“imagine them as a creatures but slightly different from men. It may identify them with animals, natural forces, or inanimate objects, on the earth or in the vague skies.”
H. L. Mencken is perhaps best known for his scathing political satire. But politicians, as far as Mencken was concerned, had no monopoly on self-righteousness, deceit, and thievery. He also found religion to be an adversary worthy of his attention, and here he offers some of his best shots. Mencken examines religion everywhere, from India to Peru, from the myths of Egypt to the traditional beliefs of America's Bible Belt. He examines doctrines, dogmas, sacred texts, heresies, and ceremonies. He reviews the history of the Christian church and its founders. "It is Tertullian who is credited with the motto, Credo, quia absurdum est: I believe because it is incredible. Needless to say, he began life as a lawyer. " Controversial even before it was published in 1930, Treatise on the Gods remains what its author wished it to be: the plain, clear challenge of honest doubt. --From publisher description.
