pagan and christian creeds-第24章

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zes　himsomething　of　which　he　had　no　experience　before。　He　tries　to　think　about　it　all；　to　understand　the　situation；　but　is　dazed　and　cannot　arrive　at　any　conclusion。　His　one　NECESSITY　is　Reconciliation；　Atonement。　He　finds　he　cannot　LIVE　outside　of　and　alienated　from　his　tribe。　He　makes　a　Sacrifice；　an　offering　to　his　fellows；　as　a　seal　of　sincerityan　offering　of　his　own　bodily　suffering　or　precious　blood；　or　the　blood　of　some　food…animal；　or　some　valuable　gift　or　otherif　only　he　may　be　allowed　to　return。　The　offering　is　accepted。　The　ritual　is　performed；　and　he　is　received　back。　I　have　already　spoken　of　this　perfectly　natural　evolution　of　the　twin…ideas　of　Sin　and　Sacrifice；　so　I　need　not　enlarge　upon　the　subject。　But　two　things　we　may　note　here：　（1）　that　the　ritual；　being　so　concrete　（and　often　severe）；　graves　itself　on　the　minds　of　those　concerned；　and　expresses　the　feelings　of　the　tribe；　with　an　intensity　and　sharpness　of　outline　which　no　words　could　rival；　and　（2）　that　such　rituals　may　have；　and　probably　did；　come　into　use　even　while　language　itself　was　in　an　infantile　condition　and　incapable　of　dealing　with　the　psychological　situation　except　by　symbols。　They；　the　rituals；　were　the　first　effort　of　the　primitive　mind　to　get　beyond；　subconscious　feeling　and　emerge　into　a　world　of　forms　and　definite　thought。

Let　us　carry　the　particular　instance；　given　above；　a　stage　farther；　even　to　the　confines　of　abstract　Thought　and　Philosophy。　I　have　spoken　of　〃The　Spirit　of　the　Hive〃　as　if　the　term　were　applicable　to　the　Human　as　well　as　to　the　Bee　tribe。　The　individual　bee　obviously　has　never　THOUGHT　about　that　'Spirit；'　nor　mentally　understood　what　Maeterlinck　means　by　it；　and　yet　in　terms　of　actual　experience　it　is　an　intense　reality　to　the　bee　（ordaining　for　instance　on　some　fateful　day　the　slaughter　of　all　the　drones）；　controlling　bee…movements　and　bee…　morality　generally。　The　individual　tribesman　similarly　steeped　in　the　age…long　human　life　of　his　fellows　has　never　thought　of　the　Tribe　as　an　ordaining　being　or　Spirit；　separate　from　himselfTILL　that　day　when　he　is　exiled　and　outcast　from　it。　THEN　he　sees　himself　and　the　tribe　as　two　opposing　beings；　himself　of　course　an　Intelligence　or　Spirit　in　his　own　limited　degree；　the　Tribe　as　a　much　greater　Intelligence　or　Spirit；　standing　against　and　over　him。　From　that　day　the　conception　of　a　god　arises　on　him。　It　may　be　only　a　totem…goda　divine　Grizzly…Bear　or　what　notbut　still　a　god　or　supernatural　Presence；　embodied　in　the　life　of　the　tribe。　This　is　what　Sin　has　taught　him。＇1＇　This　is　what　Fear；　founded　on　self…consciousness；　has　revealed　to　him。　The　revelation　may　be　true；　or　it　may　be　fallacious　（I　do　not　prejudge　it）；　but　there　it　isthe　beginning　of　that　long　series　of　human　evolutions　which　we　call　Religion。

＇1＇　It　is　to　be　noted；　in　that　charming　idyll　of　the　Eden　garden；　that　it　is　only　AFTER　eating　of　the　forbidden　fruit　that　Adam　and　Eve　perceive　the　Lord　God　walking　in　the　garden；　and　converse　with　him　（Genesis　iii。　8）。


＇For　when　the　human　mind　has　reached　that　stage　of　consciousness　in　which　each　man　realizes　his　own　'self'　as　a　rational　and　consistent　being；　〃looking　before　and　after；〃　then；　as　I　have　said　already；　the　mind　projects　on　the　background　of　Nature　similarly　rational　Presences　which　we　may　call　'Gods'；　and　at　that　stage　'Religion'　begins。　Before　that；　when　the　mind　is　quite　unformed　and　dream…like；　and　consists　chiefly　of　broken　and　scattered　rays；　and　when　distinct　self…consciousness　is　hardly　yet　developed；　then　the　presences　imagined　in　Nature　are　merely　flickering　and　intermittent　phantoms；　and　their　propitiation　and　placation　comes　more　properly　under；　the　head　of　'Magic。'＇

So　much　for　the　genesis　of　the　religious　ideas　of　Sin　and　Sacrifice；　and　the　rites　connected　with　these　ideas　their　genesis　through　the　in…break　of　self…consciousness　upon　the　corporate　SUB…consciousness　of　the　life　of　the　Community。　But　an　exactly　similar　process　may　be　observed　in　the　case　of　the　other　religious　ideas。

I　spoke　of　the　doctrine　of　the　SECOND　BIRTH；　and　the　rites　connected　with　it　both　in　Paganism　and　in　Christianity。　There　is　much　to　show　that　among　quite　primitive　peoples　there　is　less　of　shrinking　from　death　and　more　of　certainty　about　a　continued　life　after　death　than　we　generally　find　among　more　intellectual　and　civilized　folk。　It　is；　or　has　been；　quite；　common　among　many　tribes　for　the　old　and　decrepit；　who　are　becoming　a　burden　to　their　fellows；　to　offer　themselves　for　happy　dispatch；　and　to　take　willing　part　in　the　ceremonial　preparations　for　their　own　extinction；　and　this　readiness　is　encouraged　by　their　nave　and　untroubled　belief　in　a　speedy　transference　to　〃happy　hunting…grounds〃　beyond　the　grave。　The　truth　is　that　when；　as　in　such　cases；　the　tribal　life　is　very　whole　and　unbrokeneach　individual　identifying　himself　completely　with　the　tribethe　idea　of　the　individual's　being　dropped　out　at　death；　and　left　behind　by　the　tribe；　hardly　arises。　The　individual　is　the　tribe；　has　no　other　existence。　The　tribe　goes　on；　living　a　life　which　is　eternal；　and　only　changes　its　hunting…grounds；　and　the　individual；　identified　with　the　tribe；　feels　in　some　subconscious　way　the　same　about　himself。

But　when　one　member　has　broken　faith　with　the　tribe；　when　he　has　sinned　against　it　and　become　an　outcast　ah！　then　the　terrors　of　death　and　extinction　loom　large　upon　him。　〃The　wages　of　sin　is　death。〃　There　comes　a　period　in　the　evolution　of　tribal　life　when　the　primitive　bonds　are　loosening；　when　the　tendency　towards　SELF…will　and　SELF…determination　（so　necessary　of　course　in　the　long　run　for　the　evolution　of　humanity）　becomes　a　real　danger　to　the　tribe；　and　a　terror　to　the　wise　men　and　elders　of　the　community。　It　is　seen　that　the　children　inherit　this　tendencyeven　from　their　infancy。　They　are　no　longer　mere　animals；　easily　herded；　it　seems　that　they　are　born　in　sinor　at　least　in　ignorance　and　neglect　of　their　tribal　life　and　calling。　The　only　cure　is　that　they　MUST　BE　BORN　AGAIN。　They　must　deliberately　and　of　set　purpose　be　adopted　into　the　tribe；　and　be　made　to　realize；　even　severely；　in　their　own　persons　what　is　happening。　They　must　go　through　the　initiations　necessary　to　impress　this　upon　them。　Thus　a　whole　series　of　solemn　rites　spring　up；　different　no　doubt　in　every　locality；　but　all　having　the　same　object　and　purpose。　＇And　one　can　understand　how　the　necessity　of　such　initiations　and　second　birth　may　easily　have　been　itself　felt　in　every　race；　at　some　stage　of　its　evolutionand　THAT　quite　as　a　spontaneous　growth；　and　independently　of　any　contagion　of　example　caught　from　other　races。＇

The　same　may　be　said　about　the　world…wide　practice　of　the　Eucharist。　No　more　effective　method　exists　for　impressing　on　the　members　of　a　body　their　community　of　life　with　each　other；　and　causing　them　to　forget　their　jangling　self…interests；　than　to　hold　a　feast　in　common。　It　is　a　method　which　has　been　honored　in　all　ages　as　well　as　to…day。　But　when　the　flesh　partaken　of　at　the　feast　is　that　of　the　Totemthe　guardian　and　presiding　genius　of　the　tribeor　perhaps　of　one　of　its　chief　food…animals　then　clearly　the　feast　takes　on　a　holy　and　solemn　character。　It　becomes　a　sacrament　of　unityof　the　unity　of　all　with　the　tribe；　and　with　each　other。　Self…interests　and　self…　consciousness　are　for　the　time　submerged；　and　the　common　life　asserts　itself；　but　here　again　we　see　that　a　custom　like　this　would　not　come　into　being　as　a　deliberate　rite　UNTIL　self…consciousness　and　the　divisions　consequent　thereon　had　grown　to　be　an　obvious　evil。　The　herd…　animals　（cows；　sheep；　and　so　forth）　do　not　have　Eucharists；　simply　because　they　are　sensible　enough　to　feed　along　the　same　pastures　without　quarrelling　over　the　richest　tufts　of　grass。

When　the　flesh　partaken　of　（either　actually　or　symbolically）　is　not　that　of　a　divinized　animal；　but　the　flesh　of　a　human…formed　godas　in　the　mysteries　of　Dionysus　or　Osiris　or　Christthen　we　are　led　to　suspect　（and　of　course　this　theory　is　widely　held　and　supported）　that　the　rites　date　from　a　very　far…back　period　when　a　human　being；　as　representative　of　the　tribe；　was　actually　slain；　dismembered　and　partly　devoured；　though　as　time　went　on；　the　rite　gradually　became　glossed　over　and　mitigated　into　a　love…communion　through　the　sharing　of　bread　and　wine。

It　is　curious　anyhow　that　the　dismemberment　or　division　into　fragments　of　the　body　of　a　god　（as　in　the　case　of　Dionysus；　Osiris；　Attis；　Praj