The demagogues of the infant republic of the Christian sect, attaining through eloquence or artifice, to influence amongst its members, first violated (under the pretence of watching over their integrity) the institutions established for the common and equal benefit of all. These demagogues artfully silenced the voice of the moral sense among them by engaging them to attend, not so much to the cultivation of a virtuous and happy life in this mortal scene, as to the attainment of a fortunate condition after death; not so much to the consideration of those means by which the state of man is adorned and improved, as an inquiry into the secrets of the connexion between God and the world - things which, they well knew, were not to be explained, or even to be conceived. The system of equality which they established necessarily fell to the ground, because it is a system that must result from, rather than precede, the moral improvement of human kind.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Early Christian leaders used other afterlife and unexplainable mysteries to maintain control over equality.
- In plain terms
- Leaders used death promises and secrets to stop equality.
- What can you take from it?
- Authority often replaces equality with spiritual promises.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How is equality lost?
- Who controls spiritual narratives?
Another view
It offers a broad generalization about religious history.
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