GOD—IMMORTALITY.

Freethought Review, Volume I, Issue 8, 1 May 1884, Page 14

GOD—IMMORTALITY.

Ido not believe in the existence of any personal God. I regard the universe as the one fact, as the one existence—that is, as the absolute thing. lam a part of this. Ido not say that there is no God ; I simply say that I do not believe there is. There may be millions of them. Neither do I say that man is not immortal. Upon that point I admit that I do not know, and the declarations of all the priests in the world upon that subject give me no light, and do not even tend to add to my information on the subject ; because I know that they know that they don't know. The Infidelity of a hundred years ago knew nothing, comparatively speaking, of geology ; nothing of astronomy ; nothing of the ideas of Lam &rk and Darwin; nothing of evolution nothing, comparatively speaking, of their religions ; nothing of India, that womb of metaphysics; in other words, the Infidels of a hundred years ago knew the creed of Orthodox Christianity to be false, but had not the facts to demonstrate it. The Infidels of to-day have the facts ; that is the difference. A hundred years ago it was a guessing prophecy ; to-day it is the fact and fulfilment,— Everything in nature is working against superstition to-day. Superstition is like a thorn in the flesh, and everything, from dust to stars, is working together to destroy the false. The smallest " pebble " answers the greatest parson. One blade of grass, rightly understood, destroys the Orthodox creed.—lngersoll.

SENTENCE ON GALILEO BY THE HOLY OFFICE AND HIS RECANTATION. June 22nd. 1G33. “ Whereas you, Galileo, son of the late Vincenzo Galilei, Florentine, aged seventy years, were in the year IGIS denounced to tins Holy Office for holding as true the false doctrine taught by many, that the sun is the centre of the world and immovable, and that the earth moves, and also with a diurnal motion , for having disciples to whom yon taught the same doctrine; for holding correspondence with certain mathematicians of Germany concerning the same ; for having printed certain letters, entitled ‘ On the Solar Spots,’ wherein you developed the same doctrine as true; and for replying to the objections from the Holy Scriptures, which from time to time were urged against it. by glossing i oo ; J o o the said Scriptures according to your own meaning ; and whereas there was thereupon produced the copy of a document in the form of a letter, purporting to be written by you to one formerly your disciple, and in this divers propositions are set forth, following the hypothesis of Copernicus, which arc contrary to the true sense and authority of Holy Scripture : This Holy Tribunal being therefore desirous of proceeding against the disorder and mischief thence resulting, which went on increasing to the prejudice of the Holy ♦Galileo’s letter to Castelli of 21st December, 1 0 13 .

Faith, by command of his Holiness and of the most eminent Lords Cardinals of this supreme and universal Inquisition, the two propositions of the stability of the sun and the motion of the earth were by the theological ' Qualifiers' qualified as follows : "The proposition that the sun is the centre of the world and does not move from its place is absurd and false philosophically, and formally heretical, because it is expressly contrary to the Holy Scripture. " The proposition that the earth is not the centre of the world and immovable, but that it moves, and also with a diurnal motion, is equally absurd and false philosophically, and theologically considered, at least erroneous in faith. " But whereas it was desired at that time to deal leniently with you, it was decreed at the Holy Congregation held before his Holiness on the 25th February, 1616, that his Eminence the Lord Cardinal Bellarmine should order you to abandon altogether the said false doctrine, and in the event of your refusal, that an injunction should be imposed upon you by the Commissary of the Holy Office, to give up the said doctrine, and not to teach it to others, nor to defend it, nor even discuss it; and failing your acquiescence in this injunction, that you should be imprisoned. And in execution of this decree, on the following day, at the Palace, and in the presence of his Eminence, the said Lord Cardinal Bellarmine, after being gently admonished by the said Lord Cardinal, the command was intimated to you by the Father

Commissary of the Holy Office for the time before a notary and witnesses, that you were altogether to abandon the said false opinion, and not in future to defend or teach it in any way whatsoever, neither verbally nor in writing ; and upon your promising to obey were dismissed.

" And in order that a doctrine so pernicious might be wholly rooted out and not insinuate itself further to the grave prejudice of Catholic truth, a decree was issued by the Holy Congregation of the Index, prohibiting the books which treat of this doctrine, and declaring the doctrine itself to be false and wholly contrary to sacred and divine Scripture.

" And whereas a book appeared here recently, printed last year at Florence, the title of which shows that you were the author, this title being : ' Dialogue of Galileo Galilei on the Two Principal Systems of the World, the Ptolemaic and the Copernican'; and whereas the Holy Congregation was afterwards informed that through the publication of the said book, the false opinion of the motion of the earth and the stability of the sun was daily gaining ground, the said book was taken into careful consideration, and in it there was discovered a patent violation of the aforesaid injunction that had been imposed upon you ; for in this book you have defended the said opinion previously condemned, and to your face declared to be so, although in the said book you strive by various devices to produce the impression that you leave it undecided, and in express terms as probable : which, however, is a most grievous error, as an opinion can in no wise be probable which has been declared and defined to be contrary to Divine Scripture :

" Therefore by our order you were cited before this Holy Office, where, being examined upon your oath, you acknowledged the book to be written and published by you

" Invoking, therefore, the most holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ and his most glorious Mother, and ever Virgin Mary, by this our final sentence, which sitting in judgment, with the counsel and advice of the Reverend Masters of

sacred theology and Doctors of Doth Laws, onr assessors, we deliver in these writings, in the cause and causes presently before us between the magnificent Carlo Sinceri, Doctor of both Laws, Proctor Fiscal of this Holy Office, of the one part, and you Galileo Galilei, the defendant, here present, tried and confessed as above, of the other part, —we say, pronounce, sentence, declare, that you, the said Galileo, by reason of the matters adduced in process, and by you confessed as above, have rendered yourself in the judgment of this Holy Office vehemently suspected of heresy, namely of having believed and held the doctrinewhich is false and O contrary to the sacred and divine Scripture—that the sun is the centre of the world and does not move from east to west, and that the earth moves and is not the centre of the world; and that an opinion may be held and defended as probable after it has been declared and defined to be contrary to Holy Scripture and that consequently you have incurred all the censures and penalties imposed and promulgated in the sacred canons and other constitutions, general and par-

ticular, against such delinquents. From which we are content that you be absolved, provided that first, with a sincere heart and unfeigned faith, you abjure, curse, and detest the aforesaid errors, heresies, and every other error and heresy contrary to the Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church in the form to be prescribed by us. “ And in order that this your grave and pernicious error and transgression may not remain altogether unpunished, and that you may be more cautious for the future, and an example to others, that they may abstain from similar delinquencies—we ordain that the book of the ‘ Dialogues of Galileo Galilei ’ be prohibited by public edict. “ We condemn you to the formal prison of this Holy Office during our pleasure, and by way of salutary penance, we enjoin that for three years to come you repeat once a week the seven penitential Psalms. “ Reserving to ourselves full liberty to moderate, commute or take off, in whole or in part, the aforesaid penalties and penance. “And so we say, pronounce, sentence, declare, ordain, condemn and reserve, in this and any other better way and form which we can and may lawfully employ. “ So we the undersigned Cardinals pronounce.” “ F. Cardinalis de Asculo, G. Cardinalis Bentiulus, Fr. Cardinalis de Cremona, Fr. Antonins Cardinalis Sr Honuphrij, B Cardinalis Gypsius, Fr. Cardinalis Yerospius, M. Cardinalis Ginettus.” Immediately after the delivery of this sentence Galileo was compelled to kneel down and read the following recantation : “I, Galileo Galilei, son of the late Vincenzo Galilei, Florentine, aged seventy years, arraigned personally before this tribunal, and kneeling before you, Most Eminent and Reverend Lord Cardinals, Inquisitors general against heretical depravity throughout the whole Christian Republic, having before my eyes and touching with my hands, the holy Gospels—swear that I have always believed, do now believe, and by God’s help will for the future believe, all that is held, preached, and taught by the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church. But whereas— an injunction had been judicially intimated to me by this Holy Office, to the effect that I must altogether abandon the false opinion that the sun is the centre of the world and immovable, and that the earth is not the centre of the world and moves, and that I must not hold, defend, or teach in any way whatsoever, verbally or in writing, the said doctrine, and after it had been notified to me that the said doctrine was contrary to Holy Scripture—l wrote and printed a book in which I discuss this doctrine already condemned, and adduce arguments of great cogency in its favor, without presenting any solution of these, and for this cause I have been pronounced by the Holy Office to be vehemently suspected of heresy, that is to say, of having held and believed that the sun is the centre of the world and immovable, and that the earth is not the centre and moves :

“ Therefore, desiring to remove from the minds of your Eminences, and of all faithful Christians, this strong suspicion reasonably conceived against me, with sincere heart and unfeigned faith, I abjure, curse, and detest the aforesaid errors and heresies, and generally every other error and sect whatsoever contrary to the said Holy Church; and I swear that in future 1 will never again say or assert, verbally or in writing, anything that might furnish occasion for a similar suspicion regarding me; but that should I know any heretic, or person suspected of heresy, I will denounce him to this Holy Office, or to the Inquisitor and ordinary of the place where I may be. Further, I swear and promise to fulfil and observe in their integrity all penances that had been, or that shall be, imposed upon me by this Holy Office. And, in the event of my contravening (which God forbid !) any of these my promises, protestations, and oaths, I submit myself to all the pains and penalties imposed and promulgated in the sacred canons and other constitutions, general and particular, against such delinquents. So help me God, and these his holy Gospels, which I touch with my hands. “I, the said Galileo Galilei, have abjured, sworn, promised, and bound, myself as above ; and in witness of the the truth thereof I have with my own hand subscribed the present document of ray adjuration, and recited it word for word at Home, in the convent of Minerva, this twentysecond day of June, 1633. “ I, Galileo Galilei, have abjured as above with my own hand.”