The Essence of Christianity (Cosimo Classics Philosophy)

In The Essence of Christianity-this is the classic 1853 translation of the 1841 German original-Feuerbach discusses the true or anthropological root of religion exploring how everything from the nature of God to the mysteries of mysticism and prayer can be viewed through such a prism. He goes on to examine the false essences of religion including contradictions in ideas of the existence of a deity and then how God and religion are merely expressions of human emotion. This is essential background reading for understanding everything from Marxs Communist Manifesto to modern apolitical philosophies of atheism.