Honest Doubt

[firstfloor]

Honest Doubt: Currently on BBC Radio 4, Richard Holloway, the writer and the former Bishop of Edinburgh, is giving his series of 20 personal essays in which he explores the relationship between faith and doubt over the last 3000 years.

It includes a quotation similar to this attributed to Baron d’Holbach –
“If we look back at the beginning of things we shall find that ignorance and fear created the gods; that fancy, enthusiasm, or deceit adorned or disfigured them; that weakness worships them; that credulity preserves them; and that custom, respect and tyranny support them, in order to make the blindness of man serve their own interest.

I have found Christianity Unveiled;
Being An Examination Of The Principles And Effects Of The Christian Religion
by Paul Henri d’Holbach – 1761, [1819 translation by W. M. Johnson]
http://www.reasoned.org/dir/lit/cu_holb.pdf but a search did not find this quotation.

Does anyone know it? I am looking for the source of the quotation above.

Also in the series, this great quotation from In Memoriam. By Alfred, Lord Tennyson,
You say, but with no touch of scorn,
Sweet-hearted, you, whose light-blue eyes
Are tender over drowning flies,
You tell me, doubt is Devil-born.

I know not: one indeed I knew
In many a subtle question versed,
Who touch'd a jarring lyre at first,
But ever strove to make it true:

Perplext in faith, but pure in deeds,
At last he beat his music out.
There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds.

[shunyadragon]

Honest Doubt: Currently on BBC Radio 4, Richard Holloway, the writer and the former Bishop of Edinburgh, is giving his series of 20 personal essays in which he explores the relationship between faith and doubt over the last 3000 years.

It includes a quotation similar to this attributed to Baron d’Holbach –
“If we look back at the beginning of things we shall find that ignorance and fear created the gods; that fancy, enthusiasm, or deceit adorned or disfigured them; that weakness worships them; that credulity preserves them; and that custom, respect and tyranny support them, in order to make the blindness of man serve their own interest.

I have found Christianity Unveiled;
Being An Examination Of The Principles And Effects Of The Christian Religion
by Paul Henri d’Holbach – 1761, [1819 translation by W. M. Johnson]
http://www.reasoned.org/dir/lit/cu_holb.pdf but a search did not find this quotation.

Does anyone know it? I am looking for the source of the quotation above.

Also in the series, this great quotation from In Memoriam. By Alfred, Lord Tennyson,
You say, but with no touch of scorn,
Sweet-hearted, you, whose light-blue eyes
Are tender over drowning flies,
You tell me, doubt is Devil-born.

I know not: one indeed I knew
In many a subtle question versed,
Who touch'd a jarring lyre at first,
But ever strove to make it true:

Perplext in faith, but pure in deeds,
At last he beat his music out.
There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds.

Welcome to Tweb!!

Do not know the source of the quote.

I equate this with 'sincere doubt.'

Ther are many good questions raised in these programs, but I consider it a little too extreme and does not consider all the alternatives.

[shunyadragon]

Honest Doubt
i have a honest doubt on my bosses and my guardians and infact every one because i am a doubted person
anyway i have some information from your forum like designing information therefore ireally thanks to you for your favour

Welcome to Tweb!!

Looking forward to more on your Buddhist view.

[magellan004]

Honest Doubt: Currently on BBC Radio 4, Richard Holloway, the writer and the former Bishop of Edinburgh, is giving his series of 20 personal essays in which he explores the relationship between faith and doubt over the last 3000 years.

It includes a quotation similar to this attributed to Baron d’Holbach –
“If we look back at the beginning of things we shall find that ignorance and fear created the gods; that fancy, enthusiasm, or deceit adorned or disfigured them; that weakness worships them; that credulity preserves them; and that custom, respect and tyranny support them, in order to make the blindness of man serve their own interest.

I have found Christianity Unveiled;
Being An Examination Of The Principles And Effects Of The Christian Religion
by Paul Henri d’Holbach – 1761, [1819 translation by W. M. Johnson]
http://www.reasoned.org/dir/lit/cu_holb.pdf but a search did not find this quotation.

Does anyone know it? I am looking for the source of the quotation above.

Also in the series, this great quotation from In Memoriam. By Alfred, Lord Tennyson,
You say, but with no touch of scorn,
Sweet-hearted, you, whose light-blue eyes
Are tender over drowning flies,
You tell me, doubt is Devil-born.

I know not: one indeed I knew
In many a subtle question versed,
Who touch'd a jarring lyre at first,
But ever strove to make it true:

Perplext in faith, but pure in deeds,
At last he beat his music out.
There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds.

Thank you for posting Tennyson's poem. A nice context to give it meaning too.

Magellan

[pancreasman]

The quote appears to come from Système de la Nature.

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/quote-h2.htm

A few of his works are available as free ebooks on the Project Gutenberg site.

[firstfloor]

The quote appears to come from Système de la Nature.

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/quote-h2.htm

A few of his works are available as free ebooks on the Project Gutenberg site.

Thanks for that. I have searched there and also at http://www.ftarchives.net/index.html without luck so far. I am beginning to think it is a composite of some sort. Wikiquotes say it is unsourced. Certainly "The System of Nature" has much similar material and a good deal of repetition.

[shunyadragon]

The quote appears to come from Système de la Nature.

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/quote-h2.htm

A few of his works are available as free ebooks on the Project Gutenberg site.

This is very much an 18th century version of 1st century BC Lucretius - De Rerum Natura ("On the Nature of Things")

[Lavinia]

Baron D'Holbach quote SOLVED!
Firstfloor was looking for the source of the quote "If we look back at the beginning of things we shall find that ignorance and fear created the gods; that fancy, enthusiasm, or deceit adorned or disfigured them; that weakness worships them; that credulity preserves them; and that custom, respect and tyranny support them, in order to make the blindness of man serve their own interest."
It was mentioned in "Honest Doubt: The History of an Epic Struggle" on Radio 4 last year. The wording was previously used in Jonathan Miller's TV series "A Brief History of Disbelief" in 2004 (Ep 2).

GOOD NEWS - the BBC Radio 4 series is due out on commercial audio download on 1 May this year and the transcripts will be available from Amazon to tie in with it!