[169F-EOC: p. 321]
“The works of the poet, of the philosopher, can be regarded in the light of merit only as considered externally . They are works of genius – inevitable products: the poet must bring forth poetry, the philosopher must philosophise. They have the highest satisfaction in the activity of creation, apart from any collateral or ulterior purpose. And it is just so with a truly noble moral action. To the man of noble feeling, the noble action is natural: … he must do it. (…) Meritoriousness always involves the notion that a thing is done, so to speak, out of luxury, not out of necessity.” [169F-EOC: p. 321]
[170F-EOC: p. 323]
“If the faith of the present day no longer produces such flagrant deeds of horror [i.e., the oppression of heretics, as in the Catholic Church’s Inquisition], this is due only to the fact that the faith of this age is not an uncompromising, living faith, but a sceptical, eclectic, unbelieving faith, curtailed and maimed by the power of art and science.” [170F-EOC: p. 323]
[171F-EOC: p. 323]
“It is not to Christian faith, not to Christian love (i.e., love limited by faith); no! it is to doubt of Christian faith, to the victory of religious scepticism, to free-thinkers, to heretics, that we owe tolerance, freedom of opinion. It was the heretics, persecuted by the Christian Church, who alone fought for freedom of conscience.” [171F-EOC: p. 323]
[172F-EOC: p. 324-325]
[P. 324] “… God, in the view of faith, [P. 325] is not only a religious, but a political, juridical being, the King of kings, the true head of the State.” [172F-EOC: p. 324-325]
[173F-EOC: p. 327]
“… is a God who accords no merit to man, who claims all exclusively for himself, who watches jealously over his honour – is a self-interested, egoistic God like this a God of love?” [173F-EOC: p. 327]
[174F-EOC: p. 332]
“The Christians have happiness for their object as much as heathens; the only difference is, that the heathens place heaven on earth, the Christians place earth in heaven.” [174F-EOC: p. 332]
[175F-EOC: p. 336]
“ … Christians worship the human individual as the supreme being, as God. Not indeed consciously, for it is the unconsciousness of this fact which constitutes the illusion of the religious principle. (…) Man is the God of Christianity, Anthropology the mystery of Christian theology.
