ialists; but, as to
their philosophy concerning life, they are as generally idealists. There
is, I feel sure, as much idealism in my thinking and living now as there
was in the days of my orthodoxy.

Many of the representations of the Jewish-Christian Bible are
materialistic in a high, if not gross, degree. This is true of the
account of the creation according to which the god, Jehovah, with hands
moulded a man out of dust; performed a surgical operation upon him for
the purpose of securing a rib out of which he carved a woman; made a
garden; and provided worship for himself by a system of material
sacrifices. The ark of the covenant was a wooden chest, and its contents
(a pot, some manna, and Aaron's rod) were materialities.

The conception, birth, death, descension, resurrection, ascension and
session of the god, Jesus, were (if they occurred) material realities.
And the eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood of the god sounds
like materialism, especially according to the explanation of the Greek,
Roman, Lutheran and Anglican churches.

IV.

A nutshell summary of this booklet is contained in these confessions of
my religious and political faith:

I. My religious faith is summed up in the following creed of twelve
Articles:

(1) The chief end of every man should be to make the most of his own
life by having it as long and as happy as possible and to help others in
doing this for themselves.

(2) Though parents live unconsciously in their children and all do so in
those over whom they have had any influence, yet all there is of
conscious, personal life for man is of a terrestrial character, none
celestial.

(3) Knowledge is the Christ of the World. The saviour-gods of the
supernaturalistic interpretations of religion are symbols of this one.

(4) Ignorance is the devil of the world. The destroyer-gods of the
supernaturalistic interpretations of religion are symbols of this one.

(5) Knowledge consists in knowing facts and truths. Every real fact and
truth is a word of the only gospel which the world possesses.

(6) A fact is something which matter, force and motion have
unconsciously done, not what a god has consciously willed. There are no
other facts.

(7) A truth is a fact so interpreted that if it is lived it will
contribute towards making the most of life. There are no other truths.

(8) Hence the greatest people in the world are the scientists who
discover facts, and the preachers who int