,,the ,,character ,,of ,a ,,priest  ,by 
,philanthropos  ,london3  ,printed ,and 
,published ,by ,r4 ,carlile1 #ee1       
,fleet-,street  #ahba4  ,price ,twopence
      ,,the ,,character ,,of ,a ,,priest
  ,nature pregnant with equality1 with  
justice1 and generosity1 has given all  
men the same organization1 the same     
functions1 the same powers2 she has     
neither created higher nor lower1       
superior nor inferior1 master nor slave2
 inequality would imply monopoly2       
monopoly1 partiality2 and partiality1   
divine injustice2 all the operations of 
,nature are simple1 just1 equitable1 and
 invariable3 nothing is done at random1 
nothing is effected by chance1 nothing  
is the result of uncertain laws4 ,the   
operations of ,nature1 the physical laws
 of men and of morality are as uniform  
as the revolutions of the solar system2 
every action is consistent with the     
essence of the acting body2 nothing can 
act inconsistently with its elements4   
,all ,nature acts in conformity with    

universal laws2 man forms an integral   
part of ,nature1 and must act in unison 
with his elements2 the laws of ,nature  
are beyond human controul1 they are     
independent of man1 unchangeable by any 
power less than the contriver2 the laws 
of ,nature are neither arrested1        
interrupted1 biassed1 or controverted by
 venal1 bigoted1 fanatical ,priests4  ,a
 ,priest has the same essence1 is       
composed of the same elements1 endowed  
with the same organization as other men2
 he has no more natural command1 no     
greater power1 no greater right2        
,priests do not come into the world with
 crosiers1 or with1 mitres1 or with     
rosaries2 the revolutions of matter     
create and destroy them2 they are       
decomposed as a cow or a cabbage4 ,it is
 not ,nature1 but the folly of man that 
has given consequence to the ,priest2   
all the wealth1 all the advancement1 all
 the power the ,priests enjoy1 are      
acquired by hypocrisy1 by perjury1 by   
extortion1 and by swindling3 the trade  

is founded in fraud1 in blasphemy1 and  
impiety2 matured by cupidity1 by        
venality1 and by masked villainy4 ,the  
impostor pretends to have exclusive     
access to exclusive favour from the     
,deity4  ,it is by inflexible truth1 by 
the invariable laws of ,nature1 that the
 impostor will be analyzed2 bring him to
 the shrine of reason1 denude him of his
 robes1 of his mask1 of his hypocrisy1  
he is not more than man by ,nature1 but 
worse by morality1 inasmuch as he is    
covered by infamous offences2 however   
intention may operate1 however          
simplicity may be deluded1 there cannot 
be one honest1 one independent1 and one 
intelligent man among the whole body of 
,priests2 bigots by education1 dishonest
 by trade1 ignorant of the first        
principles of science1 they must        
necessarily be superstitious1 cruel1 and
 vindictive2 whatever purity1 whatever  
humility1 whatever candour1 the ,priest 
may profess1 is resolvable into         
individual interest2 he has no parent   

but avarice1 no ,god but money4         
,although the ,evangelists1 the         
,priests1 the sacred impostors1 are     
similar by nature1 similarly educated in
 chicane and hypocrisy1 they do not     
agree in any one religious profession3  
the ,bonzes1 the ,muftis1 and the       
,priests1 have different churches1      
different ,gods1 different creeds4      
,religious impostors uniformly coincide 
in plundering the people2 there is no   
other symptom of similarity1 no atom of 
cohesion1 but rapine1 among ,priests3   
,god is made something and nothing1     
every where and no where2 he is one     
thing at ,ispahan1 another at           
,constantinople1 and a third at ,rome2  
what is religion at one place1 is       
blasphemy at another4  ,if truth was as 
mutable1 as liable to change1 as subject
 to variation1 as the dogmas of         
,priests1 conflicting opinions would act
 to mutual destruction4 ,god1 acting    
always through ,nature1 always by       
universal and self-evident laws1 would  

not permit a thousand sects of ignorant1
 profane1 impious1 blaspheming ,priests1
 to mislead1 impoverish1 and barbarize  
the people4 ,if ,god manifested himself 
through the medium of ,priests1 of      
churches1 and of creeds1 it would be by 
means as self-evident as universal1 and 
as candid and invariable as the         
rotations of the solar system2 it would 
not be by starvation at one hour1 and   
gluttony at another2 or kneeling1       
tenths1 pilgrimages1 exorcisms1         
sprinklings1 crosses1 sacraments1       
ablutions1 circumcision1 and gibberish4 
,religion is a matter of imagination1 of
 fiction1 an hypothesis1 and not of     
fact3 the multifarious dogmas of        
sectarians1 demonstrate the multiplicity
 of vapours and conjectures2 while men  
reason from false principles1 religions 
will multiply to infinity4 ,philosophers
 have only one ,god--the ,god of        
,nature2 but roguish ,priests1 old women
 and fools have an endless number2 every
 arch-impostor has profanely made a ,god

 of his own2 ,priestly genius1 pregnant 
with extortion1 and cogitating more     
effectually to pick pockets1 with his   
own new trap1 than with the stale tool  
of other men1 has given rise to a       
multitude of diurnal ,deities1 if we    
witnessed as many variations in the laws
 of ,nature as in the ,priest-trade1 the
 ,priests might insist that some        
attention should be given to the        
business of fraud and cant4 ,every      
,priest differs from every other        
,priest1 and all differ from the truth2 
the ,deity does not operate by stealth1 
he does not work clandestinely in holes 
and corners1 as the miracle-mongers     
attest1 but generally1 openly1 in the   
face of day1 before all the world1 in   
his works3 he does not skulk in mosques1
 in churches1 or in wildernesses1 but is
 equally every where2 he knows no more  
of the cross1 the crescent1 or the      
crosier1 than he does of a tobacco-pipe1
 a mile-post1 or a broom-stick4 ,if     
there is one man more wicked than       

another it is the impostor1 and the     
lying1 cheating ,priest--the misleader  
of innocent1 inoffensive1 unsuspecting  
men2 the more the ,priests profess to   
believe1 the greater is the iniquity1   
and impiety1 and hypocrisy--the more    
religion they believe1 the less morality
 they practice4 ,the people should      
believe the ,priests when they profess  
principles consistent with ,nature1 and 
scorn them3 when they claim belief in   
inconceivable and false enigmas2        
attention is to be given when assertion 
is demonstrable by collateral facts and 
not to matters of faith1 mystery and    
superstition2 the ,priests are more     
likely to tell lies1 swindle and deceive
 the people1 than the ,deity is to be   
cruel1 inconsistent1 impotent1 and      
enigmatical2 believe nothing out of the 
order of ,nature2 the assertion of even 
one thousand honest fanatics would be   
inadequate to induce any sensible man to
 believe that the course of ,nature was 
changed for one moment4  ,the ,priests  

knew it would be useless to spend their 
time in declamation1 in anathemas1 in   
denunciation1 against such as would not 
from mercenary motives1 or good sense1  
pay tithes1 and feed the idol of        
superstition2 to enforce their          
doctrines1 to support their extortion1  
to effect their unholy rapine1 they     
fallaciously promulgated posthumous     
torture2 they invented a ,hell1 to      
agonize1 to rack1 to torment such as    
would not help to support the           
imposition4 ,the ,priests know their    
,hell is not a place of actual          
existence1 but a bugbear1 and the       
,devil1 the head master1 is invented1 is
 used as an emptying-pocket tool2 such  
as do not believe this pick-pocket      
machinery1 such as do not suffer        
themselves to be duped1 misled1 and     
plundered1 by hypocrites1 swindlers1    
rogues1 and extortioners1 are reproached
 as criminals1 as sinners1 as           
blasphemers1 as infidels1 and as        
lunatics1 and doomed to suffer          

everlasting torture4 ,is it likely that 
a just1 wise1 and benevolent ,deity     
would thus unmercifully punish innocent 
men for refusing to contribute to the   
lasciviousness1 licentiousness1 and     
drunkenness1 of a vagabond1 blaspheming 
,priesthood8 there is no greater impiety
 than attributing such enormity to a    
wise and parental ,god6 ,the profanity  
of ,priests cannot be sufficiently      
deprecated for alledging such monstrous 
injustice to the ,deity1 and asserting  
that he has more horrible powers1       
principles1 and actions than the ,devil2
 the latter is generous1 brave1 and     
forbearing1 compared with their ,god1 to
 whom they attribute malice1 revenge1   
cruelty1 fallacy1 and persecution to a  
whole race of people because a poor1    
ignorant1 exhausted woman happened to   
rob an apple-tree1 as he permits        
school-boys to do with impunity daily3  
even the ,priests must allow he does not
 think so much of his apples as         
formerly4 ,the ,priests should build    

altars and offer apples to the ,lord to 
act consistently4  ,the ,priests are    
famous mathematicians2 they can         
demonstrate that one is equal to three1 
or that three equals one2 three eternals
 is equal to one eternal1 and one holy  
equal to three holies6  ,to please the  
,deity is to act consistent with his    
ways2 his desire1 his intention1 his    
object1 is manifested in the            
organization of nature1 and as          
independence and equality are the       
predominating features in nature1 so    
those who most strenuously advocate     
those principles are the most religious1
 the most patriotic1 the most           
praiseworthy among men4  ,the contrary  
policy of ,priests1 destined solely to  
aggrandize their trade1 is debasing the 
,deity1 degrading man1 and trampling    
upon his creation4 ,whatever the ,deity 
values1 ,priests despise2 with a vandal 
ferocity they attack whatever does not  
tend to secure1 enlarge1 or multiply the
 emoluments of the mosque and the       

church2 it is not1 in fact1 about the   
church they bicker1 nor about souls and 
religion1 but about tithes and          
offerings3 the conduct of men is        
immaterial1 they have a licence to      
commit any crime1 so long as they will  
pay money for absolution and subscribe  
to the sanctity of tithes4 ,there is no 
competition among ,priests who shall do 
the utmost degree of good1 but who shall
 have the power of tithing and deceiving
 the people3 if the people had          
sufficient sense they would treat all   
,priests as the different kinds of      
,priests treat each other--as hypocrites
 and impostors2 constant in jealousy1   
constant in acrimonious opposition and  
mutual abuse1 every order1 every genus1 
are contending for the spoil of         
credulity4  ,the ,priests are the       
enemies of liberty1 the adversaries of  
free discussion1 and the opposite of    
equality1 constantly conspiring against 
a people enjoying the blessings of      
freedom1 constantly fettering1 debasing1

 and insulting the slave4 ,while the    
,priest is too weak to be intolerant1 he
 is flattering1 deceitful1 mean and     
servile2 but when fraud has elevated him
 to power1 he is arbitrary and          
domineering1 inflated with despotism1   
with insolence1 and with vanity4  ,the  
multitude of assassinations1 of         
massacres and of wars--the avarice1 the 
villainy1 the bigotry and               
bloody-mindedness of ,priests have      
occasioned1 exceeds the powers of       
calculation2 the number of religious    
murders is lost in figures2 every field 
has groaned under an altar of           
immolation2 the vegetation of every     
country has been fertilized1 and the    
streets of every town deluged with blood
 shed by the machinations of ,priests2  
look at that fact1 for the benefit of   
your religion1 you followers of the     
cross and the crescent2 cant no more    
about your justice1 your generosity1    
your forbearance1 your humanity1 your   
meekness1 or your candour4 ,the ,priests

 have been1 for selfish purposes1 the   
orators and fomentors of most of the    
mischiefs that have disgraced1          
paralyzed1 and disfigured the fair      
character of human nature3 it is        
disgraceful to any man to be seen in a  
dispute between ,priests and kings2 as  
hypocrites1 as impostors1 as common     
rogues1 men of wisdom will never        
participate1 never be interested1 never 
be duped by the quarrels1 and the       
envious animosities of the swindling    
trades4  ,all the ,priests--all that    
live by the trade of hypocrisy1 all that
 live by sacred imposition1 are         
blasphemers1 are infidels1 are          
perverters of the truth1 are the        
distorters of the will and object of the
 ,deity2 and such as most assiduously   
attempt to dispel the delusion1 are most
 religious in the eyes of ,god4         
,blasphemy is not an offence against    
truth1 but the offence of truth against 
,priestcraft4  ,notwithstanding the     
bickering1 the animosity1 and the       

jealousy the ,priests entertain towards 
each other1 they are consistent1 they   
are unanimous1 they are combined in     
prosecuting any man who has ability1 who
 has honesty1 and who has independence  
to attack the fraud and hypocrisy by    
which they live2 whoever attempts to    
analyze the farce1 to unveil the        
imposition of revealed religion1 is sure
 to be attacked by ,bishops1 by ,imans1 
by ,bonzes1 and by ,muftis2 truth acts  
upon these animals as light does upon   
the organization of bats and owls1 and  
other reptiles1 at mid-day4