238、这些属世人或唯物主义者，当看到各人民的宗教活动时，会确认反对圣治。如，他们看到有些人完全不知道神；有些人拜太阳和月亮；还有些人拜可怕的偶像、雕像，甚至死人；尤其看到伊斯兰教被许多国家和民族接受，而基督教仅限于欧洲这个可居地球上的最小区域，甚至在那里还处于分裂状态；在基督教界，有些人为自己索取神性权柄，想被拜为神，召唤死人；还看到有些人将救恩置于他们当思想和谈论的一些话语，却轻视他们当做的善事；很少有人活在自己的宗教信仰中；此外还有过去的所有异端邪说，以及今天仍存在的一些异端邪说，如贵格会、摩拉维亚教派和再洗礼派等等；再就是犹太教仍旧存在。否认圣治的人从这些事得出结论：宗教本身什么都不是，但作为一种约束还是需要的。
238. The same natural person confirms himself against Divine providence when he considers the religious beliefs of various nations, as that there are some completely ignorant of God; that there are some who worship the sun and moon; some, idols and graven images, even monstrous ones; and some who worship also people now deceased.
Moreover, he confirms himself against Divine providence when he considers the Muslim religion - that it has been adopted by so many empires and kingdoms, whereas the Christian religion is found only in the smallest part of the habitable world called Europe, and there has split into sects; and that there are some in Christendom who claim Divine power for themselves and wish to be worshiped as gods, and who invoke people now deceased. Further, that there are some who place salvation in certain phrases that they are to think and say, and not at all in the good works they are to do; and that there are few who live their religion.
There are in addition the heresies, of which there have been many, and some, too, in existence today, such as those of the Quakers, Moravians, Anabaptists, and others. And the fact that Judaism still continues in existence.
One who denies Divine providence concludes from these considerations that religion in itself is meaningless, but that it is nevertheless necessary, because it serves as a restraint.
238. These same materialists justify their rejection of divine providence when they look at the religious practices of various peoples. There are some with no knowledge of God at all, some who worship the sun and the moon, some who worship images and grotesque statues, and some who worship the dead. Particularly, they see that Islam has been accepted by so many empires and nations while Christianity is restricted to that smallest part of the inhabited world that we call Europe, and even there is divided. There are people in the Christian world who claim divine power for themselves and want to be worshiped as gods and who call upon the dead. There are some who place salvation in particular words that they think about and say, and who attach no value to the good things that they do. In fact, there are few who actually live out their religion. Not only that, there are all the heresies of the past and some in existence today, those of the Quakers, for example, and the Moravians and the Anabaptists; and there is the fact of the continued survival of Judaism.
Seeing this, people who deny divine providence draw the conclusion that religion is really nothing in its own right, but that it is still needed as a kind of restraint.
238. The same natural man confirms himself against the Divine Providence when he regards the religious conditions of the various peoples. He sees, for example,
1. That there are some who are totally ignorant of God; that some worship the sun and moon; also that some worship idols and even monstrous graven images; and also that some worship the dead.
2. He sees especially that the Mohammedan religion is accepted by so many empires and kingdoms.
3. He sees that the Christian religion is accepted only in the very small part of the habitable globe called Europe, and is in a state of division there.
4. That some there claim for themselves Divine power, and desire to be worshipped as gods, and that they invoke the dead.
5. That there are some who place salvation in certain phrases which they must think and say, and not at all in good works which they must do; and that few live their religion.
6. Moreover, he sees the heresies, of which there have been many, some of which exist at this day, as those of the Quakers, the Moravians, the Anabaptists, and others.
7. Also that Judaism still continues.
From these things he who denies the Divine Providence concludes that religion in itself is nothing, but still that it is necessary because it serves as a restraining influence.
238. The same natural man confirms himself against Divine providence when he considers the religious conditions of various peoples; as that there are some who are wholly ignorant of God; some who worship the sun and moon; some also who worship monstrous idols, graven images, and even dead men; still further when he sees the Mohammedan religion accepted by so many empires and kingdoms, and the Christian religion only in Europe, the smallest division of the habitable globe, and there it is divided; and that there are some in it who claim for themselves Divine power, and wish to be worshiped as gods, and that the dead are invoked; also that there are some who place salvation in certain phrases which they should think and talk about, making no account of the good works they should do; also that there are few who live their religion; besides the heresies, of which there have been many; also some that exist at this day, as those of the Quakers, the Moravians, the Anabaptists, and others; also that Judaism still continues. From these things he who denies Divine providence concludes that religion in itself is nothing, but is necessary because it serves as a restraint.
238. Idem naturalis homo confirmat se contra Divinam Providentiam, cum spectat Religiosa variarum gentium, ut quod dentur qui prorsus ignorant Deum: quodque dentur qui adorant solem et lunam: tum qui idola et sculptilia etiam monstrosa: et quoque homines mortuos. Insuper cum spectat Religiosum Mahumedanum, quod a tot imperiis et regnis receptum sit: et quod Religio Christiana sit modo in Orbis habitabilis Parte minima, quae vocatur Europa; et quod ibi divisa sit; et quod ibi sint, qui Divinam potestatem sibi vindicant, ac volunt coli ut dii; et invocant homines mortuos: tum quod sint qui salvationem ponunt in quibusdam vocibus, quas cogitent et loquantur, et non aliquid in bonis quae faciant: tum quod pauci sint qui vivunt religionem suam: praeter Haeretica, quae plura fuerunt, et quoque aliqua hodie sunt, ut quae sunt Quaqueris, Moravianis, Anabaptistis, praeter alia: tum quod Judaismus adhuc perstet. Negator Divinae Providentiae ex his concludit, quod religio in se non sit aliquid, sed usque quod necessaria sit, quia inservit pro vinculo.