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    Contra Christianity
    Contra Christianity
    Contra Christianity
    Ebook74 pages1 hour

    Contra Christianity

    By Annie Besant

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    There is no doubt that the majority of people in most parts
    of the world—save in those in which Buddhism is supreme—believe in the
    existence of a God. The kind of God may vary indefinitely, but there is
    generally “some God or other”. Now a growing minority in every civilised
    country finds it intellectually impossible to make the affirmation which is
    necessary for belief in God, and this growing minority includes many of the
    most thoughtful and most competent minds. The refusal to believe is
    unfortunately not always public, so cruel is the vengeance worked by society on
    those who do not bow down to its fetishes; but as John Stuart Mill said: “The
    world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest
    ornaments—of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and
    virtue—are complete sceptics in religion” (“Autobiography,” p. 45). 



    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHardHead Publications
    Release dateJun 20, 2018
    Contra Christianity

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      Book preview

      Contra Christianity - Annie Besant

      WHY I DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD

      BY

      ANNIE BESANT

      LONDON:

      FREETHOUGHT PUBLISHING COMPANY,

      63, FLEET STREET, E. C.

      1887.

      PRICE THREEPENCE.

      LONDON:

      PRINTED BY ANNIE BESANT AND CHARLES BRADLAUGH,

      63, FLEET STREET, E.C.

      WHY I DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD.

      There is no doubt that the majority of people in most parts of the world—save in those in which Buddhism is supreme—believe in the existence of a God. The kind of God may vary indefinitely, but there is generally some God or other. Now a growing minority in every civilised country finds it intellectually impossible to make the affirmation which is necessary for belief in God, and this growing minority includes many of the most thoughtful and most competent minds. The refusal to believe is unfortunately not always public, so cruel is the vengeance worked by society on those who do not bow down to its fetishes; but as John Stuart Mill said: The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments—of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue—are complete sceptics in religion (Autobiography, p. 45).

      It is sad that all should not recognise that, as the late Professor Clifford put it, Truth is a thing to be shouted from the housetops, not to be whispered over the walnuts and wine after the ladies have left; for only by plain and honest speech on this matter can liberty of thought be won. Each who speaks out makes easier speech for others, and none, however insignificant, has right of silence here. Nor is it unfair, I think, that a minority should be challenged on its dissidency, and should be expected to state clearly and definitely the grounds of its disagreement with the majority.

      Ere going into detailed argument it may be well to remind the reader that the burden of affording proof lies on the affirmer of a proposition; the rational attitude of the human mind is not that of a boundless credulity, accepting every statement as true until it has been proved to be false, but is that of a suspension of judgment on every statement which, though not obviously false, is not supported by evidence, and of an absolute rejection of a statement self-contradictory in its terms, or incompatible with truths already demonstrated. To remove this position from the region of prejudice in which theological discussion is carried on, it may be well to take the following illustration: a man asks me, Do you believe that Jupiter is inhabited by a race of men who have one eye in the middle of their foreheads, and who walk about on three legs, with their heads under their left arms? I answer: No, I do not believe it; I have no evidence that such beings exist. If my interlocutor desires to convince me that Jupiter has inhabitants, and that his description of them is accurate, it is for him to bring forward evidence in support of his contention. The burden of proof evidently lies on him; it is not for me to prove that no such beings exist before my non-belief is justified, but for him to prove that they do exist before my belief can be fairly claimed. Similarly, it is for the affirmer of God’s existence to bring evidence in support of his affirmation; the burden of proof lies on him.

      For be it remembered that the Atheist makes no general denial of the existence of God; he does not say, There is no God. If he put forward such a proposition, which he can only do intelligently if he understand the term God, then, truly, he would be bound to bring forth his evidence in support. But the proof of a universal negative requires the possession of perfect knowledge of the universe of discourse, and in this case the universe of discourse is conterminous with the totality of existence. No man can rationally affirm There is no God, until the word God has for him a definite meaning, and until everything that exists is known to him, and known with what Leibnitz calls perfect knowledge. The Atheist’s denial of the Gods begins only when these Gods are defined or described. Never yet has a God been defined in terms which were not palpably self-contradictory and absurd; never yet has a God been described so that a concept of him was made possible to human thought. Again I fall back on an illustration unconnected with theology in order to make clearly apparent the distinction drawn. If I am asked: Do you believe in the existence of a triangle in space on the other side of Saturn? I answer, I neither believe in, nor deny its existence; I know nothing about it. But if I am asked: Do you believe in the existence there of a boundless triangle, or of a square triangle? then my answer is: I deny the possibility of the existence of such triangles. The reason for the different answers to the two questions is that as I have never visited the other side of Saturn I know nothing about the existence or non-existence of triangles there; but I deny the possibility of the existence of a boundless triangle, because the word triangle means a figure enclosed by three limiting lines; and I deny the possibility of the existence of a square triangle, because a triangle has three sides only while a square has four, and all the angles of a triangle taken together are equal to two right angles, while those of a square are equal to four. I allege that anyone who believes in a square triangle can have no clear concept either of a triangle or of a square. And so while I refuse to say there is no God, lacking the knowledge which would justify the denial, since to me the word God represents no concept, I do say, "there is no infinite personality, there is no infinite creator, there is no being at once almighty and all-good, there

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