date

1817 Oct. 25 Not Paul Ch Paul
1817 Oct. 25

Not Paul

Ch Paul’s Doctrine

§ Faith & Works

Mischief of faith

The strength of a man’s faith is in proportion to the strength of the command obtained by his will over his judgment. But of the strength of that command the only assignable measure is the absurdity of the proposition which he has brought himself to believe.

At the top of the scale of absurdity / absurd propositions / stands beyond all dispute the sort of proposition stiled a self-contradictory proposition. This therefore is the point to which on the part of the believer in the merit of faith and its necessity to salvation all exertions all efforts tend.

Hence it is that / This being /, if he were consistent every man by / in / whom / whose mind / the idea of merit is attached to that of faith would be not only a Trinitarian but a Catholic or Lutheran: a believer in Transubstantiation or Consubstantiation.

Bentham footnote at bottom of page: ‘Note.

‘(a) If Transubstantiation is more strikingly contradictory to all physical experience, a proposition asserting a belief in Trinitarianism is more directly and palpably a self-contradictory proposition.’
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  • Title: [1817 Oct. 25 Not Paul Ch Paul]
    Description: 1817 Oct. 25

    Not Paul

    Ch Paul’s Doctrine

    § Faith & Works

    Mischief of faith

    But if there be merit in faith, and in such sort that the quantity of merit is / encreases / as the quantity of faith―as the intensity of the persuasion produced by the exercise of the will it is not Trinitarianism, it is not Catholicism that is the true religion / the true religion is―not Trinitarianism not Catholicism /: it is the religion of Bramah.

    For though, neither in the religion of Bramah, nor in any still more absurd religion if there were one which a persuasion offered for absurdity could produce, can any thing more palpably absurd be found than a self contradictory proposition nor consequently than a / the / Trinitarian proposition, yet the Trinitarian proposition is but one: to this proposition add that by which transubstantiation is asserted, still there are but two of them. But the religion of Bramah is a whole ocean of absurdity, and that ocean a / an altogether / boundless one: to which ocean trinitar[ian]ism[?] and transubstantiation put together are but drops. In the whole field of Catholicism suppose a few hundred such drops capable of being gleaned: in comparison of an ocean what are a few hundred drops.

    Bentham footnote at bottom of page: ‘Note (a)

    ‘(a) See a sketch of it a correct and even more than sufficient sketch of it in Mill’s British India.’
  • Title: [Note at top of page. 1817 Oct. 25]
    Description: Note at top of page.

    1817 Oct. 25

    Not Paul

    Ch Paul’s Doctrine

    § Faith & Works

    Mischief of faith

    As to the practical effect of this notion by which merit is attached to faith none can it have but in proportion as it weakens and distorts / produces weakness and distortion / in the understanding of the believer in that one of his / its / faculties which is called the judgment or judicial faculty.

    For producing or endeavouring to produce persuasion on one side of a question to the exclusion of or in preference to the other―on the affirmative to the exclusion of the negative, or on the negative in preference to the affirmative, there is but one possible course; and that is to fix the attention upon the considerations that tend to render the one / operate / plead / in favour of the one / side probable in preference to or to the exclusion of those which plead in favour of the other.

    Now if on / Let / any other subject whatsoever other than religion in any other part whatsoever of the field of thought and action other than that which belongs to religion, in so far as practice were to be governed by it Marginal note at this point: ‘this tampering with the judicial faculty this endeavour to prevent it’. the course of conduct thus described would be universally acknowledged to be the height of folly and injustice: of folly in so far as a / the / man’s own interest were at stake upon the rectitude of his judgment and consequent practice of injustice in so far as the interest of any other person were at stake.
  • Title: [1817 Sept. 8 Not Paul Ch Paul]
    Description: 1817 Sept. 8

    Not Paul

    Ch Paul’s success―its causes

    As to nonsense so far from being obstructive, it is in its nature in a high degree conducive―not to say necessary―to the production of the effect. Suppose it any thing but nonsense argument, if there be any thing of weakness in it which in the case in question by the supposition there can not fail to be will in proportion to its weakness be exposed to refutation. But of nonsense it is a property an effectual an indisputable property to be / to be / altogether refutation proof. To words to which no ideas / conceptions / are / stand / asserted no erroneous conceptions can be shewn to be attached to words, by which no intelligible propositions are expressed nor false propositions can be shewn to be expressed.

    Thus it is and hence it is, it is by the most absurd propositions that the firmest faith or belief the most intense and most irrefragable / firmest / degree of persuasion has been produced. Among propositions / positions / In the scale of absurdity the highest place is beyond dispute that which is occupied by those of the self-contradictory class. But it is by these / propositions of this class / that the most intense and consequently the most impatient and irritable persuasion has been engrossed: unless that in which the composition / compositeness / of the uncompounded Godhead / object is declared / and that in which in which an / one and the same / object is declared to be eaten[?] and not eaten[?] at the same time. False[?] propositions for a man to die for rather than contradict them the powers / power / of imagination can not frame to itself.

    Proportioned not to the reasonableness but to the unreasonableness of it is the intensity of the persuasion which the religion of this world have been seen to produce. In no part / spot / within the field of its dominion, even in the Catholic edition of it will the religion of Jesus be seen capable of giving birth to / producing / self sacrifices approaching in respect of the self-command and power of endurance manifested by them, to those of which in such prodigious abundance the religion of Bramah has been seen productive.  In a note give examples from Mill’s India.