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This Is A New Release Of The Original 1878 Edition.
This Is A New Release Of The Original 1878 Edition.
"I call heaven to witness that I also thoroughly despised those who
laughed at the simplicity of the blind people, those who furnished
piously considerable sums of money to buy prayers. How horrible
this monopoly I do not blame the disdain which those who grow rich
by your sweat and your pains, show for their mysteries and their
superstitions; but I detest their insatiable cupidity and the
signal pleasure such fellows take in railing at the ignorance of
those whom they carefully keep in this state of blindness. Let them
content themselves with laughing at their own ease, but at least
let them not multiply their errors by abusing the blind piety of
those who, by their simplicity, procured them such an easy life.
You render unto me, my brethren, the justice that is due me. The
sympathy which I manifested for your troubles saves me from the
least suspicion. How often have I performed gratuitously the
functions of my ministry. How often also has my heart been grieved
at not being able to assist you as often and as abundantly as I
could have wished Have I not always proved to you that I took more
pleasure in giving than in receiving? I carefully avoided exhorting
you to bigotry, and I spoke to you as rarely as possible of our
unfortunate dogmas. It was necessary that I should acquit myself as
a priest of my ministry, but how often have I not suffered within
myself when I was forced to preach to you those pious lies which I
despised in my heart. What a disdain I had for my ministry, and
particularly for that superstitious Mass, and those ridiculous
administrations of sacraments, especially if I was compelled to
perform them with the solemnity which awakened all your piety and
all your good faith. What remorse I had for exciting your credulity
A thousand times upon the point of bursting forth publicly, I was
going to open your eyes, but a fear superior to my strength
restrained me and forced me to silence until my death."
THIS 290 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Superstition in
All Ages, by Jean Meslier. To purchase the entire book, please
order ISBN 1564597946.
A Roman Catholic Priest who After a Pastoral Service of Thirty
Years at Etrepigny and but in Champagne, France, wholly Abjured
Religious Dogmas, and left as His Last Will and Testament to His
Parishioners, and to the world, to be Published after his Death,
the Following Pages, Entitled, Common Sense.
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