
The Essence of Christianity
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Narrated by:
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Martyn Swain
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By:
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Ludwig Feuerbach
About this listen
Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872) pursued studies in anthropology and philosophy - particularly following Hegel - and from these came his proclaimed stance on secular humanism and atheism. ‘Religion is the dream of the human mind,’ he writes unequivocally.
The Essence of Christianity opens with a preface to the second edition in which he responds boldly to critics. ‘I have only found the key to the cipher of the Christian religion, only extricated its true meaning from the web of contradictions and delusions called theology; but in doing so I have certainly committed a sacrilege...let it be remembered that atheism...is the secret of religion itself.’ The work itself is divided into two parts. Part one is titled ‘The True or Anthropological Essence of Religion’ and part two, ‘The False or Theological Essence of Religion’. In 27 chapters, replete with references supporting his position, he presents his thesis. He considers in some detail ‘God as a Being of the Understanding’, ‘The Mystery of the Trinity and the Mother of God’, ‘The Significance of the Creation in Judaism’ as well as many other issues including mysticism, celibacy, personal immortality and contradictions in the revelation and existence of God. This leads to his assertion, ‘We have shown that the substance and object of religion is altogether human; we have shown that divine wisdom is human wisdom; that the secret of theology is anthropology; that the absolute mind is the so-called finite subjective mind.’ The Essence of Christianity remains a striking text in the 21st century, and George Eliot’s rendering conveys the strong feelings of both author and translator. Feuerbach’s work concludes with a substantial appendix consisting of 22 sections, further illustrating his arguments. It contains extensive passages in Latin, and so it is available in the accompanying pdf. This work is read with clarity and commitment by Martyn Swain.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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- Seth J Bleyenberg
- 12-22-23
Book 1 For The Modern Atheist
Too much time is spent today by atheists dancing on the playing fields of apologists. Christianity's source material is packed with ridiculous claims and God is a non-explanatory excuse for anything they wish to be true to be so. If atheists of the post-scholastic world are to deal with religion in the abstract, they should deal with it from their own angles rather than burying themselves in insipid quarrels over Bible contradictions and acceptable first causes and similar red herrings.
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