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W. C. 27 Oct 1812 ☞ Inserendumnae or Omittendum?
Church I. Principles Ch. Ends true & false.
§. 1. True Ends
1
§.1. True ends
1.
Religion generally understood
to be fear
of God with or without
love.
Fear of God — i.e. of
the author of the objects
of our senses.
Of the things themselves
the persuasion of the
existence results from
perception — of their
author or authors from
judgment.
2.
Per John "no man had
seen God at any time"
Neither has any one since.
The persuasion of
the existence of non-
existence of such a being
being the work of the
judgment — any error
should be regarded with
pity rather than
punished by suffering in
any shape. p.1.
3
Unity being more
easy to conceive & speak
of, — to speak of it is
more adapted to our
ignorance. p.2.
4
Whether fear of God
be beneficial or otherwise
to the community can
not be known till the
direction application
& result of it be known.
Fear of itself is an
evil — as the intensity
& apparent certainty
& propinquity of the pain
or loss of pleasure.
5
Any addition to general
happiness produced by fear
of God depends on the
persuasion entertained
of the course he will
adopt with relation to
the course he will adopt
with respect to the happiness
of the community
& of the the influence
exercised on those determinations
by the conduct
of the human beings who
are the subject of them.
§.1. True Ends
6
Favourable to the interest
of the community
God's will is
called benevolence in
act beneficence:
unfavourable, the will
malevolence; the act,
maleficence. p.2.
7
If benevolence &c be
ascribed to God the
religion may be called
agatho theism: —
if malevolence —
cacotheism. [+]1 p.3
8
Too much to say that
all religion is favourable
to human happiness.
As for instance than
Mahometism no religion
would perhaps
be more beneficial,
and if Brahmanism
had never existed the
happiness in India
would have been greater,
& if it could be rooted
out without a saving
of unhappiness would
result. p.3.
9
But on these naturally
undemonstrable
points these observations
serve more
for illustration than
any other practical
use. p.4.
§.1. True Ends
10 or 1
In religion as in
other matters will
every man in proportion
to his sympathy
for the general
happiness, regard the
promoting the greatest
happiness as the true
end of government.
In so far as concerns religion This is effected by the
promotion of useful
morality & in proportion
to the force
of the religious sanction
as applied to
that end. p.1.
11 or 2
One sort of morality
may be properly termed
useful. — Another
— not.
12 or 3
The useful sort is that
which takes the
influence of an action
on happiness as its
measure of rectitude:
utilitarianism in the
name applicable to
it.
13 or 4
The other sort is
that which holds up
as the standard the
opinion of the individual
& those
who think with
him. — Sentimentalism
the name
applicable to it.
p.2.
14 or 5.
This morality is useless
at best — when in
opposition to utilitarianism
pernicious.
§.1. True Ends
[+]1 7*
A religion is useful
to the community in
according to its proportions
agathotheism
& cacotheism. p.3.
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1812-10-27 |
1-9, 10 or 1 - 14 or 5 |
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church of englandism |
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church i principles ch. ends true & false |
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true ends |
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marginal summary sheet |
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recto |
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walter coulson |
john dickinson & c<…> 1809 |
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a. levy |
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1809 |
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[[notes_public::"inserendumne or omittendum?" [note in bentham's hand]]] |
2771 |
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