the pretended Christians neglect the moral precepts of their religious code, confine their religious duty to the belief in the miraculous part of Christianity, and conduct themselves according to the laws of their civil government. Civil legislators now decide even on the value of religious systems, declare one preferable and dominant, and merely tolerate the others. They feel their rights and their duties, and endeavor to promote general order and happiness; their statutes, in fact, are wiser and more forbearing than the interpretations of revealed legislation. It is a positive historical fact that religious governments have done more mischief to mankind than civil rulers. Nay, civil governments have been and still are faulty and injurious to the commonwealth in the ratio of their interference with, or of their being guided by religious opinions. Perceiving the influence of religious ideas on mankind in general, civil rulers often unite with priests for the advantage of both parties whilst the sacerdocy commonly contend for exclusive superiority. In the actual state of things it is still impossible to prevent every kind of disorder which may result from the union of, or the contest between, civil and religious powers. Among many changes, necessary to the progress of human happiness, a religious reform is indispensable. Mischief is unavoidable so long as religion and morality are

under the direction of two distinct classes of governors, and so long as civil governments interfere with theological opinions strictly speaking. Sacerdotal supremacy must terminate, and civil governments should abstain from meddling with any religious belief which corresponds with the general order and happiness of the community. There should be no exception in the civil code. It should be the same for every member of the nation for those who sing to the glory of God, and for those who do not sing; for those who on certain days eat flesh, and for those who eat vegetables; for the rich and the poor, for the gay and the gloomy. It should have only one aim, general happiness. Whatever does not concern this, ought to be out of its province. Every marvellous conception, which neither is in opposition to general happiness, nor troubles the order of the community, should be remitted to the conscience of every believer, and every kind of Churchdom should be abandoned. Religious teachers might form a liberal profession, and their lessons should be attractive, enlivening, and above all, practical. Farther, in every religious system, its morality or the ideas which it involves respecting purity or impurity of tendencies, innocence or guilt of actions, should constitute its most important part. Religion should unite all men in peace before their Creator, but theological subtleties and technical phraseology will never produce such a desirable effect, and many generations will pass, and great changes must take place, before man arrives at that degree of perfection.

On the Improvement of Religious Notions.

It does not appear superfluous to examine whether religious notions must remain stationary, as priesthood universally maintains, or whether they vary and must vary with the different degrees of civilisation, and may improve like the functions of every other innate faculty. Common sense tells, that persons of mature age cannot feel and think like children, and that civilized and well informed people cannot be satisfied with notions that please the

ignorant, no more in religion and morality than in arts and sciences. It seems evident that priesthood should not be permitted to check religious and moral improvement any more than academies have the right to impede the advancement of arts and scientific inquiries in general. The cold, obscure and technical theology of the times of slavery, ignorance and superstition is to give place to intelligible doctrines which harmonize with human nature. I respect every one's manner of thinking provided it agrees with the general welfare of mankind, but history shows that the religious notions of man, however slow their variations and improvements have been or may be, do not remain unchanged. Progress is the supreme law of the human mind. An irresistible proof of my proposition may be drawn from the revealed law itself. God manifested his will at different times and always with improved additions. He made a covenant with Noah, his seed, and with every living creature;* he made another with Abraham; † he again instructed Moses and revealed the whole Mosaic law. But Jeremiah foretold that this covenant should not last, but be succeeded by a new one.§ In fact, neither the Jewish dispensation nor Paganism was adapted to the civilisation when Jesus Christ appeared; and St. Paul in the most positive way, speaks || of the mediator of a better covenant, established upon better promises,' adding that if that first covenant had been faultless then would no place have been sought for the second. The gospel, particularly the sermon on the mount, contains rules of conduct very different from those of the Mosaic law. The interpretations of Christianity are numerous. Those which seemed adapted and necessary to former generations, will no longer attract enlightened minds. Religious ideas cannot be stationary any more than civil legislation. Jesus frequently spoke in parables, complained of his disciples not understanding their meaning; ¶ distinguished between the things as they were from the beginning of the creation, or had been modified in time; ** and positively stated, that he had to say many things which they could

T

† Ibid. xvii. 4.

* Gen. ix. 12. || Heb. viii. 6.

¶ Matth. xv. 16.

+ Exodus.
** Mark x. 6.

§ xxxi. 31

not yet bear.* I firmly believe that in many points of Christianity the letter which kills must be replaced by the spirit which vivifies; and that wherever reason is allowed to reflect on religious matters, the uniformity of doctrine is impossible. It is a common tendency of the sacerdocy to keep religious notions stationary and to monopolize certain advantages connected with their office. It is therefore natural that they decry every improvement which may be proposed. Accordingly the Roman, English, Scotch or any other dominant church will contend for the necessity of some uniform discipline. But then even in admitting the soundness of the principle the great difficulty remains concerning its application and decision about the nature of the discipline, that is, whether it shall be childish or reasonable, useful to a few or profitable to mankind at large. It has happened that priesthood in feeling it necessary to yield to the march of intellect did it secretly and without mentioning it openly. Sometimes they altered the language, but continued to act with the former spirit. This their proceeding must change. Religious opinions as they have been established in dark ages to the advantage of a few, require a reasonable reform in the actual state of civilisation. To that end it is desirable that in every country the clergy keep pace with the public in the acquirements of natural sciences. In that case alone they will be ready to admit every improvement which reason and justice demand not only in language but also in work.

Sublimity of Christianity.

It is not my intention to examine the various systems of religion which have governed mankind at different times and in different countries. I shall, however, say a few words on Christianity, which deserves the most serious and continued attention of every reflective mind on account of its influence on mankind. The lawgiver and the law surpass all other codes in excellence. portion as men's moral sentiments have been refined,

In pro

Christ's

* John xvi. 12.

« EelmineJätka »