The salvation of the illiterate bulk of mankind: Locke, Macpherson and the religion of the poor
Type de matériel :
47
According to Locke, the essential elements of the creed of Christian religion must be accessible to everyone and sufficient for Salvation. This concern for simplification was traced back to his vision of society, with modest people only required to believe whilst remaining at a basic level of rationality: C. B. Macpherson’s claims, which are still alive today, accordingly turn religion into a means of controlling the mores of poor people and of keeping them obedient. Locke would hold the latter incapable of any autonomous moral conduct. Yet this simplification is linked to the willingness to sever the practical dimension of Christianism from its speculative dimension, thereby promoting mutual tolerance. And the religion preached by Christ is adapted, irrespective of social conditions, to the weakness of human nature. Anyone, in any social position, is able to use reason properly so as to achieve Salvation.
Réseaux sociaux