In this short history, scholar of religion Joseph McCabe explores the nature and development of witchcraft as an alternative religion fundamentally opposed to Christianity. He examines the inevitable persecution of witches by the established church, and describes how the development of the Enlightenment movement eventually led to the end of the practice of witch hunting.

In one of his most celebrated assertions the Apostle Paul wrote: “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised;If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”(From 1 Corinthians 15)In this collection of essays skeptical scholar Joseph McCabe examines three contentious issues related to the assertions of the apostle:The historicity of th...

In 1947, when this pamphlet was written, the ghastly memory of the Holocaust was fresh in the public mind. The author explores this climatic catastrophe of racial persecution to reveal it not as an anomalous occurrence, but rather as the evidence of a form of institutionalized prejudice which had operated for more than a millennium. “Humanity,” McCabe argues, “will enter into full and friendly cooperation only when the myths disappear and pure humanism is the base of man’s standard of cond...

Many have claimed for Freemasonry a heritage that has been traced to biblical times and involved many historical celebrities. In this acerbic essay, religious scholar Joseph McCabe reveals that this tradition actually commenced with the guilds in the Middle Ages, and that it inevitably attracted the hostility of the Catholic Church because of its populist and atheistic leanings. He also shows that Freemasons were significant players in the struggle for democracy that eroded the power of po...

Cartoonist Rocky Stellar has just lost his job. Out of work for the first time in forty years, Rocky knows he is not ready for retirement and wants to rediscover his artistic passion. Seeking advice, he visits a quirky Arizona desert recluse and storyteller. Through powerful questions and stories, Padre Cisco challenges Rocky as he embarks on a journey of reflection and self-discovery. His story unfolds in unexpected ways as his desire to repair his art life and his contentious relationshi...

When the smoke alarm goes off at 2 a.m., you won't rise to the occasion. You'llfall back on what you've practiced.Drawing on 45 years in fire and emergency services, Michael McCabe walks you throughthe three moments that decide how an emergency ends: preventing the fire before itstarts, surviving the first five minutes of a medical crisis when you're the only help thereis, and getting your family through the first 72 hours after disaster strikes.No...

Recent immigrants and refugees — both children and their families — often struggle to adapt to Canadian education systems. For their part, educators also face challenges when developing effective strategies to help these students make smooth transitions to their new country.Immigrant and Refugee Students in Canada, researchers join educators and social workers to provide a thorough and wide-ranging analysis of the issues at the preschool, elementary, secondary and post-sec...

“The history of Satan, prince of the demonic world, is the story of one of the weirdest of man’s illusions,” writes McCabe. In this text, McCabe treats the devil essentially as a creature of folklore, originating in prehistoric times. He demonstrates how the influence of belief in the devil has dwindled dramatically with the spread of scientific investigation and rationality.This pamphlet, which comes from the Little Blue Book series published by E. Haldeman Julius, is a typical ex...

This pamphlet offers a condensed history of Europe between the fall of the Roman empire and the twelfth century. The author’s profound anticlerical bias becomes apparent as he explores the influence of Christianity on a world in which order was maintained by the imposition of violence, and in which the general populace was kept in a state of ignorance and serfdom. He supports his conclusions with quotes from his own translations of documents of the period.In the final sentence, McC...

Joseph McCabe was a notable antagonist to all forms of organized religion. In this essay, he offers brief and incisive critiques of some major non-Christian religious systems.

In the opinion of secular scholar Joseph McCabe, the teaching of Jesus was “almost entirely ethical.” He contends that the dogmatic pillars of organizational Christianity, such as original sin, the atonement and the divinity of Christ, were not part of Jesus’ message and originated with Paul. He also discusses the interminable and insoluble disagreements among theologians over the following two millennia. In conclusion, he expends particular vitriol on the institution of the priesthood, of...

Most organized religions have a major focus on the afterlife and offer methods for obtaining salvation—the process of ensuring that devotees will enjoy eternal bliss in the next world. In this pamphlet, skeptical scholar Joseph McCabe presents his objections to claims of the existence of the soul and of heaven and hell. In McCabe’s view, the desire for immortality is a notable example of wishful thinking; the guiding rule of nature is death, not eternal existence—though we may wish it.