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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > General > Philosophy of religion
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Testament - Memoir of the Thoughts and Sentiments of Jean Meslier (Hardcover)
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Testament - Memoir of the Thoughts and Sentiments of Jean Meslier (Hardcover)
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"Know, then, my friends, that everything that is recited and
practiced in the world for the cult and adoration of gods is
nothing but errors, abuses, illusions, and impostures. All the laws
and orders that are issued in the name and authority of God or the
gods are really only human inventions...."
"And what I say here in general about the vanity and falsity of the
religions of the world, I don't say only about the foreign and
pagan religions, which you already regard as false, but I say it as
well about your Christian religion because, as a matter of fact, it
is no less vain or less false than any other."
These are not the words of Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins,
Sam Harris, or any other outspoken contemporary atheist. In fact,
they are the words of a quiet, modest parish priest named Jean
Meslier, who died in early 18th-century France and left behind his
copious Testament as a legacy for his parishioners. This obviously
controversial work, which influenced such noted thinkers as Baron
d'Holbach and Voltaire, and is viewed by some historians as
anticipating both the French Revolution and Karl Marx, is now
available in English for the first time.
In impassioned tones but with analytical precision, Meslier
presents a methodical deconstruction of Christianity and the
governments that support it, along with a thoughtful defense of the
fundamental human rights of liberty, equality, and the pursuit of
happiness. He reveals himself not only as a materialist and
unbeliever but also as a man of revolutionary sentiments who firmly
opposes the governments of his day, which he maintains keep the
common people in ignorance, fear, and poverty through religion.
Moreover, he urges his former parishioners to wake up and inform
themselves about the truth of their governments and religion.
This fascinating document, which is an early forerunner of many
later critiques of religion,
is must reading for freethinkers, skeptics, and anyone interested
in the history of religion and dissent.
General
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