Project Gutenberg 2005-08-11 Public domain in the USA. 149 Southwell, Charles 1814 1860 An apology for atheism : $b addressed to religious investigators of every denomination by one of its apostles Produced by The Freethought Archives "An Apology for Atheism" by Charles Southwell is a philosophical treatise written in the mid-19th century. This work addresses the interconnectedness of religion and politics, arguing that the pervasive influence of religious belief, particularly in Christianity and Roman Catholicism, hinders political and social progress. It critiques the superstitions that plague society and argues for a rational understanding of existence without reliance on divine entities. At the start of the treatise, the author emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of the gods people worship, suggesting that ignorance of one's beliefs leads to societal oppression. Southwell discusses the significant impact of religion on political practices and the need for intellectual emancipation to achieve genuine political freedom. He insists that prevailing superstitions, particularly among the Irish population, result in stagnation and challenges the notion that political rights can be achieved without addressing the underlying religious beliefs that shape societal behaviors. The opening sets a tone of intense critique aimed at both religious dogma and the societal complacency that allows such dogma to persist unchallenged. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 51.7 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Atheism BL Text Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality Category: Politics 277005 2025-08-07T07:25:44.504874 text/html 276826 2025-01-15T20:46:23.386209 text/html 199853 2025-08-07T07:25:50.886885 application/epub+zip 202492 2025-08-07T07:25:47.421849 application/epub+zip 166980 2025-08-07T07:25:46.309869 application/epub+zip 358511 2025-08-07T07:25:53.453820 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 342568 2025-08-07T07:25:50.221841 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 296711 2022-09-08T05:53:23.852882 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 260558 2025-08-07T07:25:44.222893 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 260460 2020-12-12T09:41:49 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17392 2025-08-07T07:25:53.573816 application/rdf+xml 15332 2025-08-07T07:25:46.823867 image/jpeg 3913 2025-08-07T07:25:46.577862 image/jpeg 99579 2020-12-12T09:41:49 application/octet-stream application/zip 200748 2025-08-07T07:25:44.526895 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