Seeing as it was mentioned in the comments of the Locke on Atheism post, I might as well prolong the recent prominent-philosopher-bashes-atheism theme a while longer by looking at Plato’s comments on the topic. At the beginning of Book 10 of the Laws, Plato turns his attention to the state-imperilling problem of atheism.
…we have already said in general terms what shall be the punishment of sacrilege, whether fraudulent or violent, and now we have to determine what is to be the punishment of those who speak or act insolently toward the Gods…
As anyone with anything more than a passing acquaintance with early modern philosophy knows, Descartes rather famously enlisted the help of God to guarantee the validity of his perceptions (for God would not be so cruel as to deceive us). But did you ever consider what the consequences of this solution would be for non-believers?
Many people are aware of President George Bush (senior)’s notorious assertion “I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.” It seems that the 41st president isn’t the only one who basic rights and dignities are not entirely universal. In A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), John Locke places an important caveat on the bounds of religious toleration
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This post is a follow-up to Augustine’s Devils, and best read after the earlier entry, as they are saintly partners in crime. By way of summary, Augustine seemed to have thought that devils, ‘incubi’, were ‘satisfying their lust’ upon wanton women. Here, in Summa Theologica, Aquinas accepts the story without hesitation …
Saint Augustine, most revered of Church Doctors, was convinced that devils were fornicating with wanton women:
There is … a very general rumour, which many have verified by their own experience, or which trustworthy persons who have heard the experience of others corroborate, that sylvans and fauns, who are commonly called ‘incubi,’ had often made wicked assaults upon women, and satisfied their lust upon them …
The sacred texts of Hermeticism, the Corpus Hermeticum, were a key component of the renaissance occult tradition. They were authored by Hermes Trismegistus, a mythical figure who was supposedly an Egyptian priest and coeval of Moses. As such, the Corpus Hermeticum was considered by renaissance scholar-magicians to be as significant and authoritative as any ancient religious texts, including the Bible. This story, however, did not hold up …