Project Gutenberg 2017-11-17 Public domain in the USA. 158 Taylor, Isaac 1787 1865 16024045 Natural History of Enthusiasm E-text prepared by MWS, Chris Pinfield, Bryan Ness, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by the Making of America digital library collection, the University of Michigan (https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/) "Natural History of Enthusiasm" by Isaac Taylor is a philosophical examination and critical account of the concept of enthusiasm, particularly within religious contexts, written in the mid-19th century. The work scrutinizes various forms of what Taylor terms "fictitious piety" that often masquerade as genuine religious emotions, highlighting how enthusiasm can lead to distortions of true faith. Taylor's intention is to clarify the meaning of enthusiasm and differentiate it from authentic piety, as he explores its implications in both historical and contemporary settings. The opening of the book presents Taylor's purpose and sets the stage for his exploration of enthusiasm, addressing its manifestations during religious movements. He expresses a hopeful belief in a forthcoming revitalization of Christian faith while acknowledging the challenge posed by misleading forms of piety that arise during times of spiritual excitement. Taylor begins by outlining how imagination influences human emotion, suggesting that genuine enthusiasm can elevate but can also distort one's perception of faith. He emphasizes the need to discern genuine religious fervor from mere emotionalism and artificial excitement, hinting at the potential dangers tied to religious extravagance. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 28.4 (College graduate level). Very difficult to read. en Enthusiasm -- Religious aspects -- Christianity BR Text Category: History - Religious Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Religion/Spirituality 520596 2025-07-22T09:58:06.336513 text/html 502950 2024-10-23T02:54:32 text/html 241006 2025-07-22T09:58:11.504474 application/epub+zip 243798 2025-07-22T09:58:07.191516 application/epub+zip 243798 2025-07-22T09:58:06.770497 application/epub+zip 379459 2025-07-22T09:58:15.365437 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 340992 2025-07-22T09:58:11.068458 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 331456 2022-08-25T08:46:04.931683 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 487909 2025-07-22T09:58:05.848500 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 467896 2024-10-23T02:54:32 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16654 2025-07-22T09:58:15.490452 application/rdf+xml 10748 2025-07-22T09:58:06.849486 image/jpeg 2069 2025-07-22T09:58:06.811477 image/jpeg 221618 2025-07-22T09:58:06.379511 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