Star.
London, England, 1830-10-21 00:00:00

MR. orrsN's PUBLIC MEETltiii AT THE LO 'LOA'
TAIBUY

Yesterday a Meeting took place at the London Tavern, to teak: into
consideration " the Advantages and Disadvantages of Religion, as it
has been hitherto taught, in forming the character of Man, and in
governing thegWorld."
The Meeting was called by Mr. Owen, and was respectably and:ou-
maously attended, there being upwards of 1,000 persons assembled. At
lone o'clock Mr. Owax took the Chair, and proceeded to address the
Meeting as follows s
Under the new circumstances of general political excitenvan, *which
have lately arisen throughout the civilized part of the globe, not one
practical step can be wisely taken, in the improvement of society. upon
a film and permanent base, until it shall be calmly and temperately de-
cided, whether the foundation of all new arrangements to ameliorate the
condition of the human Pace, shall be religion and what religion ; or facts
derived from all the past and present experience of mankind.
This is now a vital question of paramount interest to the humaa race,
and must be decided, not by angry feelings, or the violence of passion,
or the errors of country, or by prejudices of any kind, but by facts which
cannot deceive, and by self-evident deductions from those facts.;
In the examination of this subject, so deeply involving the highest
interests of humanity, I will endeavour to avoid hurting the feelings
of any of my fellow-beings as much as truth will admit, and I trust
may speaker to-day will also endeavour to keep in mind, that we do
not meet here for personal contest, but to elicit, if possible, high and
important truths that may be applied to practice for the permanent be.
nefit of all.
Hitherto the character of man has been formed, and the world has
been governed, under the direct influence of what is called religion ; and
facts to.day prove what that character has been formed to be, and how
the: nations of the earth have been governed.
All will admit that the character of man is no where what it ought to
be; and also that no country has yet been rationally governed to pro.
mote permanently the general advantage of its population.
It is, therefore, a legitimate object of inquiry to ascertain the real
cause of these arras and evils.
Under the arrangements which have hitherto existed for educating and
governing man, four get anal characters! have been produced among the
human race.
These four classes of characters appear to be formed, under the pas
and present trangemente of society, from four different original organi-
zations at birth, which may be numbered one, two, three, and four.
No. 1. May be termed the conscientious religious in all countries.
No. 2. Unbelievers in the truth of any religion, but who strenuously
support the religion of their country, under the conviction that, although
religion is not necessary to insure their own good conduct, it is emi-
nently required to conyel others to act right.
No. 3. Ut.talievers who openly avow their disbelief in the truth of
any religion, such as Deists, Atheists, Sceptic, &c. ore. but who do
not perceive the laws of nature relative to man as an individual, or
when united in at social state.
No. 4. Disbelievers in all past an] present religions but believers in
the eternal unchanging laws of the universe, as developed by facts de-
rived from all past experience ; and who, by a careful study of these
facts, deduce from them the religion of nature.
Class No. 1. Is formed, under certain circumstances, from
those original organizations which possess at birth strong moral
and weak intellectual faculties. They usually become amiable, hottest
according to the religious notions which they receive, good-natured, and
what are called in the present defective state of the human character,
the good members of society. They very seldom govern any class,
sect, party, or country, as individuals, but they have considerable in.
fluence when acting in a body as a party, for they arc numerous in all
civilized countries.
Class, No. 2. la composed of those individuals who by nature possess
a smaller quantity of moral, and a larger quantity of intellectual fa.
culty. Of those who have sufficient intellect to discover the most
glaring inconsistencies between all religious and undisputed facts, and,
therefore, are compelled to disbelieve the truth of any religion, but who
are deficient, under exisLing circumstances, in intellectual capacity
to proceed further in the investigation of the laws of nature, and with-
out sufficient mural faculty to declare their disbelief in the truth of
religion. They have also too little intellectual faculty to discover the
incongruity of their own opinions, or notions, that, although conscien-
tious belief in religion is not necessary to make them good and useful
members of society, yet it is absolutely requisite to make other men
honest.
They are therefore unavoidably hypocrites upon almost all occa-
sions, or act from thoughts and feelings not publicly expressed.—
Usually these men, who are endowed with much cunning, called
worldly wisdom, and with physical activity are, under the existing sys-
tem of the world, at the head of every class, sect, profession, party and
country, and from it, in all nations the arisotcracies are generally formed.
The number of this original constitution of mind is considerable, per-
haps equal to No. 1.
Class No. 3is composed of men of strong moral and moderate intellec.
teal faculty ; of men who possess as much intellectual faculty as enables
them 'to perceive the discordance between all the religions of the weld
and the general facts around them, also to discover that if religion is
I not necessary to make them honest, it is not required to make others
conscientious s having at the same time as much moral faculty as to
induce them, in opposition to their worldly interests, to express their con-
I scientious convictions in opposition to the religious notions, or dogmas of
thegcountry they inhabit; but yet without sufficient intellect educated
and placed as they have been to investigate sufficiently for practice,
the laws of human nature and of society.
These characters are much abused by classes Nos. 1 and 2, and have
hitherto suffered all manner of Injustice from them, owing to their su-
periority of intellect to the first, and their superiority of intellect and
moral faculty to the second. They are not very numerous, chiefly in
consequence of the obstacles which the present system places in the way
of moral honesty.
Class No. 4, comprises those who, by nature, possess a high degree
of intellectual and moral faculty; who distinctly perceive the opposi-
tion which exists between the fundamental notions on which, alone, all
religions rest, and the everlasting laws by which man is governed, from
his.earliest formation to his decomposition at death ; who can tram in
their minds the necessary results of these laws when they shall be ap-
plied in practice, and who can comprehend a highly improved state of
human existence, formed in all its parts in unison and perfect accordance
with those laws ; who have also sufficient moral faculty to discover the
vast superiority of truth over falsehood in the intercourse between man
and man, and who possess moral courage sufficient to contend openly
against what they are compelled to believe are the errors of
antiquity. This class of natural minds, under the present ignorance
relative to the improvement of human organization, is not numerous,
it has, along with some of class Nn. 3, supplied the martyrs of former
days, and they are always prepared to go to the stake if necessary, to
promote the advance of general knowledge, and permanently to increase
the happiness of the human race. When men shall learn real wisdom,
through a rational education, and be taught to understand the laws of
their nature, and to act upon them, the original organization of almost
all human beings will be formed of these qualities.
We thus see, tqat as long as the character of man shall be formed
under the influences of religion, as it has been hitherto taught to man.
kind ; and as long as the world shall continue to be governed under
these influences ; the four preceding characters which have been do.
scribed will, with endless and small varieties, be produced. And the
necessary consequence of training the present varied organization of man
to acquire these artificial characters, is to degrade human nature, and to
instil into the human race every conceivable crime, and to afflict it with
every conceivable misery.
In the first class are produced not only many amiable weak men, as
the modern evangelists of this and other Christian countries, but also
in cases where the physical powers are strong, the furious bigot equally
conscientious with the former,but who keeps all around him in a continual
state of ignorant excitement.which generates endless practical injustice to
those who 'cannot think as he does. And as none of this class ate ever
permitted to investigate the laws of their nature, but are trained from
infancy to believe and not to think, and to talk at random respecting
the imaginary notions which they receive in their early years, there is
not only a considerable shade of difference among themselves, but there
is also a most injurious antipathy created in their minds to the members'
of the other three classes, but more especially to the 3d and 4th clam,
who have too strong a feeling of morality te become hypocrites, and es.
press their assent to their irrational dogmas.
In the second class, religion, as it is now taught, implants net only
hypocrisy, but the worst feelings and passions that unnatural rentainte
rpm nature's laws CM generate; and thus produce endless crimes and
evils throughout society.
A disbelief ki religion by those who possess by nature weak moral
faeultks engenders selfishness, jealousy, revenge, hatred, anger, cum.
sing, and every human depravity. Upon this class of natural minds,
k isealculated to create every possible variety of bed character, and
they are formed to be very numerous in every class, sect, and party, in
all countries.
Nothing can be more melancholy than the effects which religion pro.
diem upon this class, it destroys that can be called honest principles
`thins, makes them enemies and opponents to each other as well as to
ski other three classes, and they thus considerably contribute to keep
all mankind at enmity, and prevent the existence of charity for the in-
finite diversity of opinion or feeling, which under the present system is
unavoidable. It is from this class that the far greater part of the evils
and miseries of human life proceed.
Upon the third class religion produces the most nairreseable isms.
sions. The individuals of which it is composed amid odd a
die intendment notions on which all religions are Ihnninaiterllitedib3
tracing the endless errors to which they hod In passim. an
quite satisfied that of themselves,
_ammo alter thdr ossvistions re.
retire to these inconsistencies in OroApb esri errors in prised" and
their moral sense Is too strong to mask or them boosoolog Itnteldbld.
and saying, to please others, that *ay billow he thedotto or Wi-
gton when their convictions are dirooth "pond to dom. Way oboe
fore fuel that they ere honest, and when the cooosisetisto
and these oho have no conscientious religious Wisp, but who psind
to ban them, apply abusive personal epithets to dim mend opposolo