pagan and christian creeds-第29章

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＇2＇　See　Winwood　Reade　（Savage　Africa）；　Salamon　Reinach　（Cults；　Myths　and　Religions）；　and　others。


With　regard　to　the　practical　intelligence　of　primitive　peoples；　derived　from　their　close　contact　with　life　and　nature；　Bishop　Colenso's　experiences　among　the　Zulus　may　appropriately　be　remembered。　When　expounding　the　Bible　to　these　supposedly　backward　'niggers'　he　was　met　at　all　points　by　practical　interrogations　and　arguments　which　he　was　perfectly　unable　to　answerespecially　over　the　recorded　passage　of　the　Red　Sea　by　the　Israelites　in　a　single　night。　From　the　statistics　given　in　the　Sacred　Book　these　naughty　savages　proved　to　him　absolutely　conclusively　that　the　numbers　of　fugitives　were　such　that　even　supposing　them　to　have　marchedmen；　women　and　childrenFIVE　ABREAST　and　in　close　order；　they　would　have　formed　a　column　100　miles　long；　and　this　not　including　the　baggage；　sheep　and　cattle！　Of　course　the　feat　was　absolutely　impossible。　They　could　not　have　passed　the　Red　Sea　in　a　night　or　a　week　of　nights。

But　the　sequel　is　still　more　amusing　and　instructive。　Colenso；　in　his　innocent　sincerity；　took　the　side　of　the　Zulus；　and　feeling　sure　the　Church　at　home　would　be　quite　glad　to　have　its　views　with　regard　to　the　accuracy　of　Bible　statistics　corrected；　wrote　a　book　embodying　the　amendments　needed。　Modest　as　his　criticisms　were；　they　raised　a　STORM　of　protest　and　angry　denunciation；　which　even　led　to　his　deposition　for　the　time　being　from　his　bishopric！　While　at　the　same　time　an　avalanche　of　books　to　oppose　his　heresy　poured　forth　from　the　press。　Lately　I　had　the　curiosity　to　look　through　the　British　Museum　catalogue　and　found　that　in　refutation　of　Colenso's　Pentateuch　Examined　some　140　（a　hundred　and　forty）　volumes　were　at　that　time　published！　To…day；　I　need　hardly　say；　all　these　arm…chair　critics　and　their　works　have　sunk　into　utter　obscurity；　but　the　arguments　of　the　Zulus　and　their　Bishop　still　stand　unmoved　and　immovable。

This　is　a　case　of　searching　intelligence　shown　by　'savages；'　an　intelligence　founded　on　intimate　knowledge　of　the　needs　of　actual　life。　I　think　we　may　say　that　a；　similarly　instinctive　intelligence　（sub…conscious　if　you　like）　has　guided　the　tribes　of　men　on　the　whole　in　their　long　passage　through　the　Red　Sea　of　the　centuries；　from　those　first　days　of　which　I　speak　even　down　to　the　present　age；　and　has　in　some　strange；　even　if　fitful；　way　kept　them　along　the　path　of　that　final　emancipation　towards　which　Humanity　is　inevitably　moving。



XII。　THE　SEX…TABOO

Inthe　course　of　the　last　few　chapters　I　have　spoken　more　than　once　of　the　solidarity　and　continuity　of　Christianity；　in　its　essential　doctrines；　with　the　Pagan　rites。　There　is；　however；　one　notable　exception　to　this　statement。　I　refer　of　course　to　Christianity's　treatment　of　Sex。　It　is　certainly　very　remarkable　that　while　the　Pagan　cults　generally　made　a　great　deal　of　all　sorts　of　sex…rites；　laid　much　stress　upon　them；　and　introduced　them　in　what　we　consider　an　unblushing　and　shameless　way　into　the　instincts　connected　with　it。　I　say　'the　Christian　Church；'　on　the　whole　took　quite　the　opposite　lineignored　sex；　contemned　it；　and　did　much　despite　to　the　perfectly　natural　instincts　connected　with　it。　I　say　'the　Christian　Church；'　because　there　is　nothing　to　show　that　Jesus　himself　（if　we　admit　his　figure　as　historical）　adopted　any　such　extreme　or　doctrinaire　attitude；　and　the　quite　early　Christian　teachers　（with　the　chief　exception　of　Paul）　do　not　exhibit　this　bias　to　any　great　degree。　In　fact；　as　is　well　known；　strong　currents　of　pagan　usage　and　belief　ran　through　the　Christian　assemblies　of　the　first　three　or　four　centuries。　〃The　Christian　art　of　this　period　remained　delightfully　pagan。　In　the　catacombs　we　see　the　Saviour　as　a　beardless　youth；　like　a　young　Greek　god；　sometimes　represented；　like　Hermes　the　guardian　of　the　flocks；　bearing　a　ram　or　lamb　round　his　neck；　sometimes　as　Orpheus　tuning　his　lute　among　the　wild　animals。〃＇1＇　The　followers　of　Jesus　were　at　times　even　accusedwhether　rightly　or　wrongly　I　know　not　of　celebrating　sexual　mysteries　at　their　love…feasts。　But　as　the　Church　through　the　centuries　grew　in　power　and　scope

with　its　monks　and　their　mutilations　and　asceticisms；　and　its　celibate　clergy；　and　its　absolute　refusal　to　recognize　the　sexual　meaning　of　its　own　acclaimed　symbols　（like　the　Cross；　the　three　fingers　of　Benediction；　the　Fleur　de　Lys　and　so　forth）it　more　and　more　consistently　defined　itself　as　anti…sexual　in　its　outlook；　and　stood　out　in　that　way　in　marked　contrast　to　the　earlier　Nature…religions。

＇1＇　Angels'　Wings；　by　E。　Carpenter；　p。　104。


It　may　be　said　of　course　that　this　anti…sexual　tendency　can　be　traced　in　other　of　the　pre…Christian　Churches；　especially　the　later　ones；　like　the　Buddhist；　the　Egyptian；　and　so　forth；　and　this　is　perfectly　true；　but　it　would　seem　that　in　many　ways　the　Christian　Church　marked　the　culmination　of　the　tendency；　and　the　fact　that　other　cults　participated　in　the　taboo　makes　us　all　the　more　ready　and　anxious　to　inquire　into　its　real　cause。

To　go　into　a　disquisition　on　the　Sex…rites　of　the　various　pre…　Christian　religions　would　be　'a　large　order'larger　than　I　could　attempt　to　fill；　but　the　general　facts　in　this　connection　are　fairly　patent。　We　know；　of　course；　from　the　Bible　that　the　Syrians　in　Palestine　were　given　to　sexual　worships。　There　were　erect　images　（phallic）　and　〃groves〃　（sexual　symbols）　on　every　high　hill　and　under　every　green　tree；＇1＇　and　these　same　images　and　the　rites　connected　with　them　crept　into　the　Jewish　Temple　and　were　popular　enough　to　maintain　their　footing　there　for　a　long　period　from　King　Rehoboam　onwards；　notwithstanding　the　efforts　of　Josiah＇2＇　and　other　reformers　to　extirpate　them。　Moreover　there　were　girls　and　men　（hierodouloi）　regularly　attached　during　this　period　to　the　Jewish　Temple　as　to　the　heathen　Temples；　for　the　rendering　of　sexual　services；　which　were　recognized　in　many　cases　as　part　of　the　ritual。　Women　were　persuaded　that　it　was　an　honor　and　a　privilege　to　be　fertilized　by　a　'holy　man'　（a　priest　or　other　man　connected　with　the　rites）；　and　children　resulting　from　such　unions　were　often　called　〃Children　of　God〃an　appellation　which　no　doubt　sometimes　led　to　a　legend　of　miraculous　birth！　Girls　who　took　their　place　as　hierodouloi　in　the　Temple　or　Temple…precincts　were　expected　to　surrender　themselves　to　men…worshipers　in　the　Temple；　much　in　the　same　way；　probably；　as　Herodotus　describes　in　the　temple　of　the　Babylonian　Venus　Mylitta；　where　every　native　woman；　once　in　her　life；　was　supposed　to　sit　in　the　Temple　and　have　intercourse　with　some　stranger。＇3＇　Indeed　the　Syrian　and　Jewish　rites　dated　largely　from　Babylonia。　〃The　Hebrews　entering　Syria；〃　says　Richard　Burton＇4＇　〃found　it　religionized。　by　Assyria　and　Babylonia；　when　the　Accadian　Ishtar　had　passed　West；　and　had　become　Ashtoreth；　Ashtaroth；　or　Ashirah；　the　Anaitis　of　Armenia；　the　Phoenician　Astarte；　and　the　Greek　Aphrodite；　the　great　Moon…　goddess　who　is　queen　of　Heaven　and　Love。〃　The　word　translated　〃grove〃　as　above；　in　our　Bible；　is　in　fact　Asherah；　which　connects　it　pretty　clearly　with　the　Babylonian　Queen　of　Heaven。

＇1＇　1　Kings　xiv。　22…24。

＇2＇　2　Kings　xxiii。

＇3＇　See　Herodotus　i。　199；　also　a　reference　to　this　custom　in　the　apocryphal　Baruch；　vi。　42；　43。

＇4＇　The　Thousand　Nights　and　a　Night　（1886　edn。）；　vol。　x；　p。　229。


In　India　again；　in　connection　with　the　Hindu　Temples　and　their　rites；　we　have　exactly　the　same　institution　of　girls　attached　to　the　Temple　servicethe　Nautch…girlswhose　functions　in　past　times　were　certainly　sexual；　and　whose　dances　in　honor　of　the　god　are；　even　down　to　the　present　day；　decidedly　amatory　in　character。　Then　we　have　the　very　numerous　lingams　（conventional　representations　of　the　male　organ）　to　be　seen；　scores　and　scores　of　them；　in　the　arcades　and　cloisters　of　the　Hindu　Temples　to　which　women　of　all　classes；　especially　those　who　wish　to　become　mothers；　resort；　anointing　them　copiously　with　oil；　and　signalizing　their　respect　and　devotion　to　them　in　a　very　practical　way。　As　to　the　lingam　as　representing　the　male　organ；　in　some　form　or　otheras　upright　stone　or　pillar　or　obelisk　or　slender　round　towerit　occurs　all　over　the；　world；　notably　in　Ireland；　and　forms　such　a　memorial　of　the　adoration　paid　by　early　folk　to　the　great　emblem　and　instrument　of　human　fertility；　as　cannot　be　mistaken。　The　pillars　set　up　by　Solomon　in　front　of　his　temple　were　obviously　from　their　namesJachin　and　Boaz＇1＇meant　to　be　emblems　of　this　kind；　and　the　fact　that　they　were　crowned　with　pomegranatesthe　universally　accepted　symbol　of　the　femaleconfirms　and　clinches　this　interpretation。　The　obelisks　before　the　Egyptians'　temples　were　signs　of　the　same　character。　The　well…known　T…shaped　cross　was　in　use　in　pagan　lands　long　before　Christianity；　as　a　representation　of　the　male　member；　and　also　at　the　same　time　of　the　'tree'　on　which　the　god　（Attis　or　Adonis　or　Krishna　or　whoever　it　might　be）　was　crucified；　and　the　same　symbol　combined　with　the　oval　（or　yoni）　formed　THE　Crux　Ansata　｛Ankh｝　of　the　old　Egyptian　rituala　figure　which　is　to…day　sold　in　Cairo　as　a　potent　charm；　and　confessedly　indicates　the　conjunction　of　the　two　sexes　in　one　design。＇2＇　MacLennan　in　The　Fortnightly　Review　（Oct。　1869）　quotes　with　approval　the　words　of　Sanchoniathon；　as　saying　that　〃men　first　worship　plants；　next　the　heavenly　bodies；　supposed　to　be　animals；　then　'pillars'　（emblems　of　the　Procreator）；　and　last；　the　anthropomorphic　gods。〃

＇1＇　〃He　shall　establish〃　and　〃In　it　is　strength〃　are　in　the　Bible　the　marginal　interpretations　of　these　two　words。

＇2＇　The　connection　between　the　production　of　fire　by　means　of　the　fire…drill　and　the　generation　of　life　by　sex…intercourse　is　a　very　obvious　one；　and　lends　itself　to　magical　ideas。　J。　E。　Hewitt　in　his　Ruling　Races　of　Prehistoric　Times　（1894）　says　（vol。　i；　p。　8）　that　〃Magha；　the　mother…goddess　worshipped　in　Asia　Minor；　was　originally　the　socket…block　from　which　fire　was　generated　by　the　fire…drill。〃　Hence　we　have；　he　says；　the　Magi　of　Persia；　and　the　Maghadas　of　Indian　History；　also　the　word　'Magic。〃


It　is　not　necessary　to　enlarge　on　this　subject。　The　facts　of　the　connection　of　sexual　rites　with　religious　services　nearly　everywhere　in　the　early　world　are；　as　I　say；　sufficiently　patent　to　every　inquirer。　But　it　IS　necessary　to　try　to　understand　the　rationale　of　this　connection。　To　dispatch　all　such　cases　under　the　mere　term　〃religious　prostitution〃　is　no　explanation。　The　term　suggests；　of　course；　that　the　plea　of　religion　was　used　simply　as　an　excuse　and　a　cover　for　sexual　familiarities；　but　though　this　kind　of　explanation　commends　itself；　no　doubt；　to　the　modern　manwhose　religion　is　as　commercial　as　his　sex…relationships　areand　though　in　CASES　no　doubt　it　was　a　true　explanationyet　it　is　obvious　that　among　people　who　took　religion　seriously；　as　a　matter　of　life　and　death　and　who　did　not　need　hypocritical　excuses　or　covers　for　sex…relationships；　it　cannot　be　accepted　as　in　general　the　RIGHT　explanation。　No；　the　real　explanation　isand　I　will　return　to　this　presentlythat　sexual　relationships　are　so　deep　and　intimate　a　part　of　human　nature　that　from　the　first　it　has　been　simply　impossible　to　keep　them　OUT　of　religionit　being　of　course　the　object　of　religion　to　bring　the　whole