The Gods
From 'The Gods and Other Lectures'
- First published: Date unknown
- Language: English
"The Gods" by Robert Green Ingersoll is a philosophical treatise written in the late 19th century. This book critiques traditional religious beliefs and explores the concept of deities, arguing that gods are constructs created by humanity. Ingersoll's work is characterized by a rationalistic and humanistic perspective, emphasizing the importance of knowledge, reason, and personal autonomy. In "The Gods," Ingersoll argues against the existence and nature of traditional deities, positing that these gods often mirror the failings and prejudices of humanity. He critiques holy texts, especially the Bible, for containing immoral directives and promoting bloodshed, slavery, and oppression. Throughout the discourse, Ingersoll champions education, individual thought, and freedom from superstition, suggesting that moral values and ethics should arise from human experience rather than divine commandments. The overall narrative is a passionate call for a shift away from religious dogma towards a more secular, rational society where humanity's potential is realized through intellect and the pursuit of truth. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Provenance
Why this book is in the catalog
Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Ancient religions, animism, and ritual.
Controlled discovery queries from project-gutenberg matched “gods”. Retained metadata contains “Gods” in the title, “Gods” in the subtitle, “deities” in the description, and 3 additional metadata match(es).
- “gods”· via Project Gutenberg
- “Gods”· in title
- “Gods”· in subtitle
- “deities”· in description
- “Gods”· in description
- “Gods”· in edition title
Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.
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Editions
One edition cataloged here.
| Edition | Date | Publisher | Language | ISBN | Access | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
From 'The Gods and Other Lectures' Project Gutenberg electronic edition Project Gutenberg metadata does not identify the source print edition. | 2011-11-22 | Project Gutenberg | English | — | Public domain (USA) |
Subjects
Identifiers & provenance
How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.
Identifiers
- Project Gutenberg
Cataloged from
- Project Gutenbergprimary38107 (opens in a new tab)
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Cataloging notes
- Original print publication date and source edition are absent from Project Gutenberg metadata.
- Catalog id
- project-gutenberg:38107
- Edition coverage
- Project gutenberg electronic edition
- Retrieved







