Lange, F. A. (1881). The monotheistic religions in their relation to materialism. In F. A. Lange & E. C. Thomas (Trans.), History of materialism and criticism of its present importance, Vol. 1, pp. 161-186). Boston, MA, US: Houghton, Mifflin and Company.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/12829-006
This chapter focuses on the monotheistic religions in their relation to materialism. After a description of the decay of ancient civilizations, the author discusses the influence of slavery and culture on the mixture of religions, the relation of infidelity and superstition, the materialism of life, and the luxuriance of vice and of religions. The author then discusses Christianity in terms of the common features of monotheistic religions, including the Mosaic doctrine of creation and the purely spiritual conception of God, which is in strong opposition to materialism. The author also notes the more favourable attitudes of Mohammedianism and Averrrosim. The author concludes by noting the services of the Arabians to the natural science, their freethinking and toleration, and the influence of monotheism on the aesthetic appreciation of nature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)