pagan and christian creeds-第15章

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According　to　this　theory　the　godthe　full…grown　god　in　human　shape；　dwelling　apart　and　beyond　the　earthdid　not　come　first；　but　was　a　late　and　more　finished　product　of　evolution。　He　grew　up　by　degrees　and　out　of　the　preceding　animal…worships　and　totem…systems。　And　this　theory　is　much　supported　and　corroborated　by　the　fact　that　in　a　vast　number　of　early　cults　the　gods　are　represented　by　human　figures　with　animal　heads。　The　Egyptian　religion　was　full　of　such　divinitiesthe　jackal…headed　Anubis；　the　ram…headed　Ammon；　the　bull…fronted　Osiris；　or　Muth；　queen　of　darkness；　clad　in　a　vulture's　skin；　Minos　and　the　Minotaur　in　Crete；　in　Greece；　Athena　with　an　owl's　head；　or　Herakles　masked　in　the　hide　and　jaws　of　a　monstrous　lion。　What　could　be　more　obvious　than　that；　following　on　the　tribal　worship　of　any　totem…animal；　the　priest　or　medicine…man　or　actual　king　in　leading　the　magic　ritual　should　don　the　skin　and　head　of　that　animal；　and　wear　the　same　as　a　kind　of　maskthis　partly　in　order　to　appear　to　the　people　as　the　true　representative　of　the　totem；　and　partly　also　in　order　to　obtain　from　the　skin　the　magic　virtues　and　mana　of　the　beast；　which　he　could　then　duly　impart　to　the　crowd？　Zeus；　it　must　be　remembered；　wears　the　aegis；　or　goat…skinsaid　to　be　the　hide　of　the　goat　Amaltheia　who　suckled　him　in　his　infancy；　there　are　a　number　of　legends　which　connected　the　Arcadian　Artemis　with　the　worship　of　the　bear；　Apollo　with　the　wolf；　and　so　forth。　And；　most　curious　as　showing　similarity　of　rites　between　the　Old　and　New　Worlds；　there　are　found　plenty　of　examples　of　the　wearing　of　beast…masks　in　religious　processions　among　the　native　tribes　of　both　North　and　South　America。　In　the　Atlas　of　Spix　and　Martius　（who　travelled　together　in　the　Amazonian　forests　about　1820）　there　is　an　understanding　and　characteristic　picture　of　the　men　（and　some　women）　of　the　tribe　of　the　Tecunas　moving　in　procession　through　the　woods　mostly　naked；　except　for　wearing　animal　heads　and　masks　the　masks　representing　Cranes　of　various　kinds；　Ducks；　the　Opossum；　the　Jaguar；　the　Parrot；　etc。；　probably　symbolic　of　their　respective　clans。

By　some　such　process　as　this；　it　may　fairly　be　supposed；　the　forms　of　the　Gods　were　slowly　exhaled　from　the　actual　figures　of　men　and　women；　of　youths　and　girls；　who　year　after　year　took　part　in　the　ancient　rituals。　Just　as　the　Queen　of　the　May　or　Father　Christmas　with　us　are　idealized　forms　derived　from　the　many　happy　maidens　or　white…bearded　old　men　who　took　leading　parts　in　the　May　or　December　mummings　and　thus　gained　their　apotheosis　in　our　literature　and　traditionso　doubtless　Zeus　with　his　thunderbolts　and　arrows　of　lightning　is　the　idealization　into　Heaven　of　the　Priestly　rain…maker　and　storm…controller；　Ares　the　god　of　War；　the　similar　idealization　of　the　leading　warrior　in　the　ritual　war…dance　preceding　an　attack　on　a　neighboring　tribe；　and　Mercury　of　the　foot…running　Messenger　whose　swiftness　in　those　days　（devoid　of　steam　or　electricity）　was　so　precious　a　tribal　possession。

And　here　it　must　be　remembered　that　this　explanation　of　the　genesis　of　the　gods　only　applies　to　the　SHAPES　and　FIGURES　of　the　various　deities。　It　does　not　apply　to　the　genesis　of　the　widespread　belief　in　spirits　or　a　Great　Spirit　generally；　that；　as　I　think　will　become　clear；　has　quite　another　source。　Some　people　have　jeered　at　the　'animistic'　or　'anthropomorphic'　tendency　of　primitive　man　in　his　contemplation　of　the　forces　of　Nature　or　his　imaginations　of　religion　and　the　gods。　With　a　kind　of　superior　pity　they　speak　of　〃the　poor　Indian　whose　untutored　mind　sees　God　in　clouds　and　hears　him　in　the　wind。〃　But　I　must　confess　that　to　me　the　〃poor　Indian〃　seems　on　the　whole　to　show　more　good　sense　than　his　critics；　and　to　have　aimed　his　rude　arrows　at　the　philosophic　mark　more　successfully　than　a　vast　number　of　his　learned　and　scientific　successors。　A　consideration　of　what　we　have　said　above　would　show　that　early　people　felt　their　unity　with　Nature　so　deeply　and　intimately　thatlike　the　animals　themselves　they　did　not　think　consciously　or　theorize　about　it。　It　was　just　their　life　to　belike　the　beasts　of　the　field　and　the　trees　of　the　foresta　part　of　the　whole　flux　of　things；　non…differentiated　so　to　speak。　What　more　natural　or　indeed　more　logically　correct　than　for　them　to　assume　（when　they　first　began　to　think　or　differentiate　themselves）　that　these　other　creatures；　these　birds；　beasts　and　plants；　and　even　the　sun　and　moon；　were　of　the　same　blood　as　themselves；　their　first　cousins；　so　to　speak；　and　having　the　same　interior　nature？　What　more　reasonable　（if　indeed　they　credited　THEMSELVES　with　having　some　kind　of　soul　or　spirit）　than　to　credit　these　other　creatures　with　a　similar　soul　or　spirit？　Im　Thurn；　speaking　of　the　Guiana　Indians；　says　that　for　them　〃the　whole　world　swarms　with　beings。〃　Surely　this　could　not　be　taken　to　indicate　an　untutored　mindunless　indeed　a　mind　untutored　in　the　nonsense　of　the　Schoolsbut　rather　a　very　directly　perceptive　mind。　And　again　what　more　reasonable　（seeing　that　these　people　themselves　were　in　the　animal　stage　of　evolution）　than　that　they　should　pay　great　reverence　to　some　ideal　animalfirst　cousin　or　ancestorwho　played　an　important　part　in　their　tribal　existence；　and　make　of　this　animal　a　totem　emblem　and　a　symbol　of　their　common　life？

And；　further　still；　what　more　natural　than　that　when　the　tribe　passed　to　some　degree　beyond　the　animal　stage　and　began　to　realize　a　life　more　intelligent　and　emotionalmore　specially　human　in　factthan　that　of　the　beasts　of　the　field；　that　it　should　then　in　its　rituals　and　ceremonies　throw　off　the　beast…mask　and　pay　reverence　to　the　interior　and　more　human　spirit。　Rising　to　a　more　enlightened　consciousness　of　its　own　intimate　quality；　and　still　deeply　penetrated　with　the　sense　of　its　kinship　to　external　nature；　it　would　inevitably　and　perfectly　logically　credit　the　latter　with　an　inner　life　and　intelligence；　more　distinctly　human　than　before。　Its　religion　in　fact　would　become　MORE　'anthropomorphic'　instead　of　less　so；　and　one　sees　that　this　is　a　process　that　is　inevitable；　and　inevitable　notwithstanding　a　certain　parenthesis　in　the　process；　due　to　obvious　elements　in　our　'Civilization'　and　to　the　temporary　and　fallacious　domination　of　a　leaden…eyed　so…called　'Science。'　According　to　this　view　the　true　evolution　of　Religion　and　Man's　outlook　on　the　world　has　proceeded　not　by　the　denial　by　man　of　his　unity　with　the　world；　but　by　his　seeing　and　understanding　that　unity　more　deeply。　And　the　more　deeply　he　understands　himself　the　more　certainly　he　will　recognize　in　the　external　world　a　Being　or　beings　resembling　himself。

W。　H。　Hudsonwhose　mind　is　certainly　not　of　a　quality　to　be　jeered　atspeaks　of　Animism　as　〃the　projection　of　ourselves　into　nature：　the　sense　and　apprehension　of　an　intelligence　like　our　own；　but　more　powerful；　in　all　visible　things〃；　and　continues；　〃old　as　I　am　this　same　primitive　faculty　which　manifested　itself　in　my　early　boyhood；　still　persists；　and　in　those　early　years　was　so　powerful　that　I　am　almost　afraid　to　say　how　deeply　I　was　moved　by　it。〃＇1＇　Nor　will　it　be　quite　forgotten　that　Shelley　once　said：

　The　moveless　pillar　of　a　mountain's　weight　　Is　active　living　spirit。　Every　grain　　Is　sentient　both　in　unity　and　part；　　And　the　minutest　atom　comprehends　　A　world　of　loves　and　hatreds。

＇1＇　Far　Away　and　Long　Ago；　ch。　xiii；　p。　225。


The　tendency　to　animism　and　later　to　anthropomorphism　is　I　say　inevitable；　and　perfectly　logical。　But　the　great　value　of　the　work　done　by　some　of　those　investigators　whom　I　have　quoted　has　been　to　show　that　among　quite　primitive　people　（whose　interior　life　and　'soul…sense'　was　only　very　feeble）　their　projections　of　intelligence　into　Nature　were　correspondingly　feeble。　The　reflections　of　themselves　projected　into　the　world　beyond　could　not　reach　the　stature　of　eternal　'gods；'　but　were　rather　of　the　quality　of　ephemeral　phantoms　and　ghosts；　and　the　ceremonials　and　creeds　of　that　period　are　consequently　more　properly　described　as；　Magic　than　as　Religion。　There　have　indeed　been　great　controversies　as　to　whether　there　has　or　has　not　been；　in　the　course　of　religious　evolution；　a　PRE…　animistic　stage。　Probably　of　course　human　evolution　in　this　matter　must　have　been　perfectly　continuous　from　stages　presenting　the　very　feeblest　or　an　absolutely　deficient　animistic　sense　to　the　very　highest　manifestations　of　anthropomorphism；　but　as　there　is　a　good　deal　of　evidence　to　show　that　ANIMALS　（notably　dogs　and　horses）　see　ghosts；　the　inquiry　ought　certainly　to　be　enlarged　so　far　as　to　include　the　pre…human　species。　Anyhow　it　must　be　remembered　that　the　question　is　one　of　CONSCIOUSNESS　that　is；　of　how　far　and　to　what　degree　consciousness　of　self　has　been　developed　in　the　animal　or　the　primitive　man　or　the　civilized　man；　and　therefore　how　far　and　to　what　degree　the　animal　or　human　creature　has　credited　the　outside　world　with　a　similar　consciousness。　It　is　not　a　question　of　whether　there　IS　an　inner　life　and　SUB…consciousness　common　to　all　these　creatures　of　the　earth　and　sky；　because　that；　I　take　it；　is　a　fact　beyond　question；　they　all　emerge　or　have　emerged　from　the　same　matrix；　and　are　rooted　in　identity；　but　it　is　a　question　of　how　far　they　are　AWARE　of　this；　and　how　far　by　separation　（which　is　the　genius　of　evolution）　each　individual　creature　has　become　conscious　of　the　interior　nature　both　of　itself　and　of　the　other　creatures　AND　of　the　great　whole　which　includes　them　all。

Finally；　and　to　avoid　misunderstanding；　let　me　say　that　Anthropomorphism；　in　man's　conception　of　the　gods；　is　itself　of　course　only　a　stage　and　destined　to　pass　away。　In　so　far；　that　is；　as　the　term　indicates　a　belief　in　divine　beings　corresponding　to　our　PRESENT　conception　of　ourselves　that　is　as　separate　personalities　having　each　a　separate　and　limited　character　and　function；　and　animated　by　the　separatist　motives　of　ambition；　possession；　power；　vainglory；　superiority；　patronage；　self…greed；　self…satisfaction；　etc。in　so　far　as　anthropomorphism　is　the　expression　of　that　kind　of　belief　it　is　of　course　destined；　with　the　illusion　from　which　it　springs；　to　pass　away。　When　man　arrives　at　the　final　consciousness　in　which　the　idea　of　such　a　self；　superior　or　inferior　or　in　any　way　antagonistic　to　others；　ceases　to　operate；　then　he　will　return　to　his　first　and　primal　condition；　and　will　cease　to　need　ANY　special　religion　or　gods；　knowing　himself　and　all　his　fellows　to　be　divine　and　the　origin　and　perfect　fruition　of　all。



VII。　RITES　OF　EXPIATION　AND　REDEMPTION

There　is　a　passage　in　Richard　Jefferies'　imperishably　beautiful　book　The　Story　of　my　Hearta　passage　well　known　to　all　lovers　of　that　prose…poetin　which　he　figures　himself　standing　〃in　front　of　the　Royal　Exchange　where　the　wide　pavement　reaches　out　like　a　promontory；〃　and　pondering　on　the　vast　crowd　and　the　mystery　of　life。　〃Is　there　any　theory；　philosophy；　or　creed；〃　he　says；　〃is　there　any　system　of　culture；　any　formulated　method；　able　to　meet　and　satisfy　each　separate　item　of　this　agitated　pool　of　human　life？　By　which　they　may　be　guided；　by　which　they　may　hope；　by　which　look　forward？　Not　a　mere　illusion　of　the　craving　heartsomething　real；　as　real　as　the　solid　walls　of　fact　against　which；　like　seaweed；　they　are　dashed；　something　to　give　each　sep