While
reading Leviathan, I picked up on some themes that would be considered
atheistic in Hobbes’ era. He certainly writes about different opinions on the
concept of Christianity than his time generally accepted. Leviathan rejects the
authority of the Church, the concept of spirit, and challenged the classical interpretation
of scriptures. Hobbes also eliminates all Christian dogma including clergymen,
theologians, popes and monks. The only thing that remains over from the faith
of the time is that Jesus is the Christ. Is that enough, though, to classify
Hobbes and his work as Christian? In his time, being an atheist was a high offense but I do not think that quite defines Hobbes' thinking. If you
consider his Prime Mover as the Christian God, a figure from which all authority
comes from, then Hobbes' Leviathan is a Christian society. Especially
since it has a central deity that set the whole world in motion.
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