English Secularism

n is defenceless; he

he who will not rea

l deceive all wh

of Free

s necessary first to describe its principles and their limitation. Free thought means independent self-thinking. Some say all thought is free since a man can think wha

instruction and prohibiting books, limited thinking. Archbishop Whately shows that no one can reason without words, and since speech can be, and is, disallowed and made penal, the highway of thought can be closed. No one can think to any purpose without inquiry concerning his subject,

who takes truth for authority not authority for truth. The thinker who is really free, is independent; he is under no dread; he yields to no menace; he is not dismayed

its readers will be pushed who may doubt what they find in its pages, the right of private judgment is a snare. A man is a fool who inquires at

heir views, and they keep out of libraries all books which would inform others. Thus such Christians cannot think freely, and are against oth

s three things as c

, which is the

, in order to learn whether they are us

ich it is not possible to know whether they are

who do think, he browses like an animal on their ideas. He is a sort of kept man being supported by the thoughts of

owever perfect, would be barren to the community. Algernon Sidney said: "The b

duty of the Church to prove its claims in discussion. In his Introduction to his address at the Liverpool College (1872 or 1873) he said: "I wish to place on record my conviction that belief

onvinced. By criticism alone comes exposure, correction, or confirmation. The right of criticism is the sole protection of the community against error of custom, ignorance, prejudice, or incomp

of Opinions, b

ches him how to express himself, but not what to say. These rights are as the rules of navigati

ule of grammar and yet never write a book. In the same way a man may pass an examination in the art of navigation and never take command of a vessel; or he may qualify for a Barrister, be called to the Bar and never plead in any court. We know from experience that many persons join in the combat for the

ech by tongue and pen. The free mind fights mainly for its own freedom. It may begin in curiosity and may end in intellec

to one ignorant of the art. Besides, the thinker has attained a courage and confidence unknown to the man of orthodox mind. Since God (we are assured) is the God of truth, the honest searcher after truth has God on his side, and has no dread of the King of Perdition-the terror of all Christian people-since the business of Satan is with those who are content with false ideas; not with those who seek the true. If

red in no other way. This intellectual property like other property, has its rights and duties. The thinker's right is to be left in undisturbed p

licity would be, if not mainly limited to reasoned truth. Otherwise every blatant impulse would have the same right of utterance as verified ideas. Even truth can only claim prior

kept out of her kingdom, and Error is a usurper in possession of it; and the moment Truth comes into her right, Error has to give up its occupancy of her territory; and as everybody consciously, or unconsciously harbors so

utting the best construction he can on the acts of others, not only because he has thereby less to tolerate, but from perceiving that he who lacks tolerance towards the ideas of others has no claim for the tolerance of his own. The defender of toleration must himself be tolerant. Condemning