Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
    An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
    An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
    Ebook54 pages39 minutes

    An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

    By Jonathan Swift

    3/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    "An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity" is considered one of the greatest political satires ever written. The essay is as hilarious today as it was hundreds of years ago...if you can understand it!

    f you have struggled in the past reading the satire, then BookCaps can help you out.

    We all need refreshers every now and then. Whether you are a student trying to cram for that big final, or someone just trying to understand a book more, BookCaps can help. We are a small, but growing company, and are adding titles every month.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookCaps
    Release dateApr 3, 2013
    ISBN9781301488865
    An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
    Author

    Jonathan Swift

    Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin in 1667. Although he spent most of his childhood in Ireland, he considered himself English, and, aged twenty-one, moved to England, where he found employment as secretary to the diplomat Sir William Temple. On Temple's death in 1699, Swift returned to Dublin to pursue a career in the Church. By this time he was also publishing in a variety of genres, and between 1704 and 1729 he produced a string of brilliant satires, of which Gulliver's Travels is the best known. Between 1713 and 1742 he was Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin; he was buried there when he died in 1745.

    Read more from Jonathan Swift

    Related to An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

    Titles in the series (71)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Humor & Satire For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Letter From The Founder

      Oct 12, 2018

      Letter From The Founder
      4 min read

    • Article

      Classic Lines Of The Month

      Apr 5, 2020

      “We were not just going to give the fans some spy/assassins movie.” “My parents were evangelical Christians. They believed in demons, the rapture, all that stuff.” “I was thrown flat on my face, then he was on me. I just protected my ears, my eye

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Treatise on Miracles by History’s Most Famous Atheist: Are some things too good to be true?

      Aug 1, 2013

      The Scottish philosopher David Hume was in many ways an enemy of the unlikely. The quintessential empiricist of his age, Hume’s 1748 treatise, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, put forward the groundbreaking argument that careful reasoning o

      4 min read

    • Article

      Chesterton revisited DAN HITCHENS

      Aug 25, 2021

      Harbour Books £20 Invited to give a reading at the Catholic Poetry Society, G K Chesterton sat in miserable silence, unable to remember a single poem. ‘Will you recite The Donkey?’ someone asked. ‘Don’t know it,’ came the doleful reply. He brightened

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Image of Christ this Christmas

      Nov 27, 2020

      It’s not unusual to see nativity scenes this time of year. They’re often lovely scenes, complete with robed figures nestled among sheep, donkeys, and cows on beds of straw. But one thing frequently amiss in these scenes involves the portrayal of Mary

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Female Pilgrim

      Apr 27, 2020

      The Female Pilgrim
      4 min read

    • Article

      Editorial: Why Should Women — Or Men — Have To Register For The Draft?

      Feb 28, 2019

      A federal court judge recently declared what should already have been obvious: It's unconstitutional to require only men - not women - to register for the military draft now that women can serve in combat. For most of the 20th century, the United Sta

      2 min read

    • Article

      Mussel Memory

      Jun 3, 2021

      Mussel Memory
      14 min read

    • Article

      Sunday, June 27

      Apr 15, 2021

      I WILL NEVER FORGET THE video a church member shared one Sunday after returning from a missions trip to Africa. First, he described the harsh conditions these believers faced: extreme poverty, persecution for their beliefs, and threats of violence. T

      1 min read

    • Article

      A Question of Faith

      May 15, 2020

      A Question of Faith
      5 min read

    • Article

      Enough About Ken

      Aug 1, 2023

      Enough About Ken
      3 min read

    • Article

      Local Minister Breaks Away From Methodist Church Over Its Support For BDS

      Jan 1, 2021

      A Christian minister has put his livelihood on the line by quitting the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) over its Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) policy towards Israel. Reverend Rowan Rennie says he would rather “sleep on the street” t

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Papyrus, The Professor, And A Scandal That Ensnared Harvard Divinity School

      Oct 6, 2020

      Journalist Ariel Sabar explores the story of a respected Bible scholar who believed she had proof that Christ Jesus and Mary Magdalen were married.

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

    3/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity In Plain and Simple English (Translated) - Jonathan Swift

      About This Series

      The Classic Retold series started as a way of telling classics for the modern reader—being careful to preserve the themes and integrity of the original. Whether you want to understand Shakespeare a little more or are trying to get a better grasps of the Greek classics, there is a book waiting for you!

      Written in the year 1708

      Comparative Version

      I AM very sensible what a weakness and presumption it is to reason against the general humour and disposition of the world. I remember it was with great justice, and a due regard to the freedom, both of the public and the press, forbidden upon several penalties to write, or discourse, or lay wagers against the — even before it was confirmed by Parliament; because that was looked upon as a design to oppose the current of the people, which, besides the folly of it, is a manifest breach of the fundamental law, that makes this majority of opinions the voice of God. In like manner, and for the very same reasons, it may perhaps be neither safe nor prudent to argue against the abolishing of Christianity, at a juncture when all parties seem so unanimously determined upon the point, as we cannot but allow from their actions, their discourses, and their writings. However, I know not how, whether from the affectation of singularity, or the perverseness of human nature, but so it unhappily falls out, that I cannot be entirely of this opinion. Nay, though I were sure an order were issued for my immediate prosecution by the Attorney-General, I should still confess, that in the present posture of our affairs at home or abroad, I do not yet see the absolute necessity of extirpating the Christian religion from among us.

      I realize how difficult it is to attempt to speak out against the tide of public opinion. I remember that it was forbidden, quite rightly, and with proper regard for the freedom of the public and the press, to write, speak out or place bets against… even before Parliament confirmed it in law. It was regarded as a plan to go against the will of the people, so besides its own stupidity it was in clear breach of the natural law which makes public opinion the same as the voice of God. In the same way, and for exactly the same reasons, it might not be safe or sensible to try and argue against the abolition of Christianity. This is especially true when everyone seems so keen on the idea, as we can see clearly from their actions, their speeches and their writing. However, I don't know why, whether it's because I like to be different, or human nature is naturally argumentative, but I can't entirely agree with this opinion. Even if I was certain that the attorney general would instantly order that I be prosecuted, I would still have to say that in the current state of affairs both at home and abroad, I have yet to be convinced that it is entirely necessary to abolish the Christian religion.

      This perhaps may appear too great a paradox even for our wise and paxodoxical age to endure; therefore I shall handle it with all tenderness, and with the utmost deference to that great and profound majority which is of another sentiment.

      It may be that my opinion is too bizarre for even this bizarre and wise time to tolerate; so I shall be very careful what I say, and show all due respect to the great majority who disagree with me.

      And yet the curious may please to observe, how much the genius of a nation is liable to alter in half an age. I have heard it affirmed for certain by some very odd people, that the contrary opinion was even in their memories as much in vogue as the other is now; and that a project for the abolishing of Christianity would then have appeared as singular, and been thought as absurd, as it would be at this time to write or discourse in its defence.

      However, those who are curious might like to observe how much the mind of a nation can change in just half a lifetime. I have heard some very odd people say that within living memory the opposite opinion was just as fashionable as the other one is now. At that

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1