I confess I cannot see why mere blasphemy by itself should be an excuse
for tyranny and treason; or how the mere isolated fact of a man not
believing in God should be a reason for my believing in Him.
But the rather spinsterish flutter among some of the old Freethinkers
has put one tiny ripple of truth in it; and that affects the idea which
I wish to emphasise even to monotony in these pages. I mean the idea
that the new community which the capitalists are now constructing will
be a very complete and absolute community; and one which will tolerate
nothing really independent of itself. Now, it is true that any positive
creed, true or false, would tend to be independent of itself. It might
be Roman Catholicism or Mahomedanism or Materialism; but, if strongly
held, it would be a thorn in the side of the Servile State. The Moslem
thinks all men immortal: the Materialist thinks all men mortal. But the
Moslem does not think the rich Sinbad will live forever; but the poor
Sinbad will die on his deathbed. The Materialist does not think that Mr.
Haeckel will go to heaven, while all the peasants will go to pot, like
their chickens. In every serious doctrine of the destiny of men, there
is some trace of the doctrine of the equality of men. But the capitalist
really depends on some religion of inequality. The capitalist must
somehow distinguish himself from human kind; he must be obviously above
it--or he would be obviously below it. Take even the least attractive
and popular side of the larger religions to-day; take the mere vetoes
imposed by Islam on Atheism or Catholicism. The Moslem veto upon
intoxicants cuts across all classes. But it is absolutely necessary for
the capitalist (who presides at a Licensing Committee, and also at a
large dinner), it is absolutely necessary for him, to make a distinction
between gin and champagne. The Atheist veto upon all miracles cuts
across all classes. But it is absolutely necessary for the capitalist to
make a distinction between his wife (who is an aristocrat and consults
crystal gazers and star gazers in the West End), and vulgar miracles
claimed by gipsies or travelling showmen. The Catholic veto upon usury,
as defined in dogmatic councils, cuts across all classes. But it is
absolutely necessary to the capitalist to distinguish more delicately
between two kinds of usury; the kind he finds useful and the kind he
does not find useful. The religion of the Servile State must have no
dogmas or definitions. It cannot afford to have any definitions. For
definitions are very dreadful things: they do the two things that most
men, especially comfortable men, cannot endure. They fight; and they
fight fair.
Every religion, apart from open devil worship, must appeal to a virtue
or the pretence of a virtue. But a virtue, generally speaking, does some
good to everybody. It is therefore necessary to distinguish among
the people it was meant to benefit those whom it does benefit. Modern
broad-mindedness benefits the rich; and benefits nobody else. It was
meant to benefit the rich; and meant to benefit nobody else. And if you
think this unwarranted, I will put before you one plain question. There
are some pleasures of the poor that may also mean profits for the rich:
there are other pleasures of the poor which cannot mean profits for the
rich? Watch this one contrast, and you will watch the whole creation of
a careful slavery.
In the last resort the two things called Beer and Soap end only in a
froth. They are both below the high notice of a real religion. But
there is just this difference: that the soap makes the factory more
satisfactory, while the beer only makes the workman more satisfied. Wait
and see if the Soap does not increase and the Beer decrease. Wait and
see whether the religion of the Servile State is not in every case what
I say: the encouragement of small virtues supporting capitalism, the
discouragement of the huge virtues that defy it. Many great religions,
Pagan and Christian, have insisted on wine. Only one, I think, has
insisted on Soap. You will find it in the New Testament attributed to
the Pharisees.