pagan and christian creeds-第59章

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h　his　tribal　Mother；　even　though　he　desires　to　do　so。　And　no　doubt　this　view　of　the　origin　of　Religion　is　perfectly　correct。　But　it　must　be　pointed　out　that　it　does　not　by　any　means　exclude　the　view　that　religion　derives　also　from　an　Animism　by　which　man　recognizes　in　general　Nature　his　foster…mother　and　feels　himself　in　closest　touch　with　HER。　Which　may　have　come　first；　the　Social　affiliation　or　the　Nature　affiliation；　I　leave　to　the　professors　to　determine。　The　term　Animism　may；　as　far　as　I　can　see；　be　quite　well　applied　to　the　social　affiliation；　for　the　latter　is　evidently　only　a　case　in　which　the　individual　projects　his　own　degree　of　consciousness　into　the　human　group　around　him　instead　of　into　the　animals　or　the　trees；　but　it　is　a　case　of　which　the　justice　is　so　obvious　that　the　modern　man　can　intellectually　seize　and　understand　it；　and　consequently　he　does　not　tar　it　with　the　'animistic'　brush。

And　Miss　Harrison；　it　must　be　noticed；　does；　in　other　passages　of　the　same　book　（see　Themis；　pp。　68；　69）；　admit　that　Religion　has　its　origin　not　only　from　unity　with　the　Tribe　but　from　the　sense　of　affiliation　to　Naturethe　sense　of　〃a　world　of　unseen　power　lying　behind　the　visible　universe；　a　world　which　is　the　sphere；　as　will　be　seen；　of　magical　activity　and　the　medium　of　mysticism。　The　mystical　element；　the　oneness　and　continuousness　comes　out　very　clearly　in　the　notion　of　Wakonda　among　the　Sioux　Indians。　。　。　。　The　Omahas　regarded　all　animate　and　inanimate　forms；　all　phenomena；　as　pervaded　by　a　common　life；　which　was　continuous　and　similar　to　the　will…power　they　were　conscious　of　in　themselves。　This　mysterious　power　in　all　things　they　called　Wakonda；　and　through　it　all　things　were　related　to　man；　and　to　each　other。　In　the　idea　of　the　continuity　of　life；　a　relation　was　maintained　between　the　seen　and　the　unseen；　the　dead　and　the　living；　and　also　between　the　fragment　of　anything　and　its　entirety。〃　Thus　our　general　position　is　confirmed；　that　Religion　in　its　origin　has　been　INSPIRED　by　a　deep　instinctive　conviction　or　actual　sense　of　continuity　with　a　being　or　beings　in　the　world　around；　while　it　has　derived　its　FORM　and　ritual　by　slow　degrees　from　a　vast　number　of　taboos；　generated　in　the　first　instance　chiefly　by　superstitious　fears；　but　gradually　with　the　growth　of　reason　and　observation　becoming　simplified　and　rationalized　into　forms　of　use。　On　the　one　side　there　has　been　the　positive　impulseof　mere　animal　Desire　and　the　animal　urge　of　self…expression；　on　the　other　there　has　been　the　negative　force　of　Fear　based　on　ignorancethe　latter　continually　carving；　moulding　and　shaping　the　former。　According　to　this　an　organized　study　and　classification　of　taboos　might　yield　some　interesting　results；　because　indeed　it　would　throw　light　on　the　earliest　forms　of　both　religion　and　science。　It　would　be　seen　that　some　taboos；　like　those　of　CONTACT　（say　with　a　menstruous　woman；　or　a　mother…in…law；　or　a　lightning…struck　tree）　had　an　obvious　basis　of　observation；　justifiable　but　very　crude；　while　others；　like　the　taboo　against　harming　an　enemy　who　had　contracted　blood…friendship　with　one　of　your　own　tribe；　or　against　giving　decent　burial　to　a　murderer；　were　equally　rough　and　rude　expressions　or　indications　of　the　growing　moral　sentiment　of　mankind。　All　the　same　there　would　be　left；　in　any　case；　a　large　residuum　of　taboos　which　could　only　be　judged　as　senseless；　and　the　mere　rubbish　of　the　savage　mind。

So　much　for　the　first　origins　of　the　World…religion；　and　I　think　enough　has　been　said　in　the　various　chapters　of　this　book　to　show　that　the　same　general　process　has　obtained　throughout。　Man；　like　the　animals；　began　with　this　deep；　subconscious　sense　of　unity　with　surrounding　Nature。　When　this　became　（in　Man）　fairly　conscious；　it　led　to　Magic　and　Totemism。　More　conscious；　and　it　branched；　on　the　one　hand；　into　figures　of　Gods　and　definite　forms　of　Creeds；　on　the　other　into　elaborate　Scientific　Theories　the　latter　based　on　a　strong　INTELLECTUAL　belief　in　Unity；　but　fervently　denying　any　'anthropomorphic'　or　'animistic'　SENSE　of　that　unity。　Finally；　it　seems　that　we　are　now　on　the　edge　of　a　further　stage　when　the　theories　and　the　creeds；　scientific　and　religious；　are　on　the　verge　of　collapsing；　but　in　such　a　way　as　to　leave　the　sense　and　the　perception　of　Unitythe　real　content　of　the　whole　processnot　only　undestroyed；　but　immensely　heightened　and　illuminated。　Meanwhile　the　taboosof　which　there　remain　some　still；　both　religious　and　scientific　have　been　gradually　breaking　up　and　merging　themselves　into　a　reasonable　and　humane　order　of　life　and　philosophy。

I　have　said　that　out　of　this　World…religion　Christianity　really　sprang。　It　is　evident　that　the　time　has　arrived　when　it　must　either　acknowledge　its　source　and　frankly　endeavor　to　affiliate　itself　to　the　same；　or　failing　that　must　perish。　In　the　first　case　it　will　probably　have　to　change　its　name；　in　the　second　the　question　of　its　name　'will　interest　it　no　more。'

With　regard　to　the　first　of　these　alternatives；　I　might　venture　though　with　indifferenceto　make　a　few　suggestions。　Why　should　we　not　haveinstead　of　a　Holy　Roman　Churcha　Holy　HUMAN　Church；　rehabilitating　the　ancient　symbols　and　rituals；　a　Christianity　（if　you　still　desire　to　call　it　so）　frankly　and　gladly　acknowledging　its　own　sources？　This　seems　a　reasonable　and　even　feasible　proposition。　If　such　a　church　wished　to　celebrate　a　Mass　or　Communion　or　Eucharist　it　would　have　a　great　variety　of　rites　and　customs　of　that　kind　to　select　from；　those　that　were　not　appropriate　for　use　in　our　times　or　were　connected　with　the　worship　of　strange　gods　need　not　be　rejected　or　condemned；　but　could　still　be　commented　on　and　explained　as　approaches　to　the　same　ideathe　idea　of　dedication　to　the　Common　Life；　and　of　reinvigoration　in　the　partaking　of　it。　If　the　Church　wished　to　celebrate　the　Crucifixion　or　betrayal　of　its　Founder；　a　hundred　instances　of　such　celebrations　would　be　to　hand；　and　still　the　thought　that　has　underlain　such　celebrations　since　the　beginning　of　the　world　could　easily　be　disentangled　and　presented　in　concrete　form　anew。　In　the　light　of　such　teaching　expressions　like　〃I　know　that　my　Redeemer　liveth〃　would　be　traced　to　their　origin；　and　men　would　understand　that　notwithstanding　the　mass　of　rubbish；　cant　and　humbug　which　has　collected　round　them　they　really　do　mean　something　and　represent　the　age…long　instinct　of　Humanity　feeling　its　way　towards　a　more　extended　revelation；　a　new　order　of　being；　a　third　stage　of　consciousness　and　illumination。　In　such　a　Church　or　religious　organization　EVERY　quality　of　human　nature　would　have　to　be　represented；　every　practice　and　custom　allowed　for　and　its　place　accordedthe　magical　and　astronomical　meanings；　the　rites　connected　with　sun…worship；　or　with　sex；　or　with　the　worship　of　animals；　the　consecration　of　corn　and　wine　and　other　products　of　the　ground；　initiations；　sacrifices；　and　so　forthall　（if　indeed　it　claimed　to　be　a　World…religion）　would　have　to　be　represented　and　recognized。　For　they　all　have　their　long　human　origin　and　descent　in　and　through　the　pagan　creeds；　and　they　all　have　penetrated　into　and　become　embodied　to　some　degree　in　Christianity。　Christianity　therefore；　as　I　say；　must　either　now　come　frankly　forward　and；　acknowledging　its　parentage　from　the　great　Order　of　the　past；　seek　to　rehabilitate　THAT　and　carry　mankind　one　step　forward　in　the　path　of　evolutionor　else　it　must　perish。　There　is　no　other　alternative。＇1＇

＇1＇　Comte　in　founding　his　philosophy　of　Positivism　seems　to　have　had　in　view　some　such　Holy　Human　Church；　but　he　succeeded　in　making　it　all　so　profoundly　dull　that　it　never　flourished；　The　seed　of　Life　was　not　in　it。


Let　me　give　an　instance　of　how　a　fragment　of　ancient　ritual　which　has　survived　from　the　far　Past　and　is　still　celebrated；　but　with　little　intelligence　or　understanding；　in　the　Catholic　Church　of　to…day；　might　be　adopted　in　such　a　Church　as　I　have　spoken　of；　interpreted；　and　made　eloquent　of　meaning　to　modern　humanity。　When　I　was　in　Ceylon　nearly　30　years　ago　I　was　fortunate　enough　to　witness　a　night…festival　in　a　Hindu　Templethe　great　festival　of　Taipusam；　which　takes　place　every　year　in　January。　Of　course；　it　was　full　moon；　and　great　was　the　blowing　up　of　trum