pagan and christian creeds-第31章

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the　advantage　of　the　individual　took　only　a　very　secondary　part。　But　in　Christendomafter　the　communal　enthusiasms　of　apostolic　days　and　of　the　medieval　and　monastic　brotherhoods　and　sisterhoods　had　died　downreligion　occupied　itself　more　and　more　with　each　man　or　woman's　INDIVIDUAL　salvation；　regardless　of　what　might　happen　to　the　community；　till；　with　the　rise　of　Protestantism　and　Puritanism；　this　tendency　reached　such　an　extreme　that；　as　some　one　has　said；　each　man　was　absorbed　in　polishing　up　his　own　little　soul　in　a　corner　to　himself；　in　entire　disregard　to　the　damnation　which　might　come　to　his　neighbor。　Religion；　and　Morality　too；　under　the　commercial　regime　became；　as　was　natural；　perfectly　selfish。　It　was　always：　〃Am　_I_　saved？　Am　_I_　doing　the　right　thing？　Am　_I_　winning　the　favor　of　God　and　man？　Will　my　claims　to　salvation　be　allowed？　Did　_I_　make　a　good　bargain　in　allowing　Jesus　to　be　crucified　for　me？〃　The　poison　of　a　diseased　self…consciousness　entered　into　the　whole　human　system。

As　I　say；　one　must　not　blame　the　Christians　too　much　for　all　thispartly　because；　AFTER　the　communal　periods　which　I　have　just　mentioned；　Christianity　was　evidently　deeply　influenced　by　the　rise　of　COMMERCIALISM；　to　which　during　the　last　two　centuries　it　has　so　carefully　and　piously　adapted　itself；　and　partly　becauseif　our　view　is　anywhere　near　rightthis　microbial　injection　of　self…consciousness　was　just　the　necessary　work　which　（in　conjunction　with　commercialism）　it　HAD　to　perform。　But　though　one　does　not　blame　Christianity　one　cannot　blind　oneself　to　its　defects　the　defects　necessarily　arising　from　the　part　it　had　to　play。　When　one　compares　a　healthy　Pagan　ritualsay　of　Apollo　or　Dionysusincluding　its　rude　and　crude　sacrifices　if　you　like；　but　also　including　its　whole…hearted　spontaneity　and　dedication　to　the　common　life　and　welfarewith　the　morbid　self…introspection　of　the　Christian　and　the　eternally　recurring　question　〃What　shall　I　do　to　be　saved？〃the　comparison　is　not　favorable　to　the　latter。　There　is　（at　any　rate　in　modern　days）　a　mawkish　milk…and…wateriness　about　the　Christian　attitude；　and　also　a　painful　self…　consciousness；　which　is　not　pleasant；　and　though　Nietzsche's　blonde　beast　is　a　sufficiently　disagreeable　animal；　one　almost　thinks　that　it　were　better　to　be　THAT　than　to　go　about　with　one's　head　meekly　hanging　on　one　side；　and　talking　always　of　altruism　and　self…sacrifice；　while　in　reality　one's　heart　was　entirely　occupied　with　the　question　of　one's　own　salvation。　There　is　besides　a　lamentable　want　of　grit　and　substance　about　the　Christian　doctrines　and　ceremonials。　Somehow　under　the　sex…taboo　they　became　spiritualized　and　etherealized　out　of　all　human　use。　Study　the　initiation…rites　of　any　savage　tribewith　their　strict　discipline　of　the　young　braves　in　fortitude；　and　the　overcoming　of　pain　and　fear；　with　their　very　detailed　lessons　in　the　arts　of　war　and　life　and　the　duties　of　the　grown　man　to　his　tribe；　and　with　their　quite　practical　instruction　in　matters　of　Sex；　and　then　read　our　little　Baptismal　and　Confirmation　services；　which　ought　to　correspond　thereto。　How　thin　and　attenuated　and　weak　the　latter　appear！　Or　compare　the　Holy　Communion；　as　celebrated　in　the　sentimental　atmosphere　of　a　Protestant　Church；　with　an　ancient　Eucharistic　feast　of　real　jollity　and　community　of　life　under　the　acknowledged　presence　of　the　god；　or　the　Roman　Catholic　service　of　the　Mass；　including　its　genuflexions　and　mock　oblations　and　droning　ritual　sing…song；　with　the　actual　sacrifice　in　early　days　of　an　animal…god…victim　on　a　blazing　altar；　and　I　think　my　meaning　will　be　clear。　We　do　not　want；　of　course；　to　return　to　all　the　crudities　and　barbarities　of　the　past；　but　also　we　do　not　want　to　become　attenuated　and　spiritualized　out　of　all　mundane　sense　and　recognition；　and　to　live　in　an　otherworld　Paradise　void　of　application　to　earthly　affairs。

The　sex…taboo　in　Christianity　was　apparently；　as　I　have　said；　an　effort　of　the　human　soul　to　wrest　itself　free　from　the　entanglement　of　physical　lustwhich　lust；　though　normal　and　appropriate　and　in　a　way　gracious　among　the　animals；　had　through　the　domination　of　self…consciousness　become　diseased　and　morbid　or　monstrous　in　Man。　The　work　thus　done　has　probably　been　of　the　greatest　value　to　the　human　race；　but；　just　as　in　other　cases　it　has　sometimes　happened　that　the　effort　to　do　a　certain　work　has　resulted　in　the　end　in　an　unbalanced　exaggeration　so　here。　We　are　beginning　to　see　now　the　harmful　side　of　the　repression　of　sex；　and　are　tentatively　finding　our　way　back　again　to　a　more　pagan　attitude。　And　as　this　return…movement　is　taking　place　at　a　time　when；　from　many　obvious　signs；　the　self…conscious；　grasping；　commercial　conception　of　life　is　preparing　to　go　on　the　wane；　and　the　sense　of　solidarity　to　re…establish　itself；　there　is　really　good　hope　that　our　return…journey　may　prove　in　some　degree　successful。

Man　progresses　generally；　not　both　legs　at　once　like　a　sparrow；　but　by　putting　one　leg　forward　first；　and　then　the　other。　There　was　this　advantage　in　the　Christian　taboo　of　sex　that　by　discouraging　the　physical　and　sensual　side　of　love　it　did　for　the　time　being　allow　the　spiritual　side　to　come　forward。　But；　as　I　have　just　now　indicated；　there　is　a　limit　to　that　process。　We　cannot　always　keep　one　leg　first　in　walking；　and　we　do　not　want；　in　life；　always　to　put　the　spiritual　first；　nor　always　the　material　and　sensual。　The　two　sides　in　the　long　run　have　to　keep　pace　with　each　other。

And　it　may　be　that　a　great　number　of　the　very　curious　and　seemingly　senseless　taboos　that　we　find　among　the　primitive　peoples　can　be　partly　explained　in　this　way：　that　is；　that　by　ruling　out　certain　directions　of　activity　they　enabled　people　to　concentrate　more　effectually；　for　the　time　being；　on　other　directions。　To　primitive　folk　the　great　world；　whose　ways　are　puzzling　enough　in　all　conscience　to　us；　must　have　been　simply　bewildering　in　its　dangers　and　complications。　It　was　an　amazement　of　Fear　and　Ignorance。　Thunderbolts　might　come　at　any　moment　out　of　the　blue　sky；　or　a　demon　out　of　an　old　tree　trunk；　or　a　devastating　plague　out　of　a　bad　smellor　apparently　even　out　of　nothing　at　all！　Under　those　circumstances　it　was　perhaps　wise；　wherever　there　was　the　smallest　SUSPICION　of　danger　or　ill…luck；　to　create　a　hard　and　fast　TABOOjust　as　we　tell　our　children　ON　NO　ACCOUNT　to　walk　under　a　ladder　（thereby　creating　a　superstition　in　their　minds）；　partly　because　it　would　take　too　long　to　explain　all　about　the　real　dangers　of　paint…pots　and　other　things；　and　partly　because　for　the　children　themselves　it　seems　simpler　to　have　a　fixed　and　inviolable　law　than　to　argue　over　every　case　that　occurs。　The　priests　and　elders　among　early　folk　no　doubt　took　the　line　of　FORBIDDAL　of　activities；　as　safer　and　simpler；　even　if　carried　sometimes　too　far；　than　the　opposite；　of　easy　permission　and　encouragement。　Taboos　multipliedmany　of　them　quite　senselessbut　perhaps　in　this　perilous　maze　of　the　world；　of　which　I　have　spoken；　it　really　WAS　simpler　to　cut　out　a　large　part　of　the　labyrinth；　as　forbidden　ground；　thus　rendering　it　easier　for　the　people　to　find　their　way　in　those　portions　of　the　labyrinth　which　remained。　If　you　read　in　Deuteronomy　（ch。　xiv）　the　list　of　birds　and　beasts　and　fishes　permitted　for　food　among　the　Israelites；　or　tabooed；　you　will　find　the　list　on　the　whole　reasonable；　but　you　will　be　struck　by　some　curious　exceptions　（according　to　our　ideas）；　which　are　probably　to　be　explained　by　the　necessity　of　making　the　rules　simple　enough　to　be　comprehended　by　everybodyeven　if　they　included　the　forbiddal　of　some　quite　eatable　animals。

At　some　early　period；　in　Babylonia　or　Assyria；　a　very　stringent　taboo　on　the　Sabbath　arose；　which；　taken　up　in　turn　by　the　Jewish　and　Christian　Churches；　has　ruled　the　Western　World　for　three　thousand　years　or　more；　and　still　survives　in　a　quite　senseless　form　among　some　of　our　rural　populations；　who　will　see　their　corn　rot　in　the　fields　rather　than　save　it　on　a　Sunday。＇1＇　It　is　quite　likely　that　this　taboo　in　its　first　beginning　was　due　not　to　any　need　of　a　weekly　rest…day　（a　need　which　could　never　be　felt　among　nomad　savages；　but　would　only　occur　in　some　kind　of　industrial　and　stationary　civilization）；　but　to　some　superstitious　fear；　connected　with　such　things　as　the　changes　of　the　Moon；　and　the　probable　ILL…LUCK　of　any　enterprise　undertaken　on　the　seventh　day；　or　any　day　of　Moon…change。　It　is　probable；　however；　that　as　time　went　on　and　Society　became　more　complex；　the　advantages　of　a　weekly　REST…DAY　（or　market…　day）　became　more　obvious　and　that　the　priests　and　legislators　deliberately　turned　the　taboo　to　a　social　use。＇2＇　The　learned　modern　Ethnologists；　however；　will　generally　have　none　of　this　latter　idea。　As　a　rule　they　delight　in　representing　early　peoples　as　totally　destitute　of　common　sense　（which　is　supposed　to　be　a　monopoly　of　us　moderns！）；　and　if　the　Sabbath…arrangement　has　had　any　value　or　use　they　insist　on　ascribing　this　to　pure　accident；　and　not　to　the　application　of　any　sane　argument　or　reason。

＇1＇　For　other　absurd　Sunday　taboos　see　Westermarck　on　The　Moral　Ideas；　vol。　ii；　p。　289。

＇2＇　For　a　tracing　of　this　taboo　from　useless　superstition　to　practical　utility　see　Hastings's　Encycl。　Religion　and　Ethics；　art。　〃The　Sabbath。〃


It　is　true　indeed　that　a　tabooin　order　to　be　a　proper　taboomust　not　rest　in　the　general　mind　on　argument　or　reason。　It　may　have　had　good　sense　in　the　past　or　even　an　underlying　good　sense　in　the　present；　but　its　foundation　must　rest　on　something　beyond。　It　must　be　an　absolute　fiatsomething　of　the　nature　of　a　Mystery＇1＇　or　of　Religion　or　Magic…and　not　to　be　disputed。　This　gives　it　its　blood…　curdling　quality。　The　rustic　does　not　know　what　would　happen　to　him　if　he　garnered　his　corn　on　Sunday；　nor　does　the　diner…out　in　polite　society　know　what　would　happen　if　he　spooned　up　his　food　with　his　knifebut　they　both　are　stricken　with　a　sort　of　paralysis　at　the　very　suggestion　of　infringing　these　taboos。

＇1＇　See　Westermarck；　Ibid。；　ii。　586。


Marriage…customs　have　always　been　a　fertile　field　for　the　generation　of　taboos。　It　seems　doubtful　whether　anything　like　absolute　promiscuity　ever　prevailed　among　the　human　race；　but　there　is　much　to　show　that　wide　choice　and　intercourse　were　common　among　primitive　folk　and　that　the　tendency　of　later　marriage　custom　has　been　on　the　whole　to　LIMIT　this　range　of　choice。　At　some　early　period　the　forbiddal　of　marriage　between　those　who　bore　the　same　totem…name　took　place。　Thus　in　Australia　〃no　man　of　the　Emu　stock　might　marry　an　Emu　woman；　no　Blacksnake　might　marry　a　Blacksnake　woman；　and　so　forth。〃＇1＇　Among　the　Kamilaroi　and　the　Arunta　of　S。　Australia　the　tribe　was　divided　into　classes　or　clans；　sometimes　four；　sometimes　eight；　and　a　man　of　one　particular　clan　was　only　marriageable　with　a　woman　of　another　particular　clansay　（1）　with　（3）　or　（2）　with　（4）；　and　so　on。＇2＇　Customs　with　a　similar　tendency；　but　different　in　detail；　seem　to　have　prevailed　among　native　tribes　in　Central　Africa　and　N。　America。　And　the　regulations　in　all　this　matter　have　been　so　（apparently）　entirely　arbitrary　in　the　various　cases　that　it　would　almost　appear　as　if　the　bar　of　kinship　through　the　Totem　had　been　the　EXCUSE；　originating　perhaps　in　some　superstition；　but　that　th