But in what way can a man believing in god cease believing due to his personal vanity? There are only two ways. The man should either begin to think himself a rival of god or he may begin to believe himself to be god. In neither case can he become a genuine atheist. In the first case he does not even deny the existence of his rival. In the second case as well he admits the existence of a conscious being behind the screen, guiding all the movements of nature. It is of no importance to
