Old School Blasphemy (remember the good old days of 1716)

I find it slightly amusing how atheism is treated a some kind of new phenomenon and how you can find a wealth of discussions on the net using the same old arguments over and over again (okay, let’s face it, when I said discussions I meant flame wars).

So I’ll include a link to a much older document (1716) whose main premise is significantly more daring than much of what can be found nowadays. The Treatise of the Three Imposters argues that Moses, Muhammad and Christ were all religious frauds. Not to mention the fact that it begins on such a light note

However important it may be for all men to know the Truth, very few, nevertheless, are acquainted with it, because the majority are incapable of searching it themselves, or perhaps, do not wish the trouble. Thus we must not be astonished if the world is filled with vain and ridiculous opinions, and nothing is more capable of making them current than ignorance, which is the sole source of the false ideas that exist regarding the Divinity, the soul, and the spirit, and all the errors depending thereon.

The custom of being satisfied with born prejudice has prevailed, and by following this custom, mankind agrees in all things with persons interested in supporting stubbornly the opinions thus received, and who would speak otherwise did they not fear to destroy themselves.

And that was almost 300 years ago. We’ve come such a long way since, haven’t we.

it is more easy to remain in ignorance than to abolish a belief established for many centuries and introduce something more probable.