New Moral World

truths before then, that at their leisure they may comINSTRUCTIONS to the Missionaries of the Universal pare these with their inconsistent and most incongruous

Community Society of Rational Religionists, estab- nations; and thus will they most easily be enabled to lished to introduce, and maintain, Charity, in princi- overcome their early prejudices. ple and practice, over the world :

By attacking error in any other manner, or in any Friends, and Fellow Labourers, in this most righteous other spirit, you violate your own principles, and act in

opposition to your religion of charity. The period for Hitherto, as a preliminary to prepare mankind for these religious contests has already ceased with all the GREAT CHANGE which we advocate, you have minds approaching rationality. The parties who will been Missionaries of the “ Association of all Classes now desire them have had their feelings made tou of “

irritable and diseased to be benefitted by such contests. Friendly Society," now united into one Society under You will therefore, apply to these deluded

and deceived your new designation of the Universal Community dicious physicians adopt to their patients, who are not

parties the same undeviating kind treatment that ju-, Society of Rational Religionists.” These preliminary

in a sane. or sound state of mind. missions were necessary as exercise for your owă minds, and asa rorgh ploughing-up of the deep-rooted and long- Instead, therefore, of longer contending with religious fixed prejudices early imbibed and much cherished by error, and thereby arousing the insane anger of those our immediate ancestors, and by their predecessors for who could not, on that subject, i avoid being trained to unknown thousands of years—prejudices which, during become irrational, you will teach them, in the true; the whole period, have brought forth errors and evils spirit of charity, those self-evident truths wbich are abundantly; and hitherto made man the most irrational derived from the immediate evidence of all our senses;; of all animals.

the strongest evidence that man can possess. . It is So far, you haye done well: considering the formi- these self-evident truths which, as you know, have now dable obstacles with which you have had to contend, you opened to us a knowledge of the Sciences, by which have been most successful. You have now, however,

we have learned the straight-forward and easy mode to ander your new title, to enter upon a new field of create a new and very superior character for the human labour-one worthy of the cause in which you are

race, and a new and very superior state of Society over engaged. You have to teach truth to the world in a

the world ; a state in which the most inferior at birth, plain, simple, straight-forward manner; in the genuine will speedily receive physical

, intellectual, moral, and spirit of our religion : and by your forbearance with practical advantages, unattainable by the most envied error ; by your kindness to all; by your voice and individuals, and, at the same time, be placed under more manner; and by your whole deportment, convince all

favourable general circumstances than any people in that you have indeed imbibed that pure charity, which ang age or country have yet experienced, or than can the principles of your system can alone create ; that

be created for any population existiug under the system charity which will give you, at all times, the greatest governed.' These errors of the past generations have

of error by which the world has been hitherto alone pleasure “to promote the well-being and happiness governed. These errors of the past generations have of every man, woman, and child, without regard to now become self-evident, because the evidence of all wheir class, sect, party, country, or colour.” It is this

our senses infornis us mirit, these feelings, and this conduct, united, which 1. That infants do not make their une nature, or constitute “ Rational Religion.” It is for you now any part of their own organization at birth, and cannot, to introduce its practice, and by its self-evident truth, therefore, be rationally made answerable or responsible it goodness, and its endless benefits to the human race, for their general nature, whatever it may be; or for to make it the Universal Religion of Man.

their individual organization, however it may have been You will no longer find it advantageous or necessary formed at their birth. to contend with the religious prejudices of the old 2. That although all infants have the gaihe general world--for, as you know that men can be trained to nature, that is, the same number and kind of organs, receive any errors, especially religious errors, in infancy faculties, and propensities, which coustitate human. and childhood, and to maintain them most conscien. naturė, yet that all infants are made by the Creating tiously, in manhood, as invaluable truths; you will Power to possess these propensities, freuliies, and

: organs in varied proportions; and that it is in this man- to construct Society. This most important truth may ner that the distinctive individual character of eneh be proved to a very great extent, in one generation, by intant is formed without his consent or knowledge. the union of those who govern Society, and of those Cubsequently it is irrational to attribute merit or de- who unitedly have the power to withdraw all the exmerit; to give pruise or blame, or rewards or punish- ternal circumstances which now create division and ments to any infants for their general nature, individual misery, and to re-create others which shall insure unity organization, or distinctive qualities which create the and happiness. differences between them.

Now to effect suddenly and extensively this glorious 3. That each individual from its birth, is entirely at change in this and in other countries, it becomes necesthe mercy of the influences of the external circum- sary that the public authorities in these countries should stances which are made to surround and act upon it. be thoroughly enlightened on these most important For these external circumstances may be made to force subjects, in order that they may cordially unite to any infant to become a savage without any cultivation, openly and simultaneously denounce the fundamental and a mere cannibal; or a being all of whose natural errors on which Society has been hitherto based; to faculties, physical, intelectual, moral, and practical, declare their ubandonment of them, and of the irrashall be cultivated to the highest point of which its tional institutions, and evil arrangements of external natural propensities, oryans and powers will admit. circumstances which these errors have generated

4. That the external circumstances to form any throughout the world, and announce their intention, as healthy infant into a savage or a cannibal, or the highly leaders, in Church and State, of public opinion and of cultivated and superior being are now at the controul practical measures, to adopt the fundamental principles of Society, as may be easily demonstrated.

of self-evident truth which have been previously stated; 5. That Society may now be instructed in a know

and as speedily as the condition of each population ledge of such self-evident truths, as will enable it to will admit, to change all the institutions in each re-organize itself in such a manner, that all infants shall country to be in accordance with those self-evident be surrounded from birth, by a new combination truths. It is by this change alone that a sane, rational, of consistent and superior external circumstances, prosperous and happy state of society can ever be

established. which shall compel each infant to become a rational creatnre, or a being in its united physical, intellectual, You are now in your new character, as Missionaries moral and practical faculties and powers, far superior of the “Universal Community Society of Rational in virtue, knowledge and happiness, to any man or Religionists," appointed to advocate this entire change woman whose character has been forined under the in the principles and practices of the world ; but to errors in which the human race has been involved from advocate this, the greatest change that has yet occurred the earliest known period. This truth may be now in the listory of man, in the genuine spirit of our also easily demonstrated.

religion of charity and kindness, and of sympathy and 6. That Society may now be instructed so to re- compassion for the errors which all men, in all organize itself that these superior beings shall, by the countries, have been compelled to receive from their beneficial, necessary, and most delightful exercise of birth, each according to his receptive localities. For their physical and mental faculties and power-, pro- hitherto, through error, all have been compelled to beduce, at all times, a superfluity of wealth, of the best come mere localized animals. You will, therefore, in und most valuable kind, to insure the health and hap- future, never attack the details of any of the religions piness of the human race; and that they shall distribute of the world, all of them having been based on the the wealth so produced equitably and beneficially for same fundamental errors : and all the individuals wbo all, and to the entire satisfaction of all; as may be have been forced to receive these mysteries as divine demonstrated by society as soon as public opinion can truths, and to remain conscientious believers in them, be inade to admit of a fair and full arrangement for having been thereby, rendered too irrational to reason the purpose.

as rational beings respecting them. 7. That Society may now be instructed so to re-organ- And should you be challenged to hold discussion on ize itself in such a manner, that it shall not only form any of the mysteries or dogmas of the Hindoos, Jews, a superior character for every one, and surround each, Christians, or Mohomedans, all your fellow-subjects, with a superfluity of superior wealth which they may and all equally entitled to the protection of our Governfreely enjoy ; but also to govern every division of So- ment, you will kindly and respectfully decline it by ciety without force or fraud, in the spirit of charity stating that the authority by which you are appointed and kindness, most beneficially for the governed and and under which you act, will not permit you to occupy those who shall govern, and without individual punish- your time in discussions which arouse angry, irrational ment or reward; as may also be demonstrated as feelings, tending to separate man from man, and to instated in the previous paragraph.

crease the general insanity of the world, upon these 8. That Society may now be instructed so to re-mystical and endless imoginations of the human brain ; organize itselt that it shall for ever remove the causes but that you are willing, upon these subjects, to allow of poverty and the fear of it; the causes of ignorance, to every one that which you claim for yourselves, full division, vice, crime, and very much of the misery liberty of conscience, of mind, and of religious forms which these evils have produced ; and in two or three and ceremonies; but that you are willing to discuss, generations, the causes of almost, if not of, all the evil with any respectable, well-intentioned individual, in and misery which man has hitherto suffered from igno- the spirit of charity, and solely with the view of eliciting rance of his nature and of the true principles on which trutbs, ang subjects important for practice to the well

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New Moral World, Volume 6