pagan and christian creeds-第16章

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hing　to　give　each　separate　personality　sunshine　and　a　flower　in　its　own　existence　now；　something　to　shape　this　million…handed　labor　to　an　end　and　outcome　that　will　leave　more　sunshine　and　more　flowers　to　those　who　must　succeed？　Something　real　now；　and　not　in　the　spirit…land；　in　this　hour　now；　as　I　stand　and　the　sun　burns。　。　。　。　Full　well　aware　that　all　has　failed；　yet；　side　by　side　with　the　sadness　of　that　knowledge；　there　lives　on　in　me　an　unquenchable　belief；　thought　burning　like　the　sun；　that　there　is　yet　something　to　be　found。。。。　It　must　be　dragged　forth　by　the　might　of　thought　from　the　immense　forces　of　the　universe。〃

In　answer　to　this　passage　we　may　say　〃No；a　thousand　times　No！　there　is　no　theory；　philosophy；　creed；　system　or　formulated　method　which　will　meet　or　ever　satisfy　the　demand　of　each　separate　item　of　the　human　whirlpool。〃　And　happy　are　we　to　know　there　is　no　such　thing！　How　terrible　if　one　of　these　bloodless　'systems'　which　strew　the　history　of　religion　and　philosophy　and　the　political　and　social　paths　of　human　endeavor　HAD　been　found　absolutely　correct　and　universally　applicableso　that　every　human　being　would　be　compelled　to　pass　through　its　machine…like　maw；　every　personality　to　be　crushed　under　its　Juggernath　wheels！　No；　thank　Heaven！　there　is　no　theory　or　creed　or　system；　and　yet　there　is　something　as　Jefferies　prophetically　felt　and　with　a　great　longing　desiredthat　CAN　satisfy；　and　that；　the　root　of　all　religion；　has　been　hinted　at　in　the　last　chapter。　It　is　the　CONSCIOUSNESS　of　the　world…life　burning；　blazing；　deep　down　within　us：　it　is　the　Soul's　intuition　of　its　roots　in　Omnipresence　and　Eternity。

The　gods　and　the　creeds　of　the　past；　as　shown　in　the　last　chapterwhatever　they　may　have　been；　animistic　or　anthropomorphic　or　transcendental；　whether　grossly　brutish　or　serenely　ideal　and　abstractare　essentially　projections　of　the　human　mind；　and　no　doubt　those　who　are　anxious　to　discredit　the　religious　impulse　generally　will　catch　at　this；　saying　〃Yes；　they　are　mere　forms　and　phantoms　of　the　mind；　ephemeral　dreams；　projected　on　the　background　of　Nature；　and　having　no　real　substance　or　solid　value。　The　history　of　Religion　（they　will　say）　is　a　history　of　delusion　and　illusion；　why　waste　time　over　it？　These　divine　grizzly　Bears　or　Aesculapian　Snakes；　these　cat…faced　Pashts；　this　Isis；　queen　of　heaven；　and　Astarte　and　Baal　and　Indra　and　Agni　and　Kali　and　Demeter　and　the　Virgin　Mary　and　Apollo　and　Jesus　Christ　and　Satan　and　the　Holy　Ghost；　are　only　shadows　cast　outwards　onto　a　screen；　the　constitution　of　the　human　mind　makes　them　all　tend　to　be　anthropomorphic；　but　that　is　all；　they　each　and　all　inevitably　pass　away。　Why　waste　time　over　them？〃

And　this　is　in　a　sense　a　perfectly　fair　way　of　looking　at　the　matter。　These　gods　and　creeds　ARE　only　projections　of　the　human　mind。　But　all　the　same　it　misses；　does　this　view；　the　essential　fact。　It　misses　the　fact　that　there　is　no　shadow　without　a　fire；　that　the　very　existence　of　a　shadow　argues　a　light　somewhere　（though　we　may　not　directly　see　it）　as　well　as　the　existence　of　a　solid　form　which　intercepts　that　light。　Deep；　deep　in　the　human　mind　there　is　that　burning　blazing　light　of　the　world…consciousness　so　deep　indeed　that　the　vast　majority　of　individuals　are　hardly　aware　of　its　existence。　Their　gaze　turned　outwards　is　held　and　riveted　by　the　gigantic　figures　and　processions　passing　across　their　sky；　they　are　unaware　that　the　latter　are　only　shadowssilhouettes　of　the　forms　inhabiting　their　own　minds。＇1＇　The　vast　majority　of　people　have　never　observed　their　own　minds；　their　own　mental　forms。　They　have　only　observed　the　reflections　cast　by　these。　Thus　it　may　be　said；　in　this　matter；　that　there　are　three　degrees　of　reality。　There　are　the　mere　shadowsthe　least　real　and　most　evanescent；　there　are　the　actual　mental　outlines　of　humanity　（and　of　the　individual）；　much　more　real；　but　themselves　also　of　course　slowly　changing；　and　most　real　of　all；　and　permanent；　there　is　the　light　〃which　lighteth　every　man　that　cometh　into　the　world〃the　glorious　light　of　the　world…consciousness。　Of　this　last　it　may　be　said　that　it　never　changes。　Every　thing　is　known　to　iteven　the　very　IMPEDIMENTS　to　its　shining。　But　as　it　is　from　the　impediments　to　the　shining　of　a　light　that　shadows　are　cast；　so　we　now　may　understand　that　the　things　of　this　world　and　of　humanity；　though　real　in　their　degree；　have　chiefly　a　kind　of　negative　value；　they　are　opaquenesses；　clouds；　materialisms；　ignorances；　and　the　inner　light　falling　upon　them　gradually　reveals　their　negative　character　and　gradually　dissolves　them　away　till　they　are　lost　in　the　extreme　and　eternal　Splendor。　I　think　Jefferies；　when　he　asked　that　question　with　which　I　have　begun　this　chapter；　was　in　some　sense　subconsciously；　if　not　quite　consciously；　aware　of　the　answer。　His　frequent　references　to　the　burning　blazing　sun　throughout　The　Story　of　the　Heart　seem　to　be　an　indication　of　his　real　deep…down　attitude　of　mind。

＇1＇　See；　in　the　same　connection；　Plato's　allegory　of　the　Cave；　Republic；Book　vii。


The　shadow…figures　of　the　creeds　and　theogonies　pass　away　truly　like　ephemeral　dreams；　but　to　say　that　time　spent　in　their　study　is　wasted；　is　a　mistake；　for　they　have　value　as　being　indications　of　things　much　more　real　than　themselves；　namely；　of　the　stages　of　evolution　of　the　human　mind。　The　fact　that　a　certain　god…figure；　however　grotesque　and　queer；　or　a　certain　creed；　however　childish；　cruel；　and　illogical；　held　sway　for　a　considerable　time　over　the　hearts　of　men　in　any　corner　or　continent　of　the　world　is　good　evidence　that　it　represented　a　real　formative　urge　at　the　time　in　the　hearts　of　those　good　people；　and　a　definite　stage　in　their　evolution　and　the　evolution　of　humanity。　Certainly　it　was　destined　to　pass　away；　but　it　was　a　step；　and　a　necessary　step　in　the　great　process；　and　certainly　it　was　opaque　and　brutish；　but　it　is　through　the　opaque　things　of　the　world；　and　not　through　the　transparent；　that　we　become　aware　of　the　light。

It　may　be　worth　while　to　give　instances　of　how　some　early　rituals　and　creeds；　in　themselves　apparently　barbarous　or　preposterous；　were　really　the　indications　of　important　moral　and　social　conceptions　evolving　in　the　heart　of　man。　Let　us　take；　first；　the　religious　customs　connected　with　the　ideas　of　Sacrifice　and　of　Sin；　of　which　such　innumerable　examples　are　now　to　be　found　in　the　modern　books　on　Anthropology。　If　we　assume；　as　I　have　done　more　than　once；　that　the　earliest　state　of　Man　was　one　in　which　he　did　not　consciously　separate　himself　from　the　world；　animate　and　inanimate；　which　surrounded　him；　then　（as　I　have　also　said）　it　was　perfectly　natural　for　him　to　take　some　animal　which　bulked　large　on　his　horizon　some　food…animal　for　instanceand　to　pay　respect　to　it　as　the　benefactor　of　his　tribe；　its　far…back　ancestor　and　totem…symbol；　or；　seeing　the　boundless　blessing　of　the　cornfields；　to　believe　in　some　kind　of　spirit　of　the　corn　（not　exactly　a　god　but　rather　a　magical　ghost）　which；　reincarnated　every　year；　sprang　up　to　save　mankind　from　famine。　But　then　no　sooner　had　he　done　this　than　he　was　bound　to　perceive　that　in　cutting　down　the　corn　or　in　eating　his　totem…bear　or　kangaroo　he　was　slaying　his　own　best　self　and　benefactor。　In　that　instant　the　consciousness　of　DISUNITY；　the　sense　of　sin　in　some　undefined　yet　no　less　disturbing　and　alarming　form　would　come　in。　If；　before；　his　ritual　magic　had　been　concentrated　on　the　simple　purpose　of　multiplying　the　animal　or；　vegetable　forms　of　his　food；　now　in　addition　his　magical　endeavor　would　be　turned　to　averting　the　just　wrath　of　the　spirits　who　animated　these　formsjust　indeed；　for　the　rudest　savage　would　perceive　the　wrong　done　and　the　probability　of　its　retribution。　Clearly　the　wrong　done　could　only　be　expiated　by　an　equivalent　sacrifice　of　some　kind　on　the　part　of　the　man；　or　the　tribethat　is　by　the　offering　to　the　totem…　animal　or　to　the　corn…spirit　of　some　victim　whom　these　nature　powers　in　their　turn　could　feed　upon　and　assimilate。　In　this　way　the　nature…powers　would　be　appeased；　the　sense　of　unity　would　be　restored；　and　the　first　At…one…ment　effected。

It　is　hardly　necessary　to　recite　in　any　detail　the　cruel　and　hideous　sacrifices　which　have　been　perpetrated　in　this　sense　all　over　the　world；　sometimes　in　appeasement　of　a　wrong　committed　or　supposed　to　have　been　committed　by　the　tribe　or　some　member　of　it；　sometimes　in　placation　or　for　the　averting　of　death；　or　defeat；　or　plague；　sometimes　merely　in　fulfilment　of　some　long…standing　custom　of　forgotten　originthe　flayings　and　floggings　and　burnings　and　crucifixions　of　victims　without　end；　carried　out　in　all　deliberation　and　solemnity　of　established　ritual。　I　have　mentioned　some　cases　connected　with　the　sowing　of　the　corn。　The　Bible　is　full　of　such　things；　from　the　intended　sacrifice　of　Isaac　by　his　father　Abraham；　to　the　actual　crucifixion　of　Jesus　by　the　Jews。　The　first…　born　sons　were　claimed　by　a　god　who　called　himself　〃jealous〃　and　were　only　to　be　redeemed　by　a　substitute。＇1＇　Of　the　Canaanites　it　was　said　that　〃even　their　daughters　they　have　BURNT　in　the　fire　to　their　gods〃；＇2＇　and　of　the　King　of　Moab；　that　when　he　saw　his　army　in　danger　of　defeat；　〃he　took　his　eldest　son　that　should　have　reigned　in　his　stead　and　offered　him　for　a　burnt…offering　on　the　wall！〃＇3＇　Dr。　Frazer＇4＇　mentions　the　similar　case　of　the　Carthaginians　（about　B。C。　300）　sacrificing　two　hundred　children　of　good　family　as　a　propitiation　to　Baal　and　to　save　their　beloved　city　from　the　assaults　of　the　Sicilian　tyrant　Agathocles。　And　even　so　we　hear　that　on　that　occasion　three　hundred　more　young　folk　VOLUNTEERED　to　die　for　the　fatherland。

＇1＇　Exodus　xxxiv。　20。

＇2＇　Deut。　xii。　31。

＇3＇　2　Kings　iii。　27。

＇4＇　The　Golden　Bough；　vol。　〃The　Dying　God；〃　p。　167。


The　awful　sacrifices　made　by　the　Aztecs　in　Mexico　to　their　gods　Huitzilopochtli；　Texcatlipoca；　and　others　are　described　in　much　detail　by　Sahagun；　the　Spanish　missionary　of　the　sixteenth　century。　The　victims　were　mostly　prisoners　of　war　or　young　children；　they　were　numbered　by　thousands。　In　one　case　Sahagun　describes　the　huge　Idol　or　figure　of　the　god　as　largely　plated　with　gold　and　holding　his　hands　palm　upward　and　in　a　downward　sloping　position　over　a　cauldron　or　furnace　placed　below。　The　children；　who　had　previously　been　borne　in　triumphal　state　on　litters　over　the　crowd　and　decorated　with　every　ornamental　device　of　feathers　and　flowers　and　wings；　were　placed　one　by　one　on　the　vast　hands　and　ROLLED　DOWN　into　the　flamesas　if　the　god　were　himself　offering　them。＇1＇　As　the　procession　approached　the　temple；　the　members　of　it　wept　and　danced　and　sang；　and　here　again　the　abundance　of　tears　was　taken　for　a　good　augury　of　rain。＇2＇

＇1＇　It　is　curious　to　find　that　exactly　the　same　story　（of　the　sloping　hands　and　the　children　rolled　down　into　the　flames）　is　related　concerning　the　above…mentioned　Baal　image　at　Carthage　（see　Diodorus　Siculus；　xx。　14；　also　Baring　Gould's　Religious　Belief；　vol。　i；　p。　375）。

＇2＇　〃A　los　ninos　que　mataban；　componianlos　en　muchos　atavios　para　llevarlos　al　sacrificio；　y　llevabos　en　unas　literas　sobre　los　hombros；　estas　literas　iban　adornadas　con　plumages　y　con　flores：　iban　tanendo；　cantando　y　bailando　delante　de　ellos　。　。　。　Cuando　Ileviban　los　ninos　a　matar；　si　llevaban