lecture01-第2章

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life。　　We　must　make　search　rather　for　the　original　experiences



which　were　the　pattern…setters　to　all　this　mass　of　suggested



feeling　and　imitated　conduct。　　These　experiences　we　can　only　find



in　individuals　for　whom　religion　exists　not　as　a　dull　habit；　but



as　an　acute　fever　rather。　　But　such　individuals　are　〃geniuses〃　in



the　religious　line；　and　like　many　other　geniuses　who　have　brought



forth　fruits　effective　enough　for　commemoration　in　the　pages　of



biography；　such　religious　geniuses　have　often　shown　symptoms　of



nervous　instability。　　Even　more　perhaps　than　other　kinds　of



genius；　religious　leaders　have　been　subject　to　abnormal　psychical



visitations。　　Invariably　they　have　been　creatures　of　exalted



emotional　sensibility。　　Often　they　have　led　a　discordant　inner



life；　and　had　melancholy　during　a　part　of　their　career。　　They



have　known　no　measure；　been　liable　to　obsessions　and　fixed　ideas；



and　frequently　they　have　fallen　into　trances；　heard　voices；　seen



visions；　and　presented　all　sorts　of　peculiarities　which　are



ordinarily　classed　as　pathological。　　Often；　moreover；　these



pathological　features　in　their　career　have　helped　to　give　them



their　religious　authority　and　influence。







If　you　ask　for　a　concrete　example；　there　can　be　no　better　one



than　is　furnished　by　the　person　of　George　Fox。　　The　Quaker



religion　which　he　founded　is　something　which　it　is　impossible　to



overpraise。　　In　a　day　of　shams；　it　was　a　religion　of　veracity



rooted　in　spiritual　inwardness；　and　a　return　to　something　more



like　the　original　gospel　truth　than　men　had　ever　known　in



England。　　So　far　as　our　Christian　sects　today　are　evolving　into



liberality；　they　are　simply　reverting　in　essence　to　the　position



which　Fox　and　the　early　Quakers　so　long　ago　assumed。　　No　one　can



pretend　for　a　moment　that　in　point　of　spiritual　sagacity　and



capacity；　Fox's　mind　was　unsound。　　Everyone　who　confronted　him



personally；　from　Oliver　Cromwell　down　to　county　magistrates　and



jailers；　seems　to　have　acknowledged　his　superior　power。　　Yet　from



the　point　of　view　of　his　nervous　constitution；　Fox　was　a



psychopath　or　detraque　of　the　deepest　dye。　　His　Journal　abounds



in　entries　of　this　sort：







〃As　I　was　walking　with　several　friends；　I　lifted　up　my　head　and



saw　three　steeple…house　spires；　and　they　struck　at　my　life。　　I



asked　them　what　place　that　was？　　They　said；　Lichfield。　



Immediately　the　word　of　the　Lord　came　to　me；　that　I　must　go



thither。　　Being　come　to　the　house　we　were　going　to；　I　wished　the



friends　to　walk　into　the　house；　saying　nothing　to　them　of　whither



I　was　to　go。　　As　soon　as　they　were　gone　I　stept　away；　and　went　by



my　eye　over　hedge　and　ditch　till　I　came　within　a　mile　of



Lichfield　where；　in　a　great　field；　shepherds　were　keeping　their



sheep。　　Then　was　I　commanded　by　the　Lord　to　pull　off　my　shoes。　　I



stood　still；　for　it　was　winter：　but　the　word　of　the　Lord　was　like



a　fire　in　me。　　So　I　put　off　my　shoes　and　left　them　with　the



shepherds；　and　the　poor　shepherds　trembled；　and　were　astonished。



Then　I　walked　on　about　a　mile；　and　as　soon　as　I　was　got　within



the　city；　the　word　of　the　Lord　came　to　me　again；　saying：　Cry；　'Wo



to　the　bloody　city　of　Lichfield！'　So　I　went　up　and　down　the



streets；　crying　with　a　loud　voice；　Wo　to　the　bloody　city　of



Lichfield！　　It　being　market　day；　I　went　into　the　market…place；



and　to　and　fro　in　the　several　parts　of　it；　and　made　stands；



crying　as　before；　Wo　to　the　bloody　city　of　Lichfield！　　And　no　one



laid　hands　on　me。　　As　I　went　thus　crying　through　the　streets；



there　seemed　to　me　to　be　a　channel　of　blood　running　down　the



streets；　and　the　market…place　appeared　like　a　pool　of　blood。　When



I　had　declared　what　was　upon　me；　and　felt　myself　clear；　I　went



out　of　the　town　in　peace；　and　returning　to　the　shepherds　gave



them　some　money；　and　took　my　shoes　of　them　again。　　But　the　fire



of　the　Lord　was　so　on　my　feet；　and　all　over　me；　that　I　did　not



matter　to　put　on　my　shoes　again；　and　was　at　a　stand　whether　I



should　or　no；　till　I　felt　freedom　from　the　Lord　so　to　do：　then；



after　I　had　washed　my　feet；　I　put　on　my　shoes　again。　After　this　a



deep　consideration　came　upon　me；　for　what　reason　I　should　be　sent



to　cry　against　that　city；　and　call　it　The　bloody　city！　　For



though　the　parliament　had　the　minister　one　while；　and　the　king



another；　and　much　blood　had　been　shed　in　the　town　during　the　wars



between　them；　yet　there　was　no　more　than　had　befallen　many　other



places。　　But　afterwards　I　came　to　understand；　that　in　the　Emperor



Diocletian's　time　a　thousand　Christians　were　martyr'd　in



Lichfield。　　So　I　was　to　go；　without　my　shoes；　through　the



channel　of　their　blood；　and　into　the　pool　of　their　blood　in　the



market…place；　that　I　might　raise　up　the　memorial　of　the　blood　of



those　martyrs；　which　had　been　shed　above　a　thousand　years　before；



and　lay　cold　in　their　streets。　　So　the　sense　of　this　blood　was



upon　me；　and　I　obeyed　the　word　of　the　Lord。〃







Bent　as　we　are　on　studying　religion's　existential　conditions；　we



cannot　possibly　ignore　these　pathological　aspects　of　the　subject。







We　must　describe　and　name　them　just　as　if　they　occurred　in



non…religious　men。　　It　is　true　that　we　instinctively　recoil　from



seeing　an　object　to　which　our　emotions　and　affections　are



committed　handled　by　the　intellect　as　any　other　object　is



handled。　　The　first　thing　the　intellect　does　with　an　object　is　to



class　it　along　with　something　else。　　But　any　object　that　is



infinitely　important　to　us　and　awakens　our　devotion　feels　to　us



also　as　if　it　must　be　sui　generis　and　unique。　　Probably　a　crab



would　be　filled　with　a　sense　of　personal　outrage　if　it　could　hear



us　class　it　without　ado　or　apology　as　a　crustacean；　and　thus



dispose　of　it。　　〃I　am　no　such　thing；　it　would　say；　I　am　MYSELF；



MYSELF　alone。







The　next　thing　the　intellect　does　is　to　lay　bare　the　causes　in



which　the　thing　originates。　　Spinoza　says：　〃I　will　analyze　the



actions　and　appetites　of　men　as　if　it　were　a　question　of　lines；



of　planes；　and　of　solids。〃　　And　elsewhere　he　remarks　that　he



will　consider　our　passions　and　their　properties　with　the　same　eye



with　which　he　looks　on　all　other　natural　things；　since　the



consequences　of　our　affections　flow　from　their　nature　with　the



same　necessity　as　it　results　from　the　nature　of　a　triangle　that



its　three　angles　should　be　equal　to　two　right　angles。　　Similarly



M。　Taine；　in　the　introduction　to　his　history　of　English



literature；　has　written：　〃Whether　facts　be　moral　or　physical；　it



makes　no　matter。　　They　always　have　their　causes。　　There　are



causes　for　ambition；　courage；　veracity；　just　as　there　are　for



digestion；　muscular　movement；　animal　heat。　　Vice　and　virtue　are



products　like　vitriol　and　sugar。〃　　When　we　read　such



proclamations　of　the　intellect　bent　on　showing　the　existential



conditions　of　absolutely　everything；　we　feelquite　apart　from



our　legitimate　impatience　at　the　somewhat　ridiculous　swagger　of



the　program；　in　view　of　what　the　authors　are　actually　able　to



performmenaced　and　negated　in　the　springs　of　our　innermost



life。　　Such　cold…blooded　assimilations　threaten；　we　think；　to



undo　our　soul's　vital　secrets；　as　if　the　same　breath　which　should



succeed　in　explaining　their　origin　would　simultaneously　explain



away　their　significance；　and　make　them　appear　of　no　more



preciousness；　either；　than　the　useful　groceries　of　which　M。　Taine



speaks。







Perhaps　the　commonest　expression　of　this　assumption　that



spiritual　value　is　undone　if　lowly　origin　be　asserted　is　seen　in



those　comments　which　unsentimental　people　so　often　pass　on　their



more　sentimental　acquaintances。　　Alfred　believes　in　immortality



so　strongly　because　his　temperament　is　so　emotional。　　Fanny's



extraordinary　conscientiousness　is　merely　a　matter　of



overinstigated　nerves。　　William's　melancholy　about　the　universe



is　due　to　bad　digestionprobably　his　liver　is　torpid。　　Eliza's



delight　in　her　church　is　a　symptom　of　her　hysterical



constitution。　　Peter　would　be　less　troubled　about　his　soul　if　he



would　take　more　exercise　in　the　open　air；　etc。　　A　more　fully



developed　example　of　the　same　kind　of　reasoning　is　the　fashion；



quite　common　nowadays　among　certain　writers；　of　criticizing　the



religious　emotions　by　showing　a　connection　between　them　and　the



sexual　life。　　Conversion　is　a　crisis　of　puberty　and　adolescence。　



The　macerations　of　saints；　and　the　devotion　of　missionaries；　are



only　instances　of　the　parental　instinct　of　self…sacrifice　gone



astray。　　For　the　hysterical　nun；　starving　for　natural　life；



Christ　is　but　an　imaginary　substitute　for　a　more　earthly　object



of　affection。　And　the　like。＇1＇







＇1＇　　As　with　many　ideas　that　float　in　the　air　of　one's　time；　this



notion　shrinks　from　dogmatic　general　statement　and　expresses



itself　only　partially　and　by　innuendo。　　It　seems　to　me　that　few



conceptions　are　less　instructive　than　this　re…interpretation　of



religion　as　perverted　sexuality。　　It　reminds　one；　so　crudely　is



it　often　employed；　of　the　famous　Catholic　taunt；　that　the



Reformation　may　be　best　understood　by　remembering　that　its　fons



et　origo　was　Luther's　wish　to　marry　a　nun：the　effects　are



infinitely　wider　than　the　alleged　causes；　and　for　the　most　part



opposite　in　nature。　　It　is　true　that　in　the　vast　collection　of



religious　phenomena；　some　are　undisguisedly　amatorye。g。；



sex…deities　and　obscene　rites　in　polytheism；　and　ecstatic



feelings　of　union　with　the　Savior　in　a　few　Christian　mystics。　



But　then　why　not　equally　call　religion　an　aberration　of　the



digestive　function；　and　prove　one's　point　by　the　worship　of



Bacchus　and　Ceres；　or　by　the　ecstatic　feelings　of　some　other



saints　about　the　Eucharist？　　Religious　language　clothes　itself　in



such　poor　symbols　as　our　life　affords；　and　the　whole　organism



gives　overtones　of　comment　whenever　the　mind　is　strongly　stirred



to　expression。　　Language　drawn　from　eating　and　drinking　is



probably　as　common　in　religious　literature　as　is　language　drawn



from　the　sexual　life。　　We　〃hunger　and　thirst〃　after



righteousness；　we　〃find　the　Lord　a　sweet　savor；〃　we　〃taste　and



see　that　he　is　good。〃　　〃Spiritual　milk　for　American　babes；　drawn



from　the　breasts　of　both　testaments；〃　is　a　sub…title　of　the　once



famous　New　England　Primer；　and　Christian　devotional　literature



indeed　quite　floats　in　milk；　thought　of　from　the　point　of　view；



not　of　the　mother；　but　of　the　gree