Chapter III. On the Vices Opposed to the Virtue of Religion

500. Preliminary note. Irreligion, or irreligiousness, which is opposed to religion, is taken either in a broad or in a strict sense. Irreligion in the broad sense includes all sins against religion, whether by omission or by commission. Sufficient has been said above in the preceding chapter about sins against religion by omission, that is, about the omission of acts prescribed by religion, for example, the omission of devotion, prayer, adoration, the sanctification of Sunday, etc. It remains to speak of sins of commission against religion, which indeed are perpetrated either by excess, that is, through diverse superstitions, or by defect, that is, through irreligion strictly so called. Yet when superstition is said to be opposed to religion by excess, this is not to be understood as though God, who is of infinite majesty, could be worshiped too much by a creature, for that is impossible; rather, the excess consists either in the circumstances of worship, namely, if God is worshiped in an unsuitable manner, or in the object of worship, namely, if false gods are worshiped. Irreligion in the strict sense contains all those sins which pertain to contempt or irreverence toward God and sacred things, for example, blasphemy, sacrilege, etc.

The present chapter is divided into ten articles, of which the first six pertain to superstition, but the last four to irreligion strictly so called. There will be treated: 1. superstition in general; 2. idolatry; 3. divination; 4. vain observance; 5. magic and malefice; 6. magnetism, hypnotism, and spiritism; 7. the tempting of God; 8. blasphemy; 9. sacrilege; 10. simony.