ABSTRACT
There exists no Divine Being, perfect in His wisdom and goodness, who is distinct from the universe, and God is of the same nature as things, and consequently subject to change; in effect, God is produced in man and in the world, and all beings are God, and have same substance as God. As human reason is on an equality with religion itself, so the theological sciences ought to be treated in the same manner as the philosophical sciences. Moral laws do not need the divine sanction, and there is no necessity that human laws should be conformable to the law of nature, or receive from God the power of binding. Knowledge of philosophical things and morals, as well as civil laws, may and ought to be independent of divine and ecclesiastical authority. No other forces should be recognized than those which reside in matter, and all moral teaching and excellence should consist in accumulating riches in every possible way.
