Project Gutenberg 2005-04-24 Public domain in the USA. 96 Southwell, Charles 1814 1860 Superstition unveiled "Abridged by the author from his 'Apology for atheism.'" Produced by Freethought Archives, www.freethought.vze.com "Superstition Unveiled" by Charles Southwell is a philosophical treatise written in the mid-19th century. The work critically examines the connection between religious beliefs and political practices, arguing that superstition impedes social and political progress. Southwell challenges the validity of both Protestant and Catholic doctrines, asserting that superstition is a significant hindrance to intellectual and political freedom, particularly in Ireland. The opening of the text lays the groundwork for Southwell's arguments against the intertwining of religion and politics, emphasizing how dogmatic beliefs can lead to societal oppression. He critiques contemporary attitudes toward religion, suggesting that genuine political freedom can only be achieved by purging societal superstitions. Furthermore, Southwell argues that all established religions are inherently political structures designed to maintain control over the masses through ignorance and fear, and he calls for educational reform as a means to liberate the Irish peasantry from the constraints of religious dogma. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 52.1 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Atheism BL Text Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality Category: Politics 166558 2025-08-07T03:56:02.851995 text/html 166379 2025-01-14T23:43:30.212629 text/html 140512 2025-08-07T03:56:08.470987 application/epub+zip 141799 2025-08-07T03:56:05.746974 application/epub+zip 130022 2025-08-07T03:56:04.477966 application/epub+zip 275623 2025-08-07T03:56:10.516969 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 264015 2025-08-07T03:56:07.820975 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 237788 2022-09-07T23:13:06.051736 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 153057 2025-08-07T03:56:02.599998 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 152888 2020-12-14T10:55:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17303 2025-08-07T03:56:10.670941 application/rdf+xml 14768 2025-08-07T03:56:05.012969 image/jpeg 3720 2025-08-07T03:56:04.721966 image/jpeg 58481 2020-12-14T10:55:46 application/octet-stream application/zip 140984 2025-08-07T03:56:02.865990 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia