An Apology for Atheism | Page 9

brains are unclogged by any
conceivable quantity of useful knowledge. In point of intellect they are
utterly contemptible. Their ignorance, however, is fully matched by
their impudence, which never forsakes them. They claim to be
considered God's right-hand men, and of course duly qualified

preachers of his 'word,' though unable to speak five minutes without
taking the same number of liberties with the Queen's English. Swift
was provoked by the prototypes of these pestiferous people, to declare
that, 'formerly, the apostles received the gift of speaking several
languages, a knowledge so remote from our dealers in the art of
enthusiasm, that they neither understand propriety of speech nor
phrases of their own, much less the gift of tongues.'
The millions of Christian people who have been trained up in the way
they should not go, by this active class of fanatics, are naturally either
opposed to reason or impervious to it. Hence, arguing with them is
sheer waste of brains and leisure--a casting of pearls before swine.
They are convinced not only that the wisdom of the world is
foolishness with God, but that wisdom with God is foolishness with the
world; nor will any one affirm their 'moderation' in respect to
unbelievers one tittle more moderate than Robert Hall's; or that they are
one tittle less disposed than 'that good and great man,' to think those
who bring heretics to the stake at Geneva or elsewhere, 'do well
approve themselves to God's Church.' Educated, that is to say, duped as
they are, they cannot but think unbelief highly criminal, and when
practicable, or convenient, deal with it as such. Atheists would, be
'astonished with a great astonishment' if they did not. Their crafty
teachers adjure them to do so 'on peril of their souls;' and if, as Mr. Jay,
of Bath, said in one of his best sermons, 'the readiest way in the world
to thin heaven, and replenish the regions of hell, is to call in the spirit
of bigotry,' the Author of this Apology would not for all the treasures of
India stand in the shoes of these men, whose whole time and energies
are employed in generating and perpetuating that detestable spirit. But
when your Rylands, and Balguys and Beatties, and Watsons and Halls
make a merit of abusing those who cannot believe as they believe, what
can be hoped or expected from the tribe of illiterate canters, who 'go
about Mawworming?'
It is nevertheless true, that Atheists have been helped to some of their
best arguments by adversaries. Bishop Watson, to wit, has suggested
objections to belief in the Christian's Deity, which they who hold no
such belief, consider unanswerable. In his famous 'Apology' he desired

to know what Paine thought 'of an uncaused cause of everything, and a
Being who has no relation to time, not being older to day than he was
yesterday, nor younger to day than he will be to-morrow--who has no
relation to space, not being a part here and a part there, or a whole
anywhere? of an omniscient Being who cannot know the future actions
of man, or if his omniscience enables him to know them, of the
contingency of human actions? of the distinction between vice and
virtue, crime and innocence, sin and duty? of the infinite goodness of a
Being who existed through eternity, without any emanation of his
goodness manifested in the creation of sensitive beings? or if it be
contended that there was an eternal creation of an effect coeval with its
'cause, of matter not posterior to its maker? of the existence of evil,
moral and natural, in the work of an Infinite Being, powerful, wise, and
good? finally, of the gift of freedom of will, when the abuse of freedom
becomes the cause of general misery?' [20:1]
These questions imply what, to the author of this Apology, appears an
ample justification of Atheism. That they flowed from the pen of a
Bishop, is one of many extraordinary facts which have grown out of
theological controversy. They are questions strongly suggestive of
another. Is it possible to have experience of, or even to imagine a Being
with attributes so strange, anomalous, and contradictory? To that
question reason prompts an answer in the negative--It is plain that
Bishop Watson was convinced 'no man by searching can find out God.'
The case is, that he, in the hope of converting Deists, ventured to
insinuate arguments highly favourable to Atheism, whose professors
consider an admission of utter ignorance of God, tantamount to a denial
of His existence. Many Christians, with more candour, perhaps, than
prudence, have avowed the same opinion. Minutius Felix, for example,
said to the Heathen, 'Not one of you reflects that you ought to know
your gods before you worship them.' [20:2] As if he