ESSAY X: OF SUPERSTITION
AND ENTHUSIASM
David Hume: False religion is based on ENTHUSIASM or
SUPERSTITION. These two species of false
religion, though both pernicious, are
yet of a very different, and even of a contrary nature. The mind of
man is subject to certain unaccountable
terrors and apprehensions. In this he
agrees with John Locke.
A false religion is always the perversion of a
true religion. Through counterfeits, the good is hidden.
Unfortunately, many just see the evil and are forever excluded from
true religion. Therefore, nothing is so Satanic as a Christian
religion falling into the ancient, pagan trap of believing that what
makes me feel good must make God feel good.
To be less charitable, it seems obvious that
mercinary men see "godliness as a means of financial gain" and crush
all resistance through the mind control of change agentry. The belief
is that if a group can be brought to their knees through "prayerful
brinkmanship" this validates the agent and, therefore, proves that he
was right all along. To learn how to treat such men, we should not
"go out" when someone says they have found the lost kindgom. To that
end, Hume has some good things to say about bad men and bad religion
which is always more popular than truth. E-Text Click Here.
THAT the corruption of the
best
things produces the worst, is grown into a
maxim, and is commonly proved, among other instances, by the
pernicious effects of superstition and corruptions of true religion.
These two species of
false religion, though both pernicious, are yet
of a very different, and even of a contrary nature.
The mind of man is subject to
certain unaccountable
terrors and apprehensions,
proceeding either from the unhappy situation of private or public
affairs, from ill health, from a gloomy and melancholy disposition,
or from the concurrence of all these circumstances.
In such a state of mind, infinite unknown evils are
dreaded from unknown agents; and where real objects of terror are wanting,
the soul, active to its own
prejudice, and fostering its
predominant inclination,
finds imaginary
ones, to whose power and
malevolence it sets no limits.
As these enemies are entirely invisible and
unknown,
the methods taken to appease them
are equally unaccountable, and consist in ceremonies,
observances, mortifications, sacrifices,
presents, or in any practice, however absurd
or frivolous,
which either folly or knavery recommends to a blind and terrified credulity.
Weakness, fear, melancholy, together with ignorance, are, therefore,
the true sources of SUPERSTITION.
But the mind of man is also subject to an
unaccountable elevation and
presumption, arising from
prosperous success, from
luxuriant health, from strong
spirits, or from a bold and confident
disposition.
In such a state of mind, the
imagination swells with great but confused conceptions, to which no
sublunary beauties or enjoyments can correspond. Every thing mortal
and perishable vanishes as unworthy of attention.
And a full range is given to the
fancy in
the invisible regions or world of
spirits, where the soul is at
liberty to indulge itself in every imagination, which may best suit
its present taste and disposition.
Hence arise raptures, transports, and
surprising flights of
fancy; and confidence and
presumption still encreasing, these raptures (rapes), being
altogether unaccountable, and seeming quite beyond the reach of our
ordinary faculties,
are attributed to the
immediate
inspiration of that Divine Being, who is the object of devotion.
In a little time, the
inspired
person comes to regard
himself as a distinguished favourite of the Divinity; and when this frenzy once takes
place, which is the summit of enthusiasm,
every whimsy is consecrated: Human reason, and
even morality are rejected as fallacious guides:
And the fanatic
madman delivers himself over, blindly,
and without reserve, to the supposed illapses of the spirit, and to
inspiration from above.
Hope, pride, presumption, a warm
imagination, together with ignorance, are, therefore, the true
sources of enthusiasm. (See Speaking in Tongues)
See Speaking in tongues index of
articles.
See the Charismatic, musical and sexual
connection
These two species of
false
religion might afford occasion to many speculations; but I shall
confine myself, at present, to a few reflections concerning their
different influence on government and society.
Hume faces a
dilema: left to their own devices, the superstitious are likely to
fall into fanatical forms of worship. Dominant men see this as "a
means of financial gain." Just turn your religious devotion over to a
priest (preacher) and he can approach God for you and not expose you
to the danger of a close approach.
My first reflection is, That superstition is favourable to priestly power, and
enthusiasm not less or rather more contrary to it, than sound
reason and philosophy.
As superstition is founded on fear,
sorrow, and a depression
of spirits, it represents the man
to himself
in such despicable colours,
that he appears unworthy, in his
own eyes, of approaching the divine
presence,
and naturally has recourse to any other person, whose
sanctity of life, or, perhaps, impudence
and cunning, have made him be supposed
more favoured by the Divinity.
To him the superstitious entrust their
devotions: To his care they recommend their
prayers,
petitions,
and sacrifices: And by his means, they hope to render their addresses acceptable to their incensed Deity.
Hence the origin of PRIESTS, who may justly be
regarded as invention of a timorous and abject superstition,
which, ever diffident of itself, dares not offer up its own
devotions, but
ignorantly thinks to recommend
itself to the Divinity,
by the mediation of
his supposed friends and servants.
As superstition is a considerable ingredient in
almost all religions, even the most fanatical;
there being nothing but philosophy
able entirely to conquer these unaccountable terrors; hence it
proceeds, that in almost every
sect of religion there are
priests to
be found: But the stronger mixture there is of superstition, the
higher is the authority of the priesthood.
On the other hand, it may be observed, that all
enthusiasts have been free from the yoke of ecclesiastics, and have
expressed great independence of devotion; with a contempt of forms,
ceremonies, and traditions. The quakers
are the most egregious, though, at the same time, the most innocent
enthusiasts that have yet been known; and are, perhaps, the
only sect,
that have never admitted priests amongst them.
The independents, of all the English sectaries,
approach nearest to the quakers in fanaticism, and in their freedom
from priestly bondage. The presbyterians follow after, at an equal
distance in both particulars. In short, this observation is founded
in experience; and will also appear to be founded in reason, if we
consider, that, as enthusiasm
arises from a presumptuous pride and confidence,
it thinks itself sufficiently
qualified to approach the Divinity, without any human mediator. Its
rapturous
devotions are so fervent, that it even imagines itself
actually to approach him by the way of contemplation and inward converse; which
makes it neglect all those outward ceremonies and observances, to
which the assistance of the priests appears so requisite in the eyes
of their superstitious votaries.
The fanatic consecrates himself and bestows on
his own person a sacred character, much superior to what forms and
ceremonious institutions can confer on any other.
My second reflection with regard to these
species of false
religion is,
that religions, which
partake of enthusiasm are, on their first rise,
more furious and
violent
than those which partake of superstition; but in a
little time become more gentle and moderate.
The violence of this species
of religion, when excited by
novelty, and animated by opposition,
appears from numberless instances; of the anabaptists in GERMANY, the
camisards in FRANCE, the levellers and other fanatics in ENGLAND, and
the covenanters in SCOTLAND.
Enthusiasm being founded on strong spirits, and a presumptuous
boldness of character, it naturally begets the most extreme
resolutions; especially after it rises to that height as to inspire
the deluded fanatic
with the opinion of divine illuminations, and
with a contempt for the common rules of
reason, morality, and prudence.
It is thus enthusiasm produces the
most cruel disorders in human society; but its fury is like that of
thunder and tempest, which exhaust themselves in a little time, and
leave the air more calm and serene than before.
When the first fire of enthusiasm
is spent, men naturally, in all fanatical sects,
sink into the greatest
remissness and coolness in sacred matters; there being no body of men among them, endowed with
sufficient authority, whose interest is concerned to support the
religious spirit:
No rites, no ceremonies, no holy
observances, which may enter into the common train of life, and
preserve the sacred principles from oblivion.
Superstition,
on the contrary, steals in gradually and
insensibly; renders men tame and submissive; is acceptable
to the magistrate, and seems inoffensive to the people:
Till at last the priest, having firmly established his authority,
becomes the
tyrant and
disturber of
human society,
by his endless contentions,
persecutions, and religious wars.
How smoothly did the Romish church advance in
her acquisition of power? But into what dismal convulsions did she
throw all EUROPE, in order to maintain
it? On the other hand, our sectaries,
who were formerly such dangerous bigots, are now become very free
reasoners; and the quakers seem to approach nearly the only regular
body of deists in the universe, the literati, or the disciples of
CONFUSCIUS in CHINA.
My third
observation on this head is, that
superstition is an enemy to civil
liberty, and
enthusiasm
a friend to it.
As superstition groans under
the dominion of priests, and
enthusiasm
is destructive of all ecclesiastical
power,
this
sufficiently accounts for the present observation.
Not to mention, that enthusiasm, being the infirmity of bold and ambitious
tempers, is naturally accompanied with
a spirit of liberty;
as superstition, on the contrary, renders men
tame and
abject, and fits them for
slavery.
We learn from ENGLISH history, that, during the
civil wars, the independents and deists, though the most opposite in
their religious principles;
yet were united in their political
ones, and were alike passionate for a commonwealth (fatherland).
And since the origin of whig and tory, the
leaders of the whigs have either been deists or profest
latitudinarians in their principles; that is, friends to toleration,
and indifferent to any particular sect of Christians:
While the sectaries, who have all a strong
tincture of enthusiasm, have always, without exception, concurred
with that party, in defence of civil liberty. The resemblance in
their superstitions long united the high-church tories, and the Roman
catholics, in support of prerogative and kingly power; though
experience of the tolerating spirit of the whigs seems of late to
have reconciled the catholics to that party.
The molinists and jansenists in FRANCE have a
thousand unintelligible
disputes, which are not worthy the
reflection of a man of sense: But what principally distinguishes
these two sects, and alone merits attention, is the different spirit
of their religion.
The molinists, conducted by the
jesuits, are great friends to
superstition, rigid observers of
external forms and ceremonies, and
devoted to the authority of the priests, and to tradition.
The jansenists are enthusiasts, and zealous
promoters of the passionate devotion, and of the inward life;
little influenced by
authority; and, in a word, but half
catholics. The consequences are exactly conformable to the foregoing
reasoning.
The jesuits are the tyrants of the people, and
the slaves of the court: And the jansenists preserve alive the small
sparks of the love of liberty, which are to be found in the FRENCH
nation.
David Hume shows that the enthusiasm such as at
Cane Ridge is a natural phenomenon and not proof of spiritual
revival.
Note, However that:
Nothing is clearer in history than the adoption by successful rebels
of the methods they were accustomed to condemn in the forces they
deposed.
--Will and Ariel
Durant
Kenneth Sublett
Eighteenth-Century E-Texts - H
The Writings of David Hume, ed. James Fieser
(Internet Release, 1995).
Hume Archives
Restoration Movement Including Cane
Ridge
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