Part 2

If to praise Christ in words, and deny Him in deeds, be Christianity, then London is a Christian city, and England is a Christian nation. For it is very evident that our common English ideals are anti-Christian, and that our commercial, foreign and social affairs are run on anti-Christian lines.

Renan says, in his Life of Jesus, that "were Jesus to return amongst us He would recognise as His disciples, not those who imagine they can compress Him into a few catechismal phrases, but those who labour to carry on His work."

My Christian friends, I am a Socialist, and as such believe in, and work for, universal freedom, and universal brotherhood, and universal peace.

And you are Christians, and I am an "Infidel."

Well, be it even so. I am an "Infidel," and I now ask leave to tell you why.

FOREWORDS

It is impossible for me to present the whole of my case in the space at my command; I can only give an outline. Neither can I do it as well as it ought to be done, but only as well as I am able.

To make up for my shortcomings, and to fortify my case with fuller evidence, I must refer the reader to books written by men better equipped for the work than I.

To do justice to so vast a theme would need a large book where I can only spare a short chapter, and each large book should be written by a specialist.

For the reader's own satisfaction, then, and for the sake of justice to my cause, I shall venture to suggest a list of books whose contents will atone for all my failures and omissions. And I am justified, I think, in saying that no reader who has not read the books I recommend, or others of like scope and value, can fairly claim to sit on the jury to try this case.

And of these books I shall, first of all, heartily recommend the series of cheap sixpenny reprints now published by the Rationalist Press Association, Johnson's Court, London, E.C.

R.P.A. REPRINTS Huxley's Lectures and Essays. Tyndall's Lectures and Essays. Laing's Human Origins. Laing's Modern Science and Modern Thought. Clodd's Pioneers of Evolution. Matthew Arnold's Literature and Dogma. Haeckel's Riddle of the Universe. Grant Allen's Evolution of the Idea of God. Cotter Morrison's Service of Man. Herbert Spencer's Education.

Some Apologists have, I am sorry to say, attempted to disparage those excellent books by alluding to them as "Sixpenny Science" and "Cheap Science." The same method of attack will not be available against most of the books in my next list:

The Golden Bough, Frazer. Macmillan, 36s. The Legend of Perseus, Hartland. D. Nutt, 25s. Christianity and Mythology, Robertson. Watts, 8s. Pagan Christs, Robertson. Watts, 8s. Supernatural Religion, Cassels. Watts, 6s. The Martyrdom of Man, Winwood Reade. Kegan Paul, 6s. Mutual Aid, Kropotkin. Heinemann, 7s. 6d. The Story of Creation, Clodd. Longmans, 3s. 6d. Buddha and Buddhism, Lillie. Clark, 3s. 6d. Shall We Understand the Bible? Williams. Black, 1s. What is Religion? Tolstoy. Free Age Press, 6d. What I Believe, Tolstoy. Free Age Press, 6d. The Life of Christ, Renan. Scott, 1s. 6d.

I also recommend Herbert Spencer's Principles of Sociology and Lecky's History of European Morals. Of pamphlets there are hundreds. Readers will get full information from Watts & Co., 17 Johnson's Court, London, E.C.

I can warmly recommend The Miracles of Christian Belief and The Claims of Christianity, by Charles Watts, and Christianity and Progress, a penny pamphlet, by G. W. Foote (The Freethought Publishing Company).

I should also like to mention An Easy Outline of Evolution, by Dennis Hird (Watts & Co., 2s. 6d.). This book will be of great help to those who want to scrape acquaintance with the theory of evolution.

Finally, let me ask the general reader to put aside all prejudice, and give both sides a fair hearing. Most of the books I have mentioned above are of more actual value to the public of to-day than many standard works which hold world-wide reputations.

No man should regard the subject of religion as decided for him until he has read The Golden Bough. The Golden Bough is one of those books that unmake history.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

FOREWORDS

THE SIN OF UNBELIEF

ONE REASON

WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT BELIEVE

THE OLD TESTAMENT--

Is the Bible the Word of God? The Evolution of the Bible The Universe Jehovah Bible Heroes The Book of Books Our Heavenly Father Prayer and Praise

THE NEW TESTAMENT--