Tyranny of God Part 1

Tyranny of G.o.d.

by Joseph Lewis.

FOREWORD

Go forth, little book, to destroy fear, prejudice and superst.i.tion, and help to install Reason in the minds of the human race to be its guide in the affairs of life and its living.

PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION

The most eloquent testimony given this little book is the fact that a second edition is made necessary only a few months after the publication of the first edition.

Favorable comments and letters of recommendation from men and women eminent in literary and scientific realms, and commendatory reviews in periodicals of high standard are, I think, sufficient cause for the belief that "The Tyranny of G.o.d" forms a necessary cog in the machinery of intellectual thought and progress.

Even those who bitterly oppose the book admit that it possesses the power to make its readers think.

Of the many opposing reviews and adverse criticism of "The Tyranny of G.o.d," not a single one offers an argument in answer to it. For the most part, their characterization has been that it is "pessimistic." As if by calling it "pessimistic," they refute its claims!

If to tell a man the true nature of a disease from which he is suffering, with the hope that he will seek a cure for his malady, is pessimism, then I am a pessimist. Is the use of a danger signal at a hazardous crossing, for the purpose of preventing disaster, pessimism?

If to literally "hold the mirror up to Nature," disclosing Nature's utter disregard for the life and feelings of man, as a warning against the extravagant and useless propagating of life, is pessimism, then surely I am a pessimist.

If a fervent desire to help Man, instead of wasting time in prayer to "G.o.d," is pessimism, I am a pessimist.

If to think, to investigate, to express one's thoughts courageously in the face of centuries old dogma is pessimism, then I must confess I am a pessimist.

If to expose sham, hypocrisy and fraud; if to open the mind and free it from fear; if to stimulate the intellect, and work for the Here instead of the "Hereafter"--if all these are cla.s.sified as pessimism, then truly may I be called an arch pessimist.

"The Tyranny of G.o.d" was written to express the truth as I see it--to portray life, not as we would like to have it, but as it actually is.

Millions are still like frightened children, afraid of their own shadows. Fear of the truth is the greatest deterrent to its acceptance.

JOSEPH LEWIS

_April 14, 1922_

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION

I am indeed gratified to send forth the fourth edition of "The Tyranny of G.o.d."

I wish, however, to say to the reader that my book deals with life philosophically and not individually. It was from the viewpoint of life in general and the universe as a whole that the sentiments herein were expressed.

To love G.o.d is not the duty of man and one of the most important tasks to be accomplished for the human race is to destroy the Theistic conception of Life and the Universe.

The sentiments I expressed at a memorial meeting in honor of Luther Burbank last May best ill.u.s.trate my convictions. I said:

"The religious person loves G.o.d so vehemently that he has no love left for Man."

May "The Tyranny of G.o.d" do much to accomplish the purpose of its author.

JOSEPH LEWIS

_January 10, 1928_

INTRODUCTION

_Where did we come from?

What are we doing here?

Whither are we going?_

These questions have puzzled thinking people since consciousness first dawned in the brain. Many have sought to answer them, so why not I?--with the hope that the reading of this book will arouse in the minds of the readers thoughts that will enable them to answer these questions for themselves.

Were you suddenly to find yourself living on another planet, and you were a thinking being, one anxious for knowledge, you would naturally investigate the conditions under which you found yourself, and seek, if possible, a solution for your existence there. Surely it is equally appropriate, situated as we are on this earth, endowed with brains and possessing senses and nerves, to inquire into and investigate the conditions under which we live, and the purpose, if any, of our existence here.

The peculiarity of this existence warrants such a.n.a.lysis. It is certain, from our understanding as well as from all visible scientific facts, that we did not make ourselves, and that we never had a former existence; and we are led to conclude, in view of lack of credible evidence to the contrary, from those who have pa.s.sed on, that the future, so far as our individual life is concerned, is an eternal void.

It is also certain, as science has indubitably shown, that we do not make our offspring, that we are not creators, but are instruments merely in producing life.

Furthermore, we did not make any portion of the globe which we inhabit and of which we are a part, and, so far as we are able to determine, all the natural conditions and "raw materials" of our environment are something separate and distinct from anything which we ourselves possess sufficient power to accomplish.

Therefore, since among the organs of my body, there is a _thinking_ portion, I am within the bounds of sanity when I investigate and express such thoughts, opinions and findings as my reason and understanding dictate. No one can truthfully say that he possesses sufficient knowledge to account for or to explain the peculiar and mystifying rules, conditions and surroundings which we are _forced_ to accept, abide by and live under. And, therefore, the result of one person's findings is worthy the same consideration as those of another.

Upon such basis I submit an honest attempt to express logically my convictions upon this vital and puzzling condition of our existence, and shall endeavor to aid those who read this book to see conditions in what I believe to be their true light, and to stimulate the readers to think for themselves. It is only through the exchange of the results of investigations, and of honest opinions, that we have been able to add improvement to improvement, and make easier the routine of our lives.

The conditions and elements that compose Nature, for the sake of clearness, I will ofttimes call "G.o.d." I shall be more easily understood, and at times the term "G.o.d" will express more succinctly the thoughts or ideas I wish to express.

THE TYRANNY OF G.o.d

I

Lest I be misunderstood, I will say at the outset that I do not believe in a G.o.d.