Behold the Antichrist : Bentham on religion / Delos B. McKown.

Format:

• Book

Author/Creator:

• McKown, Delos Banning.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Bentham, Jeremy, 1748-1832--Religion.
• Bentham, Jeremy, 1748-1832.
• Religion.

Physical Description:

417 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2004.

Summary:

• Presenting the core arguments of three works on religion by late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century English utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) -- Analysis of the Influence of Natural Religion on the Temporal Happiness of Mankind: Not Paul, but Jesus; and The Church-of-England Catechism Examined -- Professor Delos B. McKown defends them vigorously against attacks by religious scholars of subsequent periods and then offers his own analysis of the strengths and shortcomings of Bentham's thought in each book. Taken together, these three discussions make Bentham's published stance on religion accessible for the first time to modern readers. During his long, productive life the eminent English philosopher and exponent of utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) wrote not just on political philosophy but also -- clandestinely -- on religion. Under the pseudonym of Philip Beauchamp he published an attack on natural religion called Analysis of the Influence of Natural Religion on the Temporal Happiness of Mankind, and under the pseudonym of Gamahel Smith he brought out a book of New Testament criticism called Not Paul, but Jesus. In addition, Bentham bravely released under his own name The Church-of-England Catechism Examined, a thorough, biting critique of the Anglican doctrine, which had been originally published as an eighty-page segment of a larger work on Anglicanism.
• In this book, philosopher and freethinker Delos B. McKown presents us with Bentham's definition of religion, describing in the first part how Bentham's attacks on the Christianity of his time, which denigrated human life in the here-and-now for some imagined future postmortem state of glory, fully complemented his utilitarian philosophy of the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. If people believe that some sort of self-sacrifice in this life will be rewarded in an afterlife promised to them by the doctrine of "natural religion," Bentham argued, they will purposely limit their happiness in the life they are cuirently experiencing -- the only one they have for sure. The second part focuses largely on the role of Saint Paul in shaping Christian theology and attempts to explain the many contradictions within Paul's writings. One of the principal reasons Bentham offers for the saint's conversion is that Paul sensed an opportunity to head a movement that would bring him fame and prosperity. In addition to criticizing Anglican teachings, the linal part discusses Bentham's theories on language and the role of language in shaping religious belief. How can any living Anglicans, now or in Bentham's time, remember Jesus while partaking the Lord's Supper? This is just one of many cued examples of the misuse of language by the church.
• Each part of this revealing analysis consists of an introduction to one of Bentham's major works on religion (which have long been hard to find) as well as an extensive synapsis of each. McKown defends Bentham against the criticisms of his various opponents where necessary, but does not hesitate to criticize those points at which he feels Bentham has gone astray. McKown's thorough analysis of three little-known works by one of philosophy's great minds makes an outstanding contribution to Bentham scholarship and will be of interest to humanists and philosophers of religion.

Contents:

• Part 1. Analysis of the Influence of Natural Religion on the Temporal Happiness of Mankind: How Bentham Upended Deism
• 1. Introduction and Distillation with Commentary 19
• 2. A Defense 47
• 3. Criticisms 83
• Part 2. Not Paul, but Jesus: How Bentham Exposed the Would-Be President of Christianity
• 4. Introduction and Distillation with Commentary 117
• 5. A Defense 187
• 6. Criticisms 267
• Part 3. Church-of-England Catechism Examined: How Bentham's Philosophy of Language Undercuts Theology
• 7. Introduction and Distillation with Commentary 285
• 8. A Defense 317
• 9. Criticisms 357.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1591021162

OCLC:

53477437