,,the ,,churches ,,and ,,modern ,,thought ,,an ,,inquiry ,,into ,,the ,,grounds ,,of ,,unbelief ,,and ,,an ,,appeal ,,for ,,candour ,,by ,,philip ,,vivian ,men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely4 --,macaulay4 ,london3 ,,watts ,,co41 #ag1 ,,johnson',s ,,court1 ,,fleet ,,street4 ,e4,c4 #aiaa ,,to ,,my ,,wife ,,and ,,children ,,contents ,preface to ,first ,edition ,preface to ,second ,edition ,preface to ,third ,edition ,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,gravity ,,of ,,the ,,present ,,situation #a4 ,the ,truth of the ,matter #b4 ,the ,attitude of the ,laity #c4 ,christianity and ,science not ,reconciled #d4 ,the ,genesis and ,character of the ,new ,outburst #e4 ,apologetics ,found ,wanting #f4 ,more ,things ,which ,confuse the ,issue ,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,extraordinary ,,state ,,of ,,apologetics ,,with ,,regard ,,to ,,miracles #a4 ,preliminary ,remarks ,the ,view of ,science ,why ,have ,miracles ,ceased8 ,belief in ,miracles ,essential #b4 ,miracle ,apologetics #c4 ,the ,fundamental ,miracles ,the ,resurrection ,the ,ascension ,the ,incarnation ,concluding ,remarks ,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,destructive ,,character ,,of ,,modern ,,bible ,,criticism #a4 ,clashing ,views on ,bible ,criticism #b4 ,a ,summary of the ,results of ,bible ,criticism #c4 ,by ,whom the ,higher ,criticism is ,accepted #d4 ,admissions by ,orthodox ,apologists #e4 ,some ,remaining ,difficulties ,we ,must ,accept the ,whole or ,reject the ,whole ,silence of ,historians ,thoughts on ,tradition ,as ,god's ,method for ,the ,transmission of ,truth ,to ,posterity ,the ,alleged ,sinlessness of ,jesus ,christ ,the ,ignorance of ,jesus ,christ ,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,grave ,,suspicions ,,aroused ,,by ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,ancient ,,beliefs #a4 ,the ,new ,theological ,theory of a ,progressive ,revelation #b4 ,parallels in ,ancient ,religions1 and ,some ,remarks ,upon ,them ,krishna and ,buddha ,parallels ,other ,than ,krishna and ,buddha ,are the ,krishna and ,buddha ,legends ,borrowed from ,christianity8 #c4 ,parallels in the ,beliefs of ,primitive ,man1 ,and ,some ,remarks ,upon ,them ,the ,religions of ,ancient ,america ,vegetation ,gods ,why ,men ,eat ,their ,god #d4 ,the ,solar ,myth ,jonah and the ,whale ,anticipations of ,christianity in ,solar ,myths ,the ,christian ,theory ,ignored by ,science ,the ,sun ,as a ,symbol #e4 ,concluding ,remarks on ,christian and ,anti-,christian ,theories ,argument from ,essenism ,argument from ,mithraism ,chapter ,v4 ,,irreconcilable ,,difficulties ,,connected ,,with ,,evolution #a4 ,preliminary ,remarks ,the ,doctrine of ,evolution ,darwinism ,the ,average ,person's ,ideas on the ,evolution of ,man ,the ,attitude of the ,church #b4 ,nature ,red in ,tooth and ,claw #c4 ,the ,bible ,account of ,creation ,irreconcilable with ,science in ,each and ,every ,respect #d4 ,proofs of our ,animal ,origin ,the ,extraordinary ,affinity of ,bodily ,structure ,the ,revelations of ,embryology ,the ,tale ,told by the ,useless ,rudimentary ,organs #e4 ,the ,overthrow of the ,doctrines of the ,fall and ,original ,sin ,the ,importance of the ,question ,an ,instructive ,criticism ,the ,bishop of ,worcester's ,theory ,the ,archdeacon of ,manchester's ,theory ,the ,rationalist's ,theory ,conclusions ,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,failure ,,of ,,theistic ,,arguments #a4 ,preliminary ,remarks ,theism1 and ,who ,are ,theists #b4 ,the ,existence of a ,first ,cause--,an ,uncaused ,cause #c4 ,the ,first ,cause an ,intelligence ,design and ,directivity ,directivity ,design ,differences of ,opinion ,among ,theistic ,apologists #d4 ,the ,first ,cause a ,beneficent ,intelligence ,a ,personal ,god ,divine ,immanence in ,nature ,a ,fact in ,history ,the ,past and ,present ,position of the ,ethical ,argument ,evil for which ,man is not ,held ,responsible ,evil for which ,man is ,held ,responsible ,conscience ,free-will #e4 ,religious ,experience ,mysticism and ,conversion ,the ,psychology of ,prayer ,the ,religious 787 ,experiences of ,intoxication ,music and the ,emotions ,sexual ,love ,revivalism #f4 ,the ,inevitable ,conclusion ,note on ,religion and ,philosophy ,chapter ,,vii4 ,,fallacies ,,in ,,popular ,,arguments #a4 ,preliminary ,remarks--,the ,power of ,christianity for ,good #b4 ,christianity ,woman's ,best ,friend #c4 ,the ,overthrow of ,christianity ,would ,endanger ,society and the ,nation #d4 ,the ,spread of ,christianity a ,proof of its ,truth #e4 ,the ,noble ,army of ,martyrs #f4 ,the ,universality of the ,religious ,instinct ,the ,hypothesis ,stated ,the ,rationalist's ,contention ,the ,apologist's ,views concerning ,superstition and the ,religious ,instinct ,beliefs of ,savage ,man ,magic and ,religion ,religion in ,modern ,china ,apostates in ,christendom ,religion in ,modern ,japan ,classical ,history ,note on ,human ,sentiment as to a ,future ,life ,chapter ,,viii4 ,,conclusion #a4 ,a ,summary #b4 ,why ,lead a ,moral ,life8 ,preliminary ,remarks ,the ,necessity for ,morality ,uselessness of ,vague ,threats ,the ,need for an ,early ,education in ,ethical ,principles ,the ,object-,lesson ,furnished by the ,japanese ,criminality ,our ,aids ,the ,importance of a ,knowledge of the ,origin of ,morality ,opinions of ,ethicists ,note on ,systematic ,moral ,instruction #c4 ,should the ,truth be ,told8 7a7 ,magna est veritas et prvalebit 7b7 ,obscurantism has had its ,day 7c7 ,the ,effect on ,morality 7d7 ,the ,real ,danger 7e7 ,the ,consolations of ,belief1 and the ,distress we may ,cause by our ,candour 7f7 ,can we ,alter ,people's ,beliefs8 7g7 ,can ,beliefs be ,useful though ,false8 7h7 ,is a ,new ,religion ,required8 7i7 ,why be so ,impatient of ,error8 #d4 ,the ,outlook #e4 ,concluding ,remarks ,appendix ,index ,an edition of this book is issued in cloth at #as4 #f;d4 net1 and another on superior paper1 gilt lettered1 at #cs4 #f;d4 net4 ,,preface ,,to ,,first ,,edition ,what does a man seek when he examines his religious creed8 ,to this question ,canon ,liddon replies as follows3--,he seeks intellectual satisfaction and moral support4 ,his intellect asks for reliable information upon certain subjects of the most momentous importance4 ,how does he come here8 ,whither is he going8 ,what is the purpose and drift of the various forms of existence around him8 ,above all1 what is the nature1 what are the attributes and dispositions1 of that ,being to whom the highest yearnings of his inmost self constantly point as the true object of his existence8 ,in asking that the answers to these questions shall be definite1 that what is certain shall be affirmed as certain1 what is doubtful as doubtful1 what is false as false1 he is only asking that his religious information shall be presented in as clear and practical a shape as his information on other subjects4 ,in no department of human knowledge is haziness deemed a merit2 by nothing is an educated mind more distinguished than by a resolute effort to mark the exact frontiers of its knowledge and its ignorance2 to hesitate only when hesitation is necessary2 to despair of knowledge only when knowledge is ascertainably out of reach4 ,surely on the highest and most momentous of all subjects this same precision may be asked for with reverence and in reason2 surely the human mind is not bound to forget its noblest instincts when it approaches the throne and presence of its ,maker8 7,some ,elements of ,religion1 p4 #bd74 ,again1 in his ,new ,year's message for #aije1 the ,archbishop of ,canterbury condemns indifference to truth as a vice1 and drifting along the current of popular opinion as a sin4 ,he invites and persuades us to use the sadly-neglected powers and privileges of rational thought and common sense4 ,the duty of thinking1 therefore1 is now recognised by the ,church--it was not formerly4 ,but what will be the result of this thinking8 ,in his book1 ,the ,hearts of ,men1 ,mr4 ,fielding tells us that no man has ever sat down calmly unbiassed to reason out his religion1 and not ended by rejecting it4 ,mr4 ,fielding adds3 ,the great men1 who have been always religious1 do not invalidate what ,i say4444 ,there is no assumption more fallacious than that1 because a man is a keen reasoner on one subject1 he is also on another4 ,men who are strictly religious1 who believe in their faith1 whatever their faith may be1 consider it above proof1 beyond argument4444 ,it is emotion1 not reason2 feeling1 not induction4 7,the ,hearts of ,men1 pp4 #adb-c47 ,does not this deep and sympathetic writer furnish us with a true picture of men's hearts8 ,what if1 after exercising their privileges of rational thought and common sense1 the majority of men find that ,christianity no longer gives them either intellectual satisfaction or moral support8 ,what if they finally arrive at the conclusion that ,christianity and all supernatural beliefs are but the survival of primitive superstitions which can no longer bear the light of modern knowledge8 ,these are the grave questions which now confront us4 ,a man may enter1 and generally does enter1 upon his inquiry biassed in favour of religious belief of some kind4 ,he approaches the subject in a reverent frame of mind4 ,in his private prayers to his ,god he does not neglect to ask for heavenly guidance4 ,he evinces precisely the spirit which a divine would consider becoming4 ,but as his inquiry proceeds there comes a time when his religious bias disappears--when he can no longer feel what he could honestly call reverence4 ,he discovers that what he thought was known1 and had actually been revealed1 is unknown4 ,how can he believe in and worship the ,unknown8 ,more than ever he feels his own insignificance and ignorance2 but the feeling thus excited1 while akin to awe1 is divested of reverence4 ,pursuing his search far enough1 he succeeds in extricating himself from a quagmire of demonstrably false superstitions4 ,finally he reaches solid ground1 and builds his life upon it4 ,unfortunately1 many never pursue their inquiry up to this stage2 they become fearful1 or they give it up as a hopeless entanglement1 or they find they have not the requisite leisure4 ,perhaps1 therefore1 the information gained by one of the more fortunate may be of some little service to others4 ,it will be my endeavour to set forth in this book not only the destructive1 but also the constructive1 results of a search for truth4 ,p4 ,v4 ,january1 #aijf4 ,,preface ,,to ,,second ,,edition ,this book1 writes one of its clerical critics1 #a is evidently the honest1 outspoken opinion of one who1 having been brought up in an unquestioning acceptance of the orthodox doctrines of ,christianity1 has gradually drifted into the extreme of ,rationalism4 ,up to a certain point my friend is right4 ,i was indeed brought up in an unquestioning acceptance of the orthodox teachings of ,christianity2 but1 while my conversion to ,rationalism has certainly been gradual1 ,i may fairly claim that the process has been something very different from merely drifting4 ,long and careful study1 the reluctant abandonment of a cherished belief1 the adoption of an attitude which is unpopular and which distresses many who are near and dear to me1 the practical application of the principles of ,rationalism to daily life1 involving as it does the serious step of bringing up my children in strict accordance with my firm convictions--these are surely not the ways of one who has permitted himself to drift4 ,a man might--he often does--drift into indifferentism1 or1 now that theology is so liberal and heterodoxy so rife1 into latitudinarianism1 but hardly into the extreme of ,rationalism4 ,i take this opportunity of cordially thanking all who have assisted me1 and specially ,i have to thank ,mr4 ,joseph ,mc,cabe and ,dr4 ,h4 ,d4 ,r4 ,kingston for reading the ,,ms4 and the proofs in all their stages1 and for pointing out verbal inaccuracies and suggesting improvements both in the matter and in the manner of presenting it4 ,i am also much indebted to a lady1 who does not wish her name to appear1 for lightening the task of proof correction4 ,p4 ,v4 ,january1 #aijg4 ,,preface ,,to ,,third ,,edition ,the present edition consists of #aj1jjj copies1 bringing the total issue to #ca1jjj4 ,apart from a few alterations in the chapter dealing with ancient beliefs1 the work is unchanged4 ,p4 ,v4 ,april1 #aiaa4 ,,the ,,situation ,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,gravity ,,of ,,the ,,present ,,situation #a4 ,the ,truth of the ,matter4 ,before entering upon an inquiry into religious unbelief1 we need to form a correct estimate of its prevalence4 ,if1 as many would have us think1 there is nothing unusual in the present situation--if the age of faith is returning1 #b it is hardly worth while to enter upon this inquiry at all4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the forces hostile to the ,christian faith differ essentially from those that stirred up waves of scepticism in the past--if there is overwhelming evidence that belief among educated men is fast decaying1 it is surely high time to investigate the grounds of unbelief1 and to welcome the fullest discussion concerning the best means of dealing with an entirely new and extremely grave situation4 ,it is only the shortest-sighted policy that would shelve a disagreeable question until mischief had occurred4 ,it is better to face the facts4 ,from every point of view1 concealment regarding a question of such vital importance as the truth of ,christianity is to be deplored2 while an attitude of indifference on a subject that should be of surpassing interest to us all can only be characterised as amazing--unless1 indeed1 the real explanation be that men have ceased to believe4 ,we must1 then1 determine1 in the first place1 whether we are witnessing simply a wave of scepticism that will shortly subside again1 or whether the present situation in the religious world is altogether unprecedented4 ,the truth of the matter will best be learnt from the lips of those to whom pessimistic admissions must be peculiarly distressing1 and who would therefore be the last either to raise a false alarm or to be guilty of an exaggeration4 ,the ,bishop of ,london has warned us #c that the truth of the matter really is that all over ,europe a great conflict is being fought between the old faith in a supernatural revelation and a growing disbelief in it4 ,the ,bishop of ,salisbury lately #d said3 ,there has been revealed to us the terrible and painful fact that a great many are giving up public worship1 and that a large proportion of the people of ,england pay little attention to religion at all4 ,not long ago ,lord ,hugh ,cecil expressed #e the same opinion in the following words3 ,on all sides there are signs of the decay of the ,faith4 ,people do not go to church1 or1 if they go1 it is for the sake of the music1 or for some non-religious motive4 ,the evidence is overwhelming that the doctrines of ,christianity have passed into the region of doubt4 ,from ,dr4 ,horton we learn that vast numbers of people in ,england to-day have forsaken the best and highest ideal of life known to them before they have found a better and higher4444 ,while ,professor ,haeckel and ,professor ,ray ,lankester do in their way offer an alternative1 and present to us the solution of the great enigma according to their light1 the bulk of people in our day surrender the old and tried ideal1 fling it aside1 assume that it is discredited1 live without it1 and make no serious attempt to find a better ideal4 #f ,are there not indications1 moreover1 everywhere in the literature of the day8 ,the works of some of our greatest scholars are either covertly or openly agnostic4 ,the more thoughtful of our magazines1 such as the ,nineteenth ,century1 ,fortnightly ,review1 ,hibbert ,journal1 ,independent ,review1 etc41 are continually publishing articles which teem with heterodoxy4 ,the ,do ,we ,believe8 correspondence in the ,daily ,telegraph 7not to mention the more recent controversies in the ,standard1 ,daily ,mail1 and ,daily ,news7 was without precedent1 and highly significant of the present state of religious unrest4 ,in a lecture reported in the ,tablet1 ,father ,gerard voiced the growing feeling of apprehension when he referred to the ,do ,we ,believe8 controversy and the amazing success of the ,rationalist ,press ,association as indicating a situation of the utmost gravity1 as gravely disquieting as any with which in her long career the ,church has ever been confronted4 ,also it may be noticed that organised efforts have commenced all over ,england to answer inquiries concerning the truth of ,christianity by means of apologetic literature and lectures4 ,what do these inquiries portend8 ,the reply is given in the warning of the ,rev4 ,mark ,pattison in his essay on ,tendencies of ,religious ,thought in ,england4 ,when an age1 he says1 is found occupied in proving its creed1 this is but a token that the age has ceased to have a proper belief in it4 ,whichever way we turn the same spectacle confronts us4 ,in ,france especially1 and also in ,sweden1 ,denmark1 ,germany1 ,holland1 ,belgium1 ,italy1 ,spain1 the ,united ,states1 ,nicaragua1 ,ecuador1 ,brazil1 and ,argentina 7where the men are practically all agnostics71 freethought is making rapid progress4 ,only in ,russia1 where ninety per cent4 of the population are uneducated1 is the growth small and confined to the intellectuals4 ,never in the world's history has there been so much disbelief in the supernatural2 and1 with the advance of science and education1 this disbelief appears likely to be one day almost universal4 ,militant ,rationalism is jubilant2 while the pastor of the ,theistic ,church #g proclaims3 ,i see a battle coming4 ,i do not1 like ,froude1 predict that it will be fought once more1 as of old1 in blood and tears2 but ,i am as certain as ,i am of to-morrow's dawn that a mighty conflict is at hand which will revolutionise the religious thought and feeling of ,christendom4 ,it is sheer folly for the ,church to comfort herself with the reflection that this is not the first time in the history of ,christianity that disbelief has manifested itself4 ,in the early days of the ,church the heretic was not in possession of the knowledge that we have since acquired4 ,he could not support his views1 as he can now1 with the facts of science4 ,at every step he could be met by arguments which he had no adequate means of refuting1 and if he dared to deny the supernatural there was an enormous preponderance of public opinion against him4 ,indeed1 he himself generally believed in the supernatural1 though he was sceptical of the particular evidence of it on which ,christianity had been founded4 ,retarded by ,christianity itself--or1 shall we say1 by its interpreters8--knowledge was unable to advance2 it receded1 and the clock was put back in scientific research4 ,darkness reigned supreme for over a thousand years4 ,at last the dawn began to break4 ,what was the result8 ,the children of light suffered for their temerity2 but their ideas were eventually absorbed1 and beliefs were suitably reformed4 ,thus the ,copernican system was gradually accepted1 and so were the discoveries which followed1 up to fifty years ago4 ,then1 however1 the established beliefs received shock after shock in rapid succession--shocks from which they do not yet show any promise of recovering4 ,the myriads of worlds in the processes of birth and death2 the vast antiquity of the earth2 the long history of man and his animal origin2 the reign of natural law1 and the consequent discredit of the supernatural2 the suspicions aroused by the study of comparative mythology2 the difficulties of literal inspiration2 the doubt thrown by the ,higher ,criticism on many cherished beliefs--these and the like have shaken the very foundations of our faith1 and are the cause of agnosticism among the vast majority of our leaders of thought and science4 ,ecclesiastics1 however1 with certain notable exceptions1 appear to be labouring under the delusion that a reconciliation has taken place of late between ,religion and ,science1 and that the voice of the ,higher ,criticism has been hushed--at least1 they are continually assuring us to this effect4 ,they remain under this delusion for two reasons4 ,first1 because they are more or less ignorant of science and of the preponderating opinion of the scientific world concerning the truth of ,christianity4 ,secondly1 because they are lulled into a feeling of security through misconceptions regarding the attitude of the laity4 ,there appears to be the same1 or nearly the same1 average of religious conformity as heretofore1 and the consensus of opinion seems to be all on the side of church and chapel4 ,any falling off in religious fervour is attributed to sheer carelessness rather than to unbelief4 ,from the days of ,huxley until quite lately there have been no attacks upon ,christianity worth mentioning4 ,the ,churches fail to realise that this religious conformity and goodwill towards the ,christian faith has generally no connection whatever with a conviction of the truth of ,christianity1 and that1 where there is this conviction1 it is usually among those who are ignorant of the chief causes for suspicion4 ,i propose1 therefore1 in the first instance1 to examine some of the more usual types among the laity4 ,obviously1 in doing so ,i shall be omitting a great many shades of thought4 ,i shall say very little about the opinions of the genuine believer or of the hopelessly thoughtless1 and nothing of the opinions of evil-livers4 ,my object is to set forth the types which are most likely to have been misunderstood by the clergy4 #b4 ,the ,attitude of the ,laity4 ,let us commence1 then1 with the sceptical4 ,they are not inclined1 for the present at least1 to propagate their views4 ,rightly or wrongly1 they still hold the popular opinion that1 while they themselves can dispense with belief1 the masses cannot4 ,all that is asked of a cultured man is that he keep his opinion to himself4 ,he may be an agnostic or--whether he realises it or not--practically an atheist2 but he must not think of calling himself by such ugly names4 ,the uneducated freethinker1 our modern philosopher will say1 manifests a ,philistine ,voltaireanism--a spirit now disapproved by scholars and philosophers1 who regard with serious consideration all the manifestations and products of human thought1 from the earliest fetichism to the most recent developments of that religious tendency which appears to be a constitutional element in man4 ,such high thoughts1 according to this philosopher1 are not for the common herd1 who must continue to wallow in their ignorance1 feeding on husks1 which1 however unsuitable for his own refined digestion1 will serve well enough to nourish the religious instincts of the masses4 ,if of a mystical turn of mind1 he will tell you that ,christianity1 like all other religions1 may be but a symbol of a great ,reality2 and this person1 though sceptical regarding the ,christian dogmas1 will possibly consider himself a ,christian4 ,or1 again1 he may be without any leaning towards mysticism1 and merely hold that religion1 if sincere1 is better for the mind than scepticism4 ,better a belated and imperfect religion1 he will say1 than none at all4 ,the heart has its claims on our consideration as well as the intellect4 ,study ,comte's ,general ,view of ,positivism4 ,many agnostics are just as firmly convinced as believers that their country's prosperity is bound up with the ,christian belief4 ,this is largely due to their still clinging to the ,church's teaching concerning belief and morals4 ,it is well to remember1 however1 that the feeling on this point of the average cultured ,frenchman or ,italian is quite the opposite4 ,the measures now being taken by the ,french ,government against the clergy are based upon the contention that the ,church's influence is injurious to the ,state's welfare2 and this feeling has reached such a pitch that ,republican employees hardly dare admit their attendance at divine worship4 ,during ,september1 #aijd1 the ,italian ,government extended a cordial welcome to a ,freethought ,congress1 and the proceedings were opened by the ,minister of ,public ,instruction4 ,but the average ,englishman1 be he ever so sure of the falsity of the ,christian dogmas1 can foresee nothing but immorality and anarchy as the result of the overthrow of ,christianity4 ,cui bono8 ,quo vadis8 he cries4 ,leave well alone6 ,it is easy enough to show that ,christianity is false1 but what have you to put in its place8 ,what we want now is construction1 not criticism and the flogging of a dying creed4 ,he forgets1 it seems to me1 that people cannot be hoodwinked for ever1 and that1 as ,mr4 ,froude tells us1 the ,reformation was brought about by people refusing any longer to believe a lie4 ,in addition to this concern for the public weal1 the sceptic is influenced by motives of expediency4 ,he is well aware of the odium he would incur should he proclaim his heterodox views concerning the popular religion4 ,such publicity might spoil his professional career1 be the death-blow of his ambitions1 cause him considerable pecuniary loss1 alienate the friends he most values1 and1 worst of all1 destroy the happiness of his home life4 ,for these and similar reasons we find1 in the case of the half-believer1 that he does not care to verify his doubts1 but prefers to leave his opinions vague enough to be able to call himself a broad-minded ,christian4 ,whether half-believing or distinctly agnostic1 he usually holds that very common opinion regarding women1 children1 and religion--that1 however little store a man may set by belief1 it is wise to encourage it in the women folk1 and also to hand over the children to them for their religious instruction4 ,besides1 militant agnosticism is not the fashion4 ,it is looked upon as bad form1 or as smacking of socialism4 ,indifference is much the easier attitude4 ,or1 again1 the average man is disposed to trust to the progress of science and the ultimate triumph of truth1 and sees no reason why he should make any effort towards shortening the period of transition4 ,in his contempt for the efforts of the lowly born and indigent secularists1 he forgets that the greatest changes in the world's history have been brought about from the smallest beginnings by these very lower orders he affects to despise4 ,in our own times1 was it not working men who first set in motion a revolution that will eventually reform ,russia8 ,perhaps the commonest attitude of the man in the street1 whatever his manner of belief may be1 is one of good-natured indifference--an acquiescence in things as they are4 ,absence of the critical spirit or of anxious-mindedness1 or of both1 renders it easy for him to take things as he finds them1 much after the manner of his primeval ancestors4 ,his mind will not occupy itself with aught but the present4 ,naturally1 too1 he feels very strongly that what appears to make others happy should not be disturbed4 ,in all this he makes various questionable assumptions1 which ,i am considering in subsequent chapters of this book4 ,it is unnecessary to refer to the opinions of the militant agnostic1 as this type could never be accused of deceiving the ,church4 ,however1 it maybe noted that ,mr4 ,blatchford says1 in the ,clarion of ,february #crd1 #aije3 ,so far as ,i am concerned1 ,i attacked religion because ,i believe it to be untrue1 and because it seems to me to bar the way to liberty and happiness4 ,the attack upon religion is a part of a task ,i have set myself4 ,there are statesmen and other persons of influence who are as incredulous as ,mr4 ,blatchford regarding the truth of ,christianity2 but they do not1 apparently1 hold that ,christianity bars the way to liberty and happiness 7,i give them credit for being ruled by the highest motives71 and so the ,church has their support4 ,it is a weird arrangement between ,unbelief and ,belief1 which cannot possibly last much longer2 meanwhile1 it tends to confuse and delay the answer to that gravest of questions3 ,is ,christianity true8 ,leaving the sceptic1 let us examine another extremely common type--the man who is under the impression that he is a ,christian1 without either being particularly devout or having inquired at all deeply into the grounds of his faith4 ,he is ignorant of the causes for doubt1 because he has not had1 or has not cared to afford1 any time for such matters4 ,i do not refer so much to the masses1 who obviously have very little leisure1 but to the more leisured and influential classes4 ,such a man's scientific education1 if he ever had any1 was broken off early in life4 ,a large proportion of those all-important years of his boyhood were devoted probably to an unwilling study of the humanities4 ,his faith is decidedly vague1 and according to his own peculiar interpretation1 an adjustment between his heavenly aspirations and his earthly inclinations4 ,it has never been thought out1 and is not the result of a thorough study of its tenets4 ,he was born and bred a ,christian1 and all the nicest people he knows are ,christians1 or he thinks they are4 ,he is1 all unconsciously1 a social chameleon taking his colour from the conditions in the midst of which he happens to live4 ,he1 too1 like his heterodox brother1 sneers at organised ,freethought in this country1 because it owes its inception and conduct chiefly to poor and lowly men1 forgetting that it was from such a source that the mighty creed of ,christendom itself arose4 ,he forgets that the first ,christian apostles were mostly working men4 ,if he has heard or read anything of a sceptical nature1 he has never stopped to inquire any further into it4 ,he has no idea that the central features of the ,bible have been attacked by men of the greatest learning and integrity1 with the result that even the defenders of the faith ask for a reverent agnosticism as to the historical circumstances out of which1 in the first instance1 belief in the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ arose4 #h ,not knowing that the essentials are called in question1 he sees no reason to trouble himself about mere details4 ,it is enough for him that he feels sure that there must be some object in our existence1 and that there must be a ,first ,cause4 ,it never occurs to him to consider whether his and the ,christian conception of ,god can be reconciled4 ,for him the truth of the ,christian dogma is proved sufficiently by the unsatisfying nature of materialism4 ,has he not been taught that he must have faith1 and that faith is a feeling of trust divinely implanted1 and not needing to be fed on evidences8 ,is not ,christianity the civilising agent of the world1 and the origin of all morality and all good works8 ,does not scepticism lead to atheism8 ,if thought only leads to disbelief in ,god1 he for one is not going to think4 ,in addition to the now fast dwindling band of sincere and thoughtful ,christians there are1 of course1 many professing religionists who do think a little1 a very little1 on religious subjects2 but the bulk of the male element are absolutely indifferent to the question of religion at all4 ,the average subaltern is as good a sample of the latter type as any other4 ,speak to him about religion1 and he is unutterably bored4 ,a certain amount of church-going forms part of his ordinary round of duties4 ,this is the sum-total of his religious experiences4 ,for the rest1 religion1 or any question as to its truth in this or that particular1 is1 so far as he is concerned1 a matter of supreme indifference4 ,people are usually 7though less so now perhaps than formerly7 so careful to keep their thoughts about religion to themselves that it is no wonder the ,church is ignorant of the extent to which heterodoxy is rife4 ,the colossal hypocrisy which speaks of the reserve of ,englishmen about their religion needs exposure4 ,why should there be this dislike to talk upon religion--a religion which1 if true1 should make all worldly affairs sink into infinitesimal insignificance8 ,is it from a spirit of reverence1 or is it not rather because the interpretations of ,god's alleged revelation differ so widely that people neither wish to give themselves away by stating their own interpretations1 nor to hear the distasteful interpretations of others8 ,if they were perfectly straightforward1 they would run the danger both of hurting the feelings and falling in the estimation of their friends4 ,sometimes there is a dread of appearing ridiculous1 sometimes a dislike of appearing to cant4 ,yet surely1 if we believe what we profess1 there is nothing to be ashamed of1 and we ought openly to testify to our faith4 ,i can speak from personal experience when ,i say that the believing heathen of ,india1 whether ,hindoos1 ,mussulmans1 or ,parsees1 have no qualms on this score4 ,they see no necessity for reserve in the profession of their faith4 ,they testify to it openly at all times and in all places4 ,it forms1 as it ought1 an integral part of their every-day life4 ,this so-called reserve is also occasioned by the inability to live up to the ethical ideals demanded by our creed4 ,men wish neither to be hypocrites nor to be thought hypocrites4 ,it is an inherent fault in ,christian ethics that certain portions are not practicable4 ,they are too much dominated by a belief in the near approach of the end of the world4 ,if we mechanically applied1 as rules of conduct1 ,christ's ideals of temper1 we are certain1 from common sense1 that universal pauperism1 lawlessness1 and national extinction would follow4 #i ,then1 again1 there is too much of the presumption that all men have an equal chance in the battle against temptations1 and too little acknowledgment of the part played by heredity and environment2 and thus the root of the evil is overlooked4 ,also1 if we have a strong conviction of sin1 which1 according to our spiritual advisers1 is essential1 and if we cannot hope to shake off the burden of sin by our own unaided endeavours1 our moral fibre is liable to be weakened1 and we may cease to cultivate the all-important qualities of self-reliance and self-respect4 ,emerson's advice is far healthier3 ,the less we have to do with our sins the better4 ,whatever the many causes of this proud reserve may be1 one of the consequences is that we remain in ignorance of our neighbour's beliefs4 ,if people discussed religious matters among themselves1 they would make some surprising discoveries4 ,the agnostic would find that believers are not the hypocrites he sometimes puts them down to be1 for he would learn1 to his surprise1 that they are supremely ignorant of much that he assumed they would be sure to know4 ,the believer would find that there are many more agnostics than he had ever dreamt there were1 and he would also learn that their reason for abandoning belief was of a very different nature from what he had supposed4 ,when agnostics read the lessons in church1 as they frequently do1 and when1 with their aid and the aid of others in various stages of heterodoxy1 congregations in church and chapel on ,sunday only amount to twenty-two per cent4 #aj of the population1 and these chiefly women1 #aa what must not be the sum-total of agnosticism1 heterodoxy1 and indifference among men in this most ,christian of nations8 ,the extent of unavowed or unconscious scepticism far exceeds that which is openly avowed or consciously felt4 ,laxity in keeping the ,sabbath is now notoriously on the increase4 ,nothing can be more sensible than that people who have slaved for six days in the atmosphere of the office1 etc41 should go off for their week end's golf1 etc42 but for the clergy to attribute the consequent falling-off in church attendance solely to the extra facilities of travel tempting people to carelessness about religion is to adopt the method of the proverbial ostrich in the desert at the approach of a dreaded enemy4 ,unbelief and the advance of rationalism are really at the bottom of this new development2 for all the carelessness1 all the temptations in the world1 would not persuade sane people to throw away their claims to eternal happiness by neglecting to worship their ,god--a ,god that demands this worship4 ,how little do the clergy really know1 or attempt to know1 of the beliefs of the cultured portion of their congregations6 ,as ,i write these words ,i receive1 curiously enough1 a letter which shows how unusual it is for the pastor to question his flock4 ,the writer of the letter1 a lady1 says3 ,isn't ,mr4 ,x 7the rector of a certain country parish7 a gauche man8 ,mr4 ,z 7an influential parishioner7 didn't go to ,holy ,communion1 and so ,mr4 ,x asked him if he had been confirmed4 ,since then ,mr4 ,z goes elsewhere to church4 ,now1 personally1 ,i admire ,x's courage4 ,what he did would not be done by the ordinary run of parsons4 ,if they did that sort of thing1 they would soon become exceedingly unpopular in the neighbourhood1 and lose most of their fashionable and opulent congregation4 ,but they would begin to learn the true state of affairs4 ,they would learn1 for instance1 that some of the most regular and respectable of the male portion of their congregations were agnostic or heterodox1 and that their attendance at divine worship was merely to set a good example to the lower orders1 or to please their women-folk1 or for some cause or other utterly unconnected with any desire to worship or any belief in the efficacy of so doing4 ,there is doubtless a great deal to be said in favour of a spirit of toleration which inculcates non-interference with a man's belief2 but it all helps to hide the true state of affairs1 and is surely overdone when it encourages men to attend a service where they are acting a part and making solemn declarations untruthfully4 ,there is one more type of person ,i should include among the many strange buttresses of the ,church--namely1 the person who refuses point blank to be enlightened4 ,the ,churches have been lulled into a sense of security by many causes1 but chief among them1 perhaps1 there stands out the fact that people not only will not take the trouble to inquire into the grounds of their faith1 but consider that it would be positively wicked to do any such thing4 ,to such ,i can only repeat the words of the ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,diggle1 now ,bishop of ,carlisle4 ,there are1 he says1 perhaps1 few things1 and certainly nothing of similar moment1 about which men give themselves so little trouble1 and take such little pains1 as the ascertainment1 by strict examination1 of the foundations and the evidences of their religion4 ,hence so many religious persons are like children who have not learned things accurately4 ,they are fearful of being questioned1 and are out of temper in an examination4 ,however1 as an excuse for this timidity--for it is often nothing else--it must be conceded that a deep study of the evidences does1 more often than not1 end in agnosticism4 ,this gives rise to the serious question3 ,if it is ,god who assists us to remain staunch to our creed1 why does ,he so often forsake us1 just when we are trying to lead more thoughtful lives and1 consequently1 study more deeply the faith we profess8 ,on the one hand1 we find that modern agnosticism is not the result of carelessness1 but of thoughtfulness4 ,on the other hand1 we observe that the ,church numbers among some of its firmest adherents not only those who are ignorant through circumstances over which they have no control1 or through thoughtlessness1 but also those who remain ignorant through fear to inquire4 #c4 ,christianity and ,science not ,reconciled4 ,has the ,church1 then1 been deceived in her impression that a reconciliation has taken place between ,christianity and ,science8 ,most certainly4 ,i grant that to some extent there exists a patched-up peace4 ,the modern apologist no longer adopts the unwise course of maintaining every strange phenomenon to be miraculous as long as it is unexplained1 whereby each advance of physical science used necessarily to be hostile to theology4 ,he even goes further1 and says that the ,resurrection and all the miracles may be only the manifestation of some law which is as yet beyond the analysis of our short experience4 ,but1 as ,i shall show later on1 the new interpretations tone down hostility in one respect only to raise fresh and greater difficulties in another4 ,the manner in which misunderstandings occur on the subject of a reconciliation is well seen when we look into one of the ,church's most popular arguments in its favour--the appeal to the pronouncement by ,lord ,kelvin in support of a ,creative ,power4 ,lord ,kelvin assured the world that modern biologists were coming to the belief in the existence of a vital principle4 #ab ,that this pronouncement raised a perfect storm of protest in the world of science is wholly ignored by the world of religion4 ,suppose1 however1 that the consensus of opinion had been otherwise1 what conclusion could we draw8 ,we simply obtain an argument for some form of ,theism4 ,the probability of the existence of a ,creative ,power would not in itself prove the truth of the ,christian dogmas1 although it would be a very necessary link in the chain of evidence4 ,it is extremely doubtful whether any scientist or philosopher really holds the doctrine of a personal ,god1 certainly not of the anthropomorphic ,god of ,christianity4 ,let us take ,sir ,oliver ,lodge1 for example4 ,he is continually being held up to us by the ,church as an instance of a man of science who finds himself able to believe in the supernatural2 but does the ,church claim him as one of her fold8 ,in the ,hibbert ,journal for ,april1 #aijd1 he makes out a strong case for the entire re-interpretation of the ,christian doctrine1 in which1 among other dogmas1 the ,atonement and ,virgin-birth are completely surrendered4 ,he has never yet professed belief in a personal ,god1 and seems to question ,his omnipotence4 #ac ,again1 in a paper which he contributed lately to a book of essays entitled ,ideals of ,science1 he owns that science is a long way from actively supporting religion4 ,in spite of this1 no name is1 or used to be1 more frequently quoted than his1 in support of the ,church's contention that a reconciliation has taken place4 ,the admissions of ,sir ,oliver ,lodge are1 in a certain sense1 all the more important because he undoubtedly is one of the few men of science who still retain a strong belief in a spiritual world4 ,in the ,hibbert ,journal for ,january1 #aije1 he informs us that he is opposed to a materialistic monism1 such as ,haeckel's1 and that the progress of thought has left him ,haeckel1 as well as his great ,english exemplar1 ,herbert ,spencer1 somewhat high and dry1 belated and stranded by the tide of opinion which has now begun to flow in another direction4 #ad ,this is the sort of statement which is eagerly seized upon by the ,church2 but it neither witnesses to the truth of ,christianity1 nor does it voice the opinion of the scientific world4 ,it is the opinion of a scientist who believes that he has had communication with spirits4 #ae ,professor ,ray ,lankester1 one of our leading biologists in ,england1 indignantly refutes ,sir ,oliver's strictures on ,professor ,haeckel4 #af ,now1 it is1 of course1 quite true that there are schools of thought opposed to ,haeckel's4 ,there is1 for instance1 the school which considers that science has no business to concern herself with theology2 and there are the metaphysicians4 ,but the point ,i wish to make clear is that all these schools are heterodox4 ,they do not accept the ,christian dogmas4 ,it is so easy for false impressions on such matters to get about1 and1 ,i regret to add1 this does not occur altogether by chance4 ,when ,haeckel1 one of our greatest living biologists1 was caught tripping in his knowledge of theology by a professor of that subject1 the ,church explained to the laity that the great ,dr4 ,loofs had shown that ,haeckel had forfeited his claim to consideration as a reliable man of science2 and1 on this basis1 his ,riddle of the ,universe was held up to obloquy and derision4 ,the ,church1 however1 did not mention at the same time that ,haeckel had expressly said that he was not skilled in theology1 and that it was only in his own branch of knowledge that he spoke with authority4 ,nor did the ,church mention that their champion1 the learned theologian1 ,dr4 ,loofs1 himself discredits the notion of the ,virgin-birth1 and that the chief bone of contention between the two professors was simply the question of the parentage of ,jesus4 ,it is just because science and religion are in conflict that the religious naturally wish to discredit science4 ,they will1 if they are sufficiently ignorant1 go so far as ,lady ,blount1 #ag and hold that the earth is flat and without motion4 ,but such persons should note that in the ,church itself there are a few--the few best qualified to form an opinion--who accept all the main facts of science1 and do not think1 or pretend that they think1 that there has been any reconciliation4 ,the ,rev4 ,p4 ,n4 ,waggett is one of these4 ,he is an apologist of unusual scientific competence1 and his new handbook for the clergy1 ,religion and ,science1 simply bristles with problems which he confesses have yet to be solved4 ,however1 he does not allow himself to be disturbed4 ,conclusions adverse to theology are to be resisted4 ,in other words1 we must possess our souls in patience until we can see a way out of our difficulties4 ,he remarks3 ,there are conclusions which are to be dissolved1 and conclusions which are to be avoided2 but there are also conclusions which have to be resisted1 held at bay--'held up1' ,i think some adventurous ,western people call it--until we can see our way to destroy them4 ,such a resistance is not irrational4 ,he personally prefers the positive or scientific treatment and pursuit of religion1 and he goes on to say that this positive pursuit of the facts of the spirit must be maintained in spite of difficulties4 ,it must be maintained in spite of outstanding discrepancies with science4 ,to my mind1 the position here taken up by ,mr4 ,waggett is the only possible one for a convinced ,christian who has a real knowledge of science4 ,he avoids the snares into which so many of his fellow clerics have fallen4 ,for he does not jump at the conclusion that every gap in our knowledge of life's mysteries is a proof of the supernatural4 ,nor does he attempt to show1 as many other apologists are wont to do1 that there is no direct connection between science and religion4 ,he does not try to escape the criticism of metaphysical conclusions which a scientific habit of thought engenders4 ,but1 while his position may appear at first sight a tenable one1 whether it be so or not depends entirely upon the correctness of the assumption on which his argument is really based--the true witness of the heart1 as against the false witness of the reason4 ,it is interesting to compare ,mr4 ,waggett's position with that of another of the progressives4 ,the ,rev4 ,john ,kelman writes in ,ideals of ,science and ,faith #ah3 ,so far as we have gone1 the history of the past1 viewed by the light in which the newer conceptions of the ,bible have placed it1 shows that1 at the present moment in the progress of thought1 science and religion are not in the least degree at strife4 ,they need no reconciliation4 ,suppose the ,rev4 ,j4 ,kelman to be right and the ,rev4 ,p4 ,n4 ,waggett to be wrong1 what then8 ,it is the newer conceptions of the ,bible which make it possible for ,mr4 ,kelman to speak of a reconciliation--the very conceptions which the orthodox cannot and will not accept4 ,the orthodox believer is told that religion and science are reconciled2 but he is not told by what means4 ,thus the orthodox1 who would never think of accepting the terribly heterodox ideas of the advanced school1 are all the time accepting a result which could only be arrived at by the help of those self-same ideas4 ,in fact1 it was the very necessity for a reconciliation which originated their invention4 ,so much is said about scientific doubt in these days that it is well to remember that doubts as to the truth of the ,christian belief are not caused alone by purely scientific difficulties of faith4 ,carlyle refused to accept ,darwin's theories4 ,his temperament was strongly inclined to a stern ,puritanical piety1 and his whole nature was antipathetic to science4 ,yet he did not think it possible that educated honest men could profess much longer to believe in historical ,christianity4 ,renan1 a profound scholar in ,oriental languages1 shows1 in his famous work1 ,the ,life of ,jesus1 that1 while keenly appreciative of all that was beautiful in the life and teaching of ,jesus1 he was forced1 by his study of the ,scriptures #ai in the original1 to the conclusion that the miraculous part of the narrative had no historical foundation4 ,leo ,tolstoi1 the helper of the helpless1 whose voice is ever raised in the cause of universal love and peace1 vainly sought an answer to religious doubts1 and finally renounced ,christian dogmas1 building up a religion of his own4 ,numerous instances could be given showing that well-known and pious-minded thinkers have rejected ,christianity on grounds other than scientific4 ,and this diversity in the reasons for negation further tends to strengthen those suspicions regarding our faith which it is now the apologist's task to dispel4 ,a significant circumstance is the far more tolerant attitude of the better-informed clergy towards the unbeliever4 ,there still remain persons of the ,dr4 ,torrey and the ,rev4 ,j4 ,morgan ,gibbon #bj type1 ready to vilify the agnostic2 but their number is rapidly on the decrease4 ,the clergy1 as a whole1 are more tolerant now than many of the pious laity4 ,why is this8 ,is it not because they are beginning to appreciate the perplexities of faith1 and to learn that agnostics as a body can be1 and are1 good men8 ,under certain conditions they themselves have severe wrestlings with the dictates of reason1 and it is only by prayer #ba and occupying their minds in their work that they are able to dispel dark doubts4 ,they will tell you that a faith such as theirs1 and such as they hope you will attain after emergence from doubt1 is a real faith1 with which the faith of the ordinary person1 accepting everything on trust1 is not to be compared4 ,it is all very well to talk glibly1 as so many do nowadays1 of an age of tolerance4 ,how can man be tolerant in matters concerning which ,god is alleged to have distinctly told us that ,he is not tolerant8 ,it has often occurred to me that1 were there such a person as the ,devil1 he must be much puzzled over the case of the high-minded agnostic1 and more especially so if the latter conceived it his duty to propagate his views4 ,in other words1 if he were a militant agnostic--a ,huxley or a ,holyoake4 ,for1 on the one hand1 if the ,devil could persuade the agnostic to adopt religious conformity at the expense of self-respect1 he would ruin the agnostic's character1 and so drag one more soul into perdition2 but he would at the same time be rendering the whole ,christian community a service by saving them from the dangerous advice of the agnostic4 ,on the other hand1 if ,satan aided the agnostic in the line of conduct which he was at present conscientiously pursuing1 the soul of the latter would slip from ,satan's grasp 7for ,i presume there can be no punishment for honesty72 but1 as ,anti-,christ1 ,satan would reap a grand harvest from the seeds of unbelief sown by the agnostic4 ,and the purer and more unselfish the life of the agnostic1 the more the latter would influence people to share his opinions4 ,how does ,god view this perplexing situation8 ,we are told from the pulpit nowadays1 by the broader-minded parson1 not only that agnostics may be good men1 but that they exhibit the very temper which ,christ blesses4 #bb ,this curious truce between ,believer and ,unbeliever1 each still holding fast to his belief or unbelief1 only serves to demonstrate with added force that there is not1 and cannot be1 a reconciliation between ,faith and ,knowledge4 #d4 ,the ,genesis and ,character of the ,new ,outburst4 ,it is imperative that the ,churches should appreciate the real character of the new outburst of scepticism4 ,the controversy with rationalism has entered upon another phase--a phase far more dangerous to the security of ,christendom4 ,as was inevitable1 the suspicions regarding the faith have filtered down to classes that are not content to be duped because1 forsooth1 it is said to be for their good4 ,they have none of the reasons of the upper-class agnostic for lying low4 ,the enlightenment of the working man has been accelerated during the past year or so by the issue of cheap reprints from the books of our great scientists and thinkers1 and by a direct attack upon religion by the well-known editor of the ,clarion1 ,robert ,blatchford4 ,that the ,churches are already partly alive to the new danger is evinced by their present anxious attitude towards the spread of knowledge likely to be damaging to the ,faith4 ,it was one of the subjects discussed at the ,canterbury ,diocesan ,conference in ,june1 #aijd1 and will1 doubtless1 be earnestly discussed at the next ,church ,congress1 together with the whole question of the rapid increase in unbelief4 ,while1 however1 the ,church inveighs against the reprints1 she gives out1 also1 that ,christianity is always strengthened by being attacked4 ,this is hardly consistent4 ,for why not1 then1 allow the process of strengthening to continue by these means8 ,certainly1 if ,christianity be true1 the ,church ought to be strengthened4 ,how could it be otherwise8 ,it might compel her to discard some of her dogmas2 but that would only be if they were false1 and1 in such case1 she is better without them4 ,nothing but good should arise from a thorough examination of her tenets4 ,she would be enabled to find out where her weakness lies1 and thus to emerge from the ordeal stronger than ever4 ,those who wish1 as ,i do1 to learn the whole truth concerning ,christianity1 hope that she will no longer postpone a complete and unbiassed investigation of the whole of the anti-,christian arguments4 ,doubtless we shall get our wish in time2 but meanwhile we deplore the delay1 for reasons ,i have more particularly set forth in the concluding chapter of this book4 ,if the honest truth be that she is not confident of the security of her position1 are we to understand that the cause of ,untruth is thought to be more likely to prosper than the cause of ,truth8 ,of the two conflicting views regarding the effect of anti-,christian attacks--the pessimistic and the optimistic--it is the former which appears to me the more likely to be correct4 ,for consider what would occur should attacks of far greater severity be delivered--a contingency by no means impossible in the near future4 ,suppose the rational propagandists1 instead of being hampered by the want of funds and influential support1 were to become endowed with a fraction of the wealth of the ,church1 and were thus in a position to popularise their views by spending money in extensive advertisement of every description1 by subsidising platform orators who would propound rationalism and non-theological ethics in every town and village1 by relieving distress1 and so on1 would the ,christian ,faith be strengthened8 ,has it not already suffered since the sixpenny reprints began to bring knowledge within the reach of the people--the people who have1 many of them1 little or nothing to fear from an expression of their agnosticism8 ,if militant rationalists were sufficiently possessed of this world's goods to start an adequate fund for the lucrative employment of clergymen who find they can no longer subscribe to the articles of the ,christian ,faith1 and who would leave the ,church if they could do so without having to face absolute ruin1 would not the secessions increase in direct proportion to the increase of the fund and the consequent means of support8 #bc ,if those men of note who are even now agnostics at heart were to proclaim the fact and assist in propagandism1 would not the flock follow the bell-wethers8 ,whether hastened or not by the action of the propagandist1 the masses1 in these days of universal education1 are bound to hear sooner or later of these grave doubts4 ,the questioners of the ,faith are no longer only the philosophers1 scientists1 and those who join hands with the ,churches in prescribing a dietary of fairy tales for the preservation of the moral health of the masses4 ,many of the working class #bd are far more thoughtful and intelligent regarding questions of science as it affects religion than is generally supposed4 ,hitherto they have been under two very considerable disadvantages--the costliness of the books and the want of leisure to read them4 ,the leisure disability still holds good1 though less so now that temperance is on the increase2 but the books are to-day offered at popular prices1 and are also finding their way into public libraries4 ,the ,church can1 perhaps1 depend for some time to come upon the non-interference and even active support of the upper classes1 however sceptical they may be2 but it is the proletariat which she will in future have to deal with more and more4 ,she is in a dilemma2 her hand is forced4 ,she realises that discussion will cause the unsettlement of minds hitherto unclouded by doubt1 and yet matters have reached a stage when silence is impossible4 ,it is doubtful whether she has yet fully realised the gravity of the task before her4 ,i have explained how she seems to have been deceived as to the real meaning of the apparent suspension of hostilities during the past few years4 ,she has also to learn how impossible it will be for the ordinary mind to accept the unconvincing and contradictory expositions of the ,faith which are now offered to us under the title of ,christian apologetics4 #e4 ,apologetics ,found ,wanting4 ,the time1 then1 has arrived when the pastor can no longer ignore or gloze over the thoughts that are stirring the minds of the intelligent portion of his flock4 ,the cheap literature problem cannot be solved by applying disparaging adjectives1 such as shallow1 to writings emanating from the pens of ,darwin1 ,huxley1 ,tyndall1 ,s4 ,laing1 ,matthew ,arnold1 ,sir ,leslie ,stephen1 ,renan1 ,haeckel1 etc41 easy though it be to excite prejudice by the use of a condemnatory adjective4 ,books that are still costly will some day be available at popular prices1 and increase the perplexities of the people4 ,i refer to books of the type of ,lecky's ,rise and ,influence of ,rationalism in ,europe1 ,buckle's ,history of ,civilisation in ,england1 ,frazer's ,golden ,bough1 ,forlong's ,short ,studies of the ,science of ,comparative ,religions1 ,doane's ,bible ,myths and their ,parallels in other ,religions1 ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson's ,christianity and ,mythology and ,pagan ,christs1 ,spencer's ,principles of ,sociology 7,vol4 ,i41 ,part ,i41 giving the ,data of ,sociology71 ,metchnikoff's ,the ,nature of ,man1 ,haeckel's ,the ,evolution of ,man1 #be etc4 ,will not the ,encyclopdia ,biblica1 with a title so innocent1 and with an editor and many of its contributors in ,holy ,orders1 soon find its way into our public libraries and be a thorn in the side of the orthodox8 ,think how a book such as ,nunquam's 7,robert ,blatchford7 ,god and ,my ,neighbour must already have been read by and have affected the convictions of thousands of the working class4 ,and the grave doubts of a hard-headed artisan are not in the least likely to be dispelled by ,anti-,nunquam1 #bf or any of the literature so far published as a panacea in relief of doubt4 #bg ,indeed1 some apologetic works are enough in themselves to create mistrust1 though the reader had not read a single anti-,christian work6 ,the extraordinary divergence in the views of the authors1 to say nothing of the transparency of some of their arguments1 prevents all chance of apologetics convincing any but those already determined to be convinced4 ,the writer in one stage of thought absolutely contradicts a writer in another stage4 ,compare ,goulburn and ,pusey in their awful assertions of everlasting punishment with ,allin's ,universalism ,asserted and ,larger ,hope leaflets1 or the views of a ,wace regarding ,evolution with the views of a ,waggett4 ,if we confine ourselves to making comparisons only between the advanced thinkers themselves1 compare the opinions of ,dr4 ,gore1 ,bishop of ,birmingham 7late of ,worcester71 with those of ,canons ,henson and ,cheyne4 ,the deplorable state of religious apologetics is becoming notorious1 and articles bearing on the subject are now appearing from time to time in our leading magazines4 #bh ,in defending the ,faith the advanced school of the ,church now frankly admit the difficulties of the old belief1 and ask us to accept their new interpretations of ,christianity4 ,the older school of theologians1 the school who can bring themselves neither to assert the truth of evolution nor to give a decided opinion on the verbal inspiration of the ,bible1 are unwillingly1 very unwillingly1 beginning to follow in their wake4 ,the views of the two schools being in conflict on many vital points1 it is impossible that they can ever be brought into agreement4 ,yet1 unless concerted measures are soon taken1 confusion will be worse confounded4 ,to add to the perplexity of the situation1 there are also the various views of the ,nonconformists to be taken into account4 ,then there are the ,scottish ,churches1 having on the one side the law-supported minority1 standing for an infallible ,bible and all the doctrines of ,john ,calvin2 and1 on the other1 the majority standing for a form of ,christianity which is really ,calvinism with a somewhat unequally-applied veneer of ,higher ,criticism4 ,finally there is the ,irish ,roman ,catholic ,church still sunk in the gross superstitions of the ,dark ,ages4 ,the advanced school represent the section which is in close touch with modern thought1 so that their new interpretations of the ,faith constitute the one and only hope of arresting the advance of agnosticism4 ,on the other hand1 the justice of the objections to these new interpretations is borne out by the circumstance that many of the older school would no more think of accepting them than they would of giving up their belief2 rather than accept them they prefer to deny the facts of science4 ,both sides do violence to their reason--the enlightened in using the subtleties of their intellect for interpretations which appear transparently false alike to the orthodox and to the unbeliever2 the obscurantist in denying established facts4 ,consider for a moment what all this means4 ,it means that the modern sceptic has the support of the strictly orthodox when he refutes the only explanations as yet offered to dispel his doubts4 ,it means that the validity of the agnostic's objections to these new-fangled interpretations is fully borne out by the common sense of ,christians themselves1 and that a denial of the facts of science and of the results of ,biblical research is the only way we can escape from unbelief4 ,if a puzzled truth-seeker tried to take a middle course1 he would have to believe that black and white were the same colour1 and his belief would degenerate into an exceedingly unedifying grey4 ,there is a large proportion of this grey belief just now4 ,i cannot too strongly reiterate that this complete divergence in the interpretation of a revelation alleged to have been vouchsafed by ,god cannot but give rise to the most intense suspicion4 ,the very word apologetics is self-condemnatory4 ,how is it that the claims of ,christianity require all this vindication8 ,heresies and schisms and the need for apologetics form the constant note of ,christian history from first to last4 ,true there was a lull in the questionings of the ,faith2 but that was during the ,dark ,ages1 when the priests adopted the policy of keeping the world in ignorance1 and of destroying all the evidences against ,christianity that they could lay their hands upon4 ,if the events said to have happened really happened1 and if ,god wished the world to know of them1 why all this mystery1 why the need for all these apologetics concerning them8 ,which of the conflicting explanations are we to take as correct8 ,the late ,bishop of ,durham1 ,dr4 ,westcott1 in a passage in his book1 ,lessons from ,work1 says3 ,it would be easier if we might divest ourselves of the divine prerogative of reason4 ,it would be easier1 but would that be the life which ,christ came down from heaven to show us and place within our reach8 ,it is not for me to quarrel with so emphatic a pronouncement in favour of using our reason2 but such advice cannot be reconciled with the teaching of ,christ or of our own ,church--that we should receive ,god's word as babes4 ,remember those strange words attributed to ,him3 ,i thank ,thee1 ,o ,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 because ,thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes4 ,from this one would gather that it was ,god's pleasure to hide ,himself from the wise1 and therefore that the increase of agnosticism alongside the spread of knowledge was all part of the ,divine plan4 ,the ,roman ,catholic ,church is more consistent4 ,she obeys the alleged teaching of ,christ in this respect to the letter4 ,the truth is that when ,jesus spoke these words1 if ,he ever did speak them1 the vast majority of mankind were babes4 ,his disciples were babes2 ,his enemies the more enlightened4 ,he did not foresee the advance of knowledge and the spread of education4 ,nor did the ,church anticipate this increase in wisdom1 or rather1 ,i should say1 she employed every possible means to hinder it4 ,if ,god's revelation may be understood by babes1 it must be very simple4 ,how1 then1 do we find it requiring all this explanation--explanation which no ordinary adult can understand8 ,who could call modern theology simple8 ,can we say that of our philosopher-,premier's books1 ,a ,defence of ,philosophic ,doubt and ,the ,foundations of ,belief8 ,is it not because the ,church recognises that the masses will never understand all these subtle explanations and pleas for a re-statement of ,christianity that she is in no hurry to impart the new ideas from the pulpit8 ,even the more intellectual truthseeker is constantly recommended to trust less to his reason1 and to come to ,christ as a little child4 ,the objections of the more conservative to the new interpretations of ,christianity are well expressed in the solemn words of a former ,dean of ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 himself inveighed against1 in his day1 as somewhat of a freethinker4 ,many1 writes ,dean ,mansell1 who would shrink with horror from the idea of rejecting ,christ altogether1 will yet speak and act as if they were at liberty to set up for themselves an eclectic ,christianity1 separating the essential from the superfluous portions of ,christ's teaching1 deciding for themselves how much is permanent and necessary for all men1 and how much is temporary and designed only for a particular age and people4 ,yet if ,christ is indeed ,god manifest in the ,flesh1 it is surely not less impious to attempt to improve ,his teaching than to reject it altogether4 ,nay1 in one respect it is more so1 for it is to acknowledge a doctrine as the revelation of ,god1 and1 at the same time1 to proclaim that it is inferior to the wisdom of man4 ,the ,athanasian ,creed controversy furnishes some striking examples of both conservative and latitudinarian opinions4 ,dr4 ,pusey is related to have said3 ,if the ,athanasian ,creed is touched1 ,i see nothing to do but to give up my canonry4 ,yet we find the present ,primate1 ,dr4 ,randall ,davidson1 replying to a deputation of clergymen who desired to be relieved from the obligation of reciting this ,creed3 ,i am in complete sympathy with the object you have at heart4 ,presumably he is in agreement with ,dr4 ,barnes1 ,hulsean professor of divinity1 who1 when lecturing lately at ,cambridge on the ,athanasian ,creed1 declared that there was no authority in ,scripture for its minatory clauses4 ,the well-meant attempt of the ,dean of ,westminster to smooth down the asperities of the ,creed by singing instead of saying it1 is typical of those pitiful attempts to tide over difficulties which are now so much in evidence4 ,we make1 says one of the old school1 unsuitable persons partakers of the ,divine service of the ,church1 and then it is proposed to alter the ,divine service to suit them4 ,let honest ,unbelievers or ,half-,believers absent themselves from the ,assembly of the ,faithful1 and let the ,faithful worship faithfully4 ,yet1 if this line of conduct were put into practice1 if the modern ,origens were anathematised and only those laymen admitted to ,divine service who held all the articles of the ,christian faith without mental reservations of any kind1 every single advanced theologian would be degraded from his office1 and the present twenty-two per cent4 who are church and chapel-goers would be reduced to--what shall we say8 ,well1 the churches having cultured congregations would be almost empty4 ,the modern spirit of toleration1 admirable as it is in many ways1 assists in preventing the discovery of the real truth of the matter4 ,the ,church is grossly deceiving herself if she really thinks that the apparent adherence of the majority of the well-to-do classes indicates that burning suspicions of the ,christian dogmas have been quenched by ,christian apologetics4 #f4 ,more ,things which ,confuse the ,issue4 ,in the early part of this chapter ,i have alluded to the real causes for the apparent acquiescence of the majority in the claims of the ,christian religion4 ,among these causes there is a somewhat complex one requiring1 special notice1 for it tends to confuse the main issue1 more perhaps than any other4 ,the ,church is now appearing in an altogether novel role4 ,until quite recently her concern was only for the spiritual welfare of man1 and she expected to gain her purpose by supernatural rather than by natural means4 ,this plan1 after many centuries of trial1 has proved a terrible failure4 ,it has not contributed either to man's spiritual or material improvement4 ,now1 in ,england1 she is emulating the thorough-paced humanitarian in her devotion to the betterment of humanity by natural means4 ,never before has there been that interest in the material condition of the people which is now evinced by such institutions as the ,church ,temperance ,society and ,homes for ,inebriates1 the ,church ,army1 the ,church ,lads ,brigade1 the ,church ,rescue ,societies1 ,homes for ,waifs and ,strays1 etc4 ,the ,church1 too1 is now concerning herself with the better housing of the poor1 the improvement of our jail system1 and other rational methods for raising the social condition of the people and creating an environment likely to improve the moral atmosphere4 ,all such measures1 in fact1 as have long ago been advocated by rationalists and social reformers are now taken up vigorously by the ,churches4 ,better late than never1 you will say4 ,quite so2 but that is not the point4 ,far be it from me to decry these excellent results of modern thought2 still1 the fact remains that the issue is thereby confused1 and will continue to be thus confused for some time to come4 ,people will only look at what the ,churches1 in ,protestant countries at least1 are now doing1 and see in it another proof of ,christianity's power for good4 ,they will not trouble their heads to consider why it should have taken nearly #b1jjj years before the ,christian ,church recognised such an essential portion of her duties towards her poorer neighbours4 #bi ,nor is it only this increase of zeal for raising humanity out of the gutter which has confused the issue4 ,numerous are the ways in which ,christianity obtains a prestige sometimes partly deserved1 sometimes wholly undeserved4 ,good works belong to the former class4 ,the ,churches of all denominations have always occupied the position of grand almoners1 and1 in that they have carried out that trust conscientiously1 they have fully earned the confidence of the rich and the gratitude of the poor4 ,but people are liable to forget that the huge donations given during their lifetime1 and left in their wills by charitably disposed persons1 are given usually from true humanitarian principles1 and that kind hearts are to be found all over the world1 quite apart from belief or unbelief4 ,these gifts to the needy are not1 let it be said to the credit of mankind1 a mere soul-insurance1 like the donations given1 and often extorted1 in the ,roman ,catholic and ,greek ,churches1 for ,masses1 ,indulgences1 etc4 ,all this charitable work1 for which the ,church is the agent employed1 is usually put down entirely to the credit of the ,church and ,christianity4 ,it does not seem to be realised that the ,golden ,rule is far older than ,christianity1 and is practised in other than ,christian countries2 and that the ,church1 in being entrusted very largely with the dispensation of charity1 obtains credit for a service for which she is after all well paid1 and which any properly selected body of laymen would perform quite as well1 and possibly with more discrimination4 ,if all the good and none of the bad works performed in ,christendom are to be attributed to the working of the ,christian faith1 the same argument must hold good of the ,hindu or ,buddhist faith1 when the people are ,hindoos or ,buddhists4 ,the code of ethics attached to a religion does1 of course1 make a difference2 but it neither proves that the belief is correct1 nor that it is impossible to have the ethics without the belief4 ,confucianism is an agnostic ethical system which the educated classes of ,japan have adopted for centuries1 and its splendid results are just now much in evidence4 ,only a few days ago ,i received a letter from an agnostic supporter of ,christianity who said3 ,look at the good that ,christianity does1 look at its endless charitable organisations2 and he asked1 ,could the ,clarion people do anything of this kind8 ,it never occurred to him1 and it never occurs to many of his way of thinking1 that the ,clarion people have very slender funds at present2 and the charitable work that they do1 though proportionately large1 is not likely to come to his notice unless he takes the trouble to inquire4 ,the vast majority of ,english people are professing ,christians1 and if any charitable work is to be done agnostics give their support to it1 although the agents for it are ,christians4 ,however1 ,i have not received a brief from the ,clarionettes4 ,my object is to show how the issue becomes confused1 and1 if my agnostic friend is correct in considering ,christianity false and yet indispensable1 the future is indeed full of alarms4 ,what will happen1 for instance1 when the knowledge of this falsehood becomes common property8 ,i am fully aware that my friend voices the opinion of many fairly thoughtful ,englishmen2 but this is because they are in the habit of hearing every useful advance in civilisation accredited to ,christianity3--hospitals1 though they existed long before ,christianity1 and only fell out of use after its introduction--the raised status of women1 though it was on the introduction of ,christianity that the status was lowered--abolition of slavery1 though among the most strenuous advocates for the abolition were such well-known freethinkers as ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson1 ,john ,stuart ,mill1 and ,moncure ,conway1 while the whole of ,tory ,england shouted its approval when ,general ,lee drew his sword on behalf of the rights of ,old ,virginia1 and while ,gladstone1 in his first ,newark address1 #ahcb1 owned that slavery was justified by the ,bible--efforts for superseding the horrors and clumsiness of war1 though freethinkers to a man are supporters of the movement1 while ,bishops from the pulpit offer up prayers for peace and in the same breath expatiate on the ennobling effects of war upon the race1 and while the head of a mighty theocratic-autocratic ,christian ,government calls the nations to a peace conference1 and then takes the first opportunity to prosecute the most unnecessary and bloody war the world has ever known4 ,it is erroneous assertions such as these which tend1 perhaps1 more than anything else1 to confuse the simple question before us--the truth of ,christianity4 ,they are therefore discussed at greater length in a separate chapter devoted to popular fallacies4 ,meanwhile1 in the present chapter ,i hope ,i have succeeded in giving some insight into the true nature of the present situation4 ,,miracles ,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,extraordinary ,,state ,,of ,,apologetics ,,with ,,regard ,,to ,,miracles #a4 ,preliminary ,remarks4 ,in this and the following chapters ,i hope to show how matters stand with reference to the more important points at issue between the ,christian apologist and the ,rationalist4 ,the truth or otherwise of the ,bible miracles being of supreme importance1 ,i begin with an examination of the position of apologetics with regard to them4 ,,the ,,view ,,of ,,science4 ,professor ,huxley once made the following remark3 ,the miracles of the ,church are child's play to the miracles ,i see in nature4 ,this has been hailed by the apologist as a satisfactory admission that science concedes the possibility of miracles4 ,it is continually being quoted in apologetic works and from the pulpit1 and is apparently considered as a conclusive piece of evidence that science has nothing to say against miracles4 ,but1 ,professor ,huxley went on to explain3 ,on the strength of an undeniable improbability1 however1 we not only have a right to demand1 but are morally bound to require1 strong evidence in favour of a miracle before we even take it into serious consideration4 ,but when1 instead of such evidence1 nothing is produced but stories originating nobody knows how or when1 among persons who could firmly believe in devils which enter pigs1 ,i confess that my feeling is one of astonishment that anyone should expect a reasonable man to take such testimony seriously4 #cj ,we never hear of this from the pulpit6 ,possibly ,professor ,huxley would not have been thus misrepresented--or shall we say misunderstood8--if he had spoken of the wonders of nature1 and had not used a word popularly understood to signify that break in nature's laws which it has yet to be proved has ever occurred1 or can ever occur4 ,the wonders of nature take place in accordance with natural laws2 miracles do not4 ,,why ,,have ,,miracles ,,ceased8 ,an obvious objection to miracles is the one often propounded by an inquiring child1 ,why do we no longer have miracles8 ,the rationalist's reply1 of course1 is that1 so soon as nature's laws were better understood1 trustworthy evidence was demanded and miracles ceased4 ,paley tries to parry the question by saying3 ,to expect1 concerning a miracle1 that it should succeed upon repetition is to expect that which would make it cease to be a miracle2 which is contrary to its nature as such1 and would totally destroy the use and purpose for which it was wrought4 #ca ,but1 as ,cotter ,morison remarks3 #cb ,assuming that a miracle reveals the presence of a supernatural power1 why should its repetition destroy its miraculous character8 ,above all1 why should it destroy its use8 ,if miracles are intended to convert the stiff-necked and hard-of-heart1 what more likely way of bringing them to submission than the repetition of miracles8 ,and1 according to ,scripture1 this was precisely the way in which ,pharaoh1 king of ,egypt1 was humbled4 ,he resisted the miracles wrought by ,moses and ,aaron with stubbornness all through the first nine plagues2 but the universal slaying of the first-born broke even his spirit4444 ,it may suit ,paley to say that repetition of miracles would destroy their use2 but he must be a luke-warm theologian who does not at times wish from the depth of his heart that an authentic miracle could be produced4 ,yet it is at this momentous crisis in the religious affairs of the world1 when the enemy is carrying one position after another1 and has all but penetrated to the citadel of belief1 that no miracles occur1 that no miracles are claimed1 except1 indeed1 of the compromising species made at ,lourdes4444 ,when no one doubted the possibility of the frequency of miracles they abounded1 we are told--that is1 when1 by reason of their number and the ready credit accorded to them1 their effect was the least startling1 then they were lavished on a believing world4 ,now1 when they are denied and insulted as the figments of a barbarous age2 when the faith they might support is in such jeopardy as it never was before2 when a tithe of the wonders wasted in the deserts of ,sinai and the 'parts beyond ,jordan' would shake the nations with astonishment and surprise--when1 in short1 the least expenditure of miracle would produce the maximum of result1 then miracles mysteriously cease4 ,this fact1 which is beyond contest1 has borne fruit1 and will yet bear more4 ,some pious ,christians1 feeling the force of arguments such as these1 contend that ,christ's promises to believers do indeed apply to all time2 that supernatural manifestations have not ceased2 and that1 when there is no exercise of the supernatural in the visible ,church of ,christendom1 it is owing to lack of faith4 ,can you give me1 asks ,father ,ignatius1 #cc one single text in ,holy ,scripture to prove that miracles and visions are to cease with the apostles8 ,when we hear1 in all directions1 of the supernatural being manifested1 we need not wonder1 for we are living in a day which demands supernatural manifestations more than any other epoch in the ,christian ,church4 ,,belief ,,in ,,miracles ,,essential4 ,the old argument in support of miracles and inspiration was clearly vitiated by its circular nature1 for it was to the effect that miracles were true because asserted to be so in the ,bible1 which was the inspired word of ,god1 and that the ,bible was inspired because the miracles proved it to be so4 ,this argument is gradually being dropped1 and ,i have only alluded to it to show how much importance used to be1 and1 for the matter of that1 still is1 attached to miracles1 as proving the truth of the ,bible4 ,butler1 ,paley1 ,mansel1 ,mozley1 ,farrar1 ,westcott1 ,liddon1 and a host of other authorities1 could not conceive that revelation could be made in any other way than by miracles1 and felt that without them ,christianity would be proved false and overthrown4 ,such also appears to be the opinion of the majority of our living dignitaries4 ,on the other hand1 the minority1 which we may take to be represented by the able writers in ,contentio ,veritatis and elsewhere1 maintain that the time is past when ,christianity could be presented as a revelation attested by miracles4444 ,we must accept ,christianity1 not on the ground of the miracles1 but in spite of them4444 ,there has been no special intervention of the ,divine ,will contrary to the natural order of things4 ,that is1 by ruling miracles to be out of court1 the new school are able to reconcile the facts of science with the ,christian faith4 ,our belief in ,jesus ,christ must be based upon moral conviction2 not upon physical wonder4 #cd ,the old school1 on the other hand1 consider ,christianity to be untrue without miracles4 ,the miraculous element1 they say1 cannot be weeded out of the ,gospel narratives without altogether impugning the historical value of these documents4 #ce ,they are able to maintain this position1 and yet remain believers1 by disallowing the facts of science4 ,it is an extraordinary state of affairs1 and who can wonder that many of the laity who know of these things are meanwhile fast lapsing into agnosticism8 ,as a matter of fact1 no bishop1 no clerk in ,holy ,orders1 can honestly retain his preferment unless he believes in miracles4 ,he would have to follow the example of the late ,sir ,leslie ,stephen1 and resign4 #b4 ,miracle ,apologetics4 ,the question arises1 ,how1 then1 do the majority of our spiritual guides regard the accounts of miracles in the ,bible8 ,broadly speaking1 miracles are divided by them into three classes--7#a7 mythical1 but containing spiritual truths2 7#b7 explicable naturally2 7#c7 historical and vital4 ,should their views be of a very advanced type1 all the miracles will be relegated to the first two classes4 ,if advanced1 but not quite so much advanced1 the fundamental miracles of the ,incarnation1 ,resurrection1 and ,ascension will be taken into the third class2 the miracles deemed to be not indispensable1 or not serving a useful purpose1 being explained away4 ,continuing to descend the scale of enlightenment1 more and more miracles will find their way into the third class1 until no miracles alleged to have been performed by ,christ himself will be discredited--except1 perhaps1 those that appear particularly incredible or useless1 such as sending devils into swine1 turning water into wine1 or withering a fig tree4 ,regarding the miracles alleged to have been performed by the ,apostles we hear very little4 ,concerning the ,old ,testament miracles1 however1 opinions are freely expressed1 and range between those of the ,broad ,church1 who consider the miracles all belong to the first two classes1 and those of the strictly orthodox1 who maintain all the miraculous events to be facts1 on the principle that1 whether the whale swallowed ,jonah or ,jonah swallowed the whale1 they must be true because they are related in the ,holy ,scriptures--the ,scriptures that were accepted as historical by their ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,people who are the children of ,christian parents have been brought up from childhood to a literal acceptance of the miracles1 and now they are not only asked to give up the convictions so sedulously implanted while their minds were most receptive1 but to choose between the conflicting views of the expounders of ,god's word4 ,let us consider some examples of the latest interpretations1 and see if they appeal to our hearts and minds4 ,in ,john v4 7the authenticity of the passage is of no moment to this argument7 we read that the stirring of the waters and the consequent healing virtue was attributed to the presence of an angel4 ,the modern would speak of the pool as a medicinal spring4 ,the fact is the same4 ,the mode of description is different4 ,the ancient knew little of what are called natural causes4 #cf ,the explanation is sensible enough2 but1 while incidentally showing that the ,evangelists were just as credulous and ignorant as other people of their times1 it is a dangerous concession4 ,for directly a natural explanation of this kind is allowed in one case1 it must also be allowed as possible in another1 and thus the fundamental miracles might be shorn of all that renders them of any value for substantiating our faith4 ,regarding the particular explanation under consideration1 one may be permitted to ask1 ,how is it the water has lost its medicinal qualities8 ,also1 ,how is it the ancient's belief is still foisted on the credulous modern8 ,when visiting the traditional ,pool of ,bethesda1 now in the custody of the ,greek ,church1 ,i saw documents exposed in the gateway giving the words from the fifth chapter of ,st4 ,john in fifty-six different languages6 ,the healing miracles performed by ,jesus are now frequently attributed to the use of the same power as that by which faith-cures are effected at the present time--a power upon which the science of psychology is shedding a new light1 and which mental therapeutics will one day place at the disposal of the human race4 ,apart from this disappointing alteration in the character of the mighty works which were supposed to betoken the divinity of ,christ1 is there not something abhorrent in the thought that ,he should take advantage of a secret knowledge of the powers of nature1 in order to impose upon the credulity of the age in which ,he lived1 and thus secure the worship of ,his disciples8 ,at least1 if we are ,christians1 let us assume that ,christ1 as man1 believed ,he was using supernatural powers1 and that ,his disciples1 if they had faith enough1 could remove mountains1 just as ,he undoubtedly believed1 according to such an eminent authority as ,dr4 ,sanday1 that ,he really was casting out devils when ,he cured the epileptic1 etc4 ,it is certainly difficult to understand this ignorance of the ,son of ,god2 but1 when apologists attempt to extricate ,christian dogmas from the quagmire of doubt by such methods1 they only succeed in causing them to disappear into it beyond all hope of recovery4 ,as ,i have alluded to the subject of ,christ's belief in devil-possession1 ,i should mention here that there are still many cultured ecclesiastics1 especially among those who still believe that there is such a personage as the ,devil1 who argue that there was such a malady as devil-possession in those days4 ,some even hold that it still exists4 ,on the other hand1 the ,rev4 ,david ,smith1 in his book1 ,the ,days of ,his ,flesh1 which professes to bring the ,gospels up to date1 holds that ,jesus1 after his wont1 fell in with the delusion1 and that in the case in which the ,gadarene swine play so important a part1 ,he1 like a wise physician1 humanised the madman's fancy1 and feigned acquiescence in his lunatic craze4 ,exorcism1 it may be remarked1 has been practised1 in all times1 wherever a belief has existed in literal demoniacal possession4 ,in the ,latin and ,greek ,churches it is used in the baptism of both adults and infants1 in the consecration of water1 salt1 oil1 etc41 and in specific cases of individuals supposed to be possessed by evil spirits4 ,exorcism in baptism is still retained also in some ,lutheran ,churches4 ,in ,jerusalem1 at the present time1 there are three dissenting sects1 whose ministers practise the exorcism of spirits4 ,opinions differ widely as to whether certain miracles actually occurred1 or whether they admit of a natural explanation4 ,take the miracle of the ,feeding of the ,five ,thousand4 ,the school1 of which the ,bishop of ,birmingham1 late of ,worcester1 and the learned ,dr4 ,sanday are the mouthpieces1 consider that1 whatever may have actually occurred1 a nineteenth-century observer would have given1 if he had been present1 a different account from that which has come down to us4 ,on the other hand1 the ,bishop of ,london believes this miracle to have occurred because of the very humble1 unimaginative 81 and truthful men who reported it4 #cg ,could any two views be more diametrically opposite8 ,obviously1 as has already been pointed out1 destructive admissions concerning any one of the miracles tend to invalidate the truth of all the rest2 and1 therefore1 we find that apologists of a less advanced stamp are still inclined to the view that the miracles connected with the life of ,christ are miracles pure and simple4 ,godet1 in his ,defence of the ,christian ,faith1 explains that ,it will become easy to understand why the prodigies which signalised the advent of ,jesus ,christ upon earth do not occur in our day4444 ,the appearance of the perfectly ,holy ,man was so trenchant a break in the life of humanity up to that moment that from the shock it produced there resulted consequences which have not repeated themselves at any other period4444 ,one condition was requisite--viz41 that there should exist a ,man fit to be associated with the exercise of the ,creative ,omnipotence4 ,many doubters may be prepared to admit the necessity of miracles as explained by the learned ,professor2 but they contend that1 up to the present time1 there is no instance of a miracle having been proved1 not even the alleged sinlessness of ,jesus ,christ1 and they ask why1 if ,god graciously furnished proofs to one generation1 ,he did not1 in ,his infinite wisdom1 ordain that these proofs should be established for all time1 beyond all possibility of cavil8 ,passing on to the miracles of the ,old ,testament1 we often find that those who still maintain that only the first chapters of the ,bible are legendary will adopt a variation of the second class of interpretation--they will say that the events were of an ordinary character1 but occurred in answer to prayer4 ,joshua is for them an historical character4 ,however1 ,joshua x4 #ab-ad must not be taken literally1 but allowance should be made for poetical licence4 ,joshua1 it is explained1 never really committed himself to the extent of commanding the sun and the moon to stand still1 but only besought ,god that the black clouds of the storm driving up the pass from the sea might not be allowed to blot out the sun and bring night prematurely before his victory was complete4 #ch ,this prayer1 be it remembered1 was for the sake of a work of butchery which ,god was supposed to have sanctioned6 ,besides1 as the sun is said to have obeyed ,joshua1 and1 further1 it is said that there was no day like that before it or after it1 at least we are to infer that something very unusual happened at ,joshua's request4 ,the explanation we meet with in what are considered by some to be the best apologetics is that the language used is purely figurative1 just as one might say1 ,i hope the sun won't set too soon1 or ,we never had such a day4 ,similarly there is the north-east wind theory as a possible explanation of what might have happened1 if the crossing of the ,red ,sea ever took place1 and if ,moses be not as mythical as the rod with which he divided the waters4 ,perhaps the most unsatisfactory explanation of all is that regarding the rainbow4 ,it is agreed1 there being no other alternative1 that it is not meant that the rainbow appeared for the first time to ,noah another purely legendary character after the ,flood although this is certainly what the ,bible leads one to suppose1 but that it was adopted then as a visible sign of ,god's covenant1 as water is adopted for a somewhat similar covenant in the ,new ,testament4 #ci ,it is now known for a fact that1 if there are any historical data for the story1 the ,flood could only have been local2 but let that pass4 ,has the rainbow-covenant prevented millions of people perishing since then in many a mighty flood8 ,looking at ,god's promise as a token of ,his pity for suffering humanity1 are not deaths occurring every moment1 accompanied by agony so prolonged and supreme that1 compared with them1 a death by drowning would be a happy release8 ,if ,jews and ,christians still really believe in this story1 how is it that the rainbow attracts not the slightest devout attention8 ,i have never yet heard this beautiful spectacle alluded to with any particular reverence4 ,the reason is obvious4 ,we know that the bow consists of all the prismatic colours produced in the atmosphere by the refraction and reflection of the sun's light from the rain drops1 and no one regards the ,bible story seriously4 ,yet our divines try to save the credit of the ,bible by interpretations which are obviously catching at straws4 ,such methods are as harmful as they are pitiful4 ,in all these examples the explanations offered to us seem to come to this--the phenomena were purely natural from start to finish1 only they occurred opportunely and were afterwards poetically embellished2 or they contain a spiritual meaning4 ,perhaps the most extraordinary argument ever brought forward concerning the sun standing still is that urged by the learned ,bishop ,westcott in his ,gospel of the ,resurrection4 ,he says 7pp4 #ch-i73 ,it would be positively immoral for us now to pray that the tides or the sun should not rise on a particular day2 but1 as long as the idea of the physical law which ruled them was unformed or indistinct1 the prayer would have been reasonable1 and 7may we not suppose87 the fulfilment also4 ,it is difficult to believe that these can really be the words of one of the ,church's greatest scholars4 ,to what extent will not bias influence the brain to use its powers perversely8 ,it is far-fetched arguments of this kind that increase rather than dispel doubt in the normal mind1 and especially when they are brought forward in all seriousness by the very pillars of the ,church4 ,we are sometimes asked to banish our doubts and craving for intellectualism1 as it is called1 and to come to ,christ as little children and in ,him to find rest4 ,certainly it is only by letting our minds sink to the level of a little child's1 or1 what is the same thing1 to the level of a primeval man's1 that we could bring ourselves to accept such childish nonsense4 ,a child asks for the moon1 but does not know the physical impossibility of obtaining his desire4 ,his prayer is therefore reasonable1 and 7may we not suppose87 the fulfilment also4 ,this unconscious trifling with the truth--for in reality it is nothing else--reminds me of a passage in ,dr4 ,smith's orthodox1 but somewhat out of date1 ,dictionary of the ,bible1 where an attempt is made to reconcile the ,mosaic narrative of ,creation with the discoveries of modern science4 ,it runs as follows3 ,the very act of creation must have been the introducing of laws2 but1 when the work was finished1 those laws may have suffered some modification4 #dj ,we have seen that1 while one section of apologists contend that belief in the miraculous is essential1 other advocates of ,christianity try to get rid of all difficulties by suggesting that such words as miracles and supernatural ought not to be used4 ,in a paper on ,the ,effect of ,science upon ,christianity1 which he has contributed to the ,christian ,commonwealth1 the ,rev4 ,r4 ,f4 ,horton1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d41 affirms that the word 'supernatural' is ill-chosen1 and he adds that it is unknown in the ,new ,testament1 and introduces ideas which are alien to those of ,christ4 ,the word miracles1 #da he holds1 is equally unfortunate1 and represents a notion which is not contained in the ,new ,testament terms signs and mighty works4 ,if this be not word-spinning1 then what is8 ,does it matter whether we call the raising of ,lazarus a miracle or a sign8 ,is the miraculous feeding of the multitudes rendered more credible if we call it a natural instead of a supernatural occurrence8 ,is not the whole point of the sign lost1 too1 if it be no longer supernatural--if it becomes a sort of juggling feat8 ,dr4 ,horton leaves us in no doubt as to the object of his play upon words4 ,he aims at disposing of the difficulties connected with ,christian miracles by affirming that everything in nature is miraculous4 ,he observes3 ,there is no miracle in the ,new ,testament so amazing as the fact that from protoplasm has developed the spiritual life of the saint4 ,he is voicing one of the latest pleas of the advanced apologists--a plea which is transparently vain and futile4 ,development from protoplasm1 like all the other wonders of the universe1 takes place in accordance with natural laws more or less perfectly understood2 and these things have no sort of connection with the signs and mighty works of the ,new ,testament4 ,miracles are rejected not because they are amazing1 but because they are contradictory to experience and at variance with the laws of nature4 ,so far the scientist considers the reign of law to be an established scientific fact1 and he is naturally loth to conclude1 without the strongest evidence1 that1 after all1 he has been deceived4 ,much less would he come to such a conclusion when there is not even a particle of trustworthy evidence4 ,there is the significant circumstance1 too1 that the laws now discovered were unknown at the time of the alleged performance of miracles1 and that the belief in miracles1 and in the supposed continuance of miracles1 varies in inverse proportion to knowledge4 #c4 ,the ,fundamental ,miracles4 ,the above samples of apologetics fairly represent the various ways in which miracles are now explained4 ,even if the reasoning were sound1 it would hardly serve to strengthen the arguments for those miracles which cannot and must not be explained away--the miracles on which are based the central doctrines of the ,christian ,faith4 ,christianity stands or falls according as the ,resurrection and ,ascension are facts or not4 ,the ,rationalist's criticisms have been presented in many articles and books1 but perhaps nowhere more clearly and forcibly than in the well-known work1 ,supernatural ,religion2 and it is worthy of note that these criticisms have been further strengthened by the latest ,higher ,criticism1 as set forth in the articles on the ,resurrection and ,ascension narratives in the ,encyclopdia ,biblica4 ,i have specially referred to ,supernatural ,religion1 because this book created a considerable stir in theological circles when it first appeared1 some years ago1 and also because its arguments are popularly supposed to have been completely demolished by ,bishop ,lightfoot in his ,essays on the ,work ,called ,supernatural ,religion4 ,but--and here is a good instance of the ease with which the laity can be deceived--if anyone will take the trouble only to glance at these two works1 he will find1 to his astonishment1 that the whole of the overwhelmingly important portion of the book under review1 such as the chapters on miracles1 on the ,resurrection1 on the ,incarnation1 and on the ,ascension1 has received no attention6 ,besides1 there is ,a ,reply to ,dr4 ,lightfoot's ,essays #db which completely demolishes the ,bishop's arguments4 ,,the ,,resurrection4 ,advanced modern criticism shows that the ,resurrection can no longer be regarded as a historical fact1 the evidence being unreliable4 ,this is the sober opinion of professors of theology formed on the results of the most careful research1 and with no preconceived opinion as to its scientific impossibility4 ,what have the apologists to say to this8 ,while the obvious discrepancies and deficiencies in the accounts of the ,resurrection are left practically unexplained1 the old argument from the empty tomb #dc is being discarded as worthless by the best scholars4 ,again1 the new science of psychology robs the appearances1 supposing that they ever occurred1 of any meaning that could be construed into a proof of the ,resurrection4 ,only one argument of any account is left1 and on this the apologist chiefly pins his faith1 more than on anything else4 ,a certain contemporary of ,christ wrote some letters in which he shows a firm belief in the ,resurrection3 his name was ,paul4 ,the evidence of this one man is considered sufficient to substantiate a miracle1 which is contrary to all human experience1 and upon the truth of which depend the ,christian ,faith and our hope of immortality6 ,moreover1 ,st4 ,paul was not present himself on any of the occasions of the alleged appearances2 and1 except with regard to his own particular religious experience1 his evidence is therefore hearsay4 ,the statement that ,jesus was seen by #ejj brethren at once is of little value1 and ,st4 ,paul omits to mention what steps he took to ascertain the accuracy of his information--who the individuals were1 what the various impressions made upon them were1 etc4 ,the appearance to #ejj brethren is not mentioned in any of the ,gospels4 ,that ,st4 ,paul heard such a report does not prove that the report was true1 or1 if true1 that the #ejj had clear and unmistakable evidence of ,christ's presence4 ,there are critics who could not accept the evidence of ,st4 ,paul1 for the simple reason that they conclude that we possess no ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul2 that the writings which bear his name are pseudepigrapha1 containing seemingly historical data from the life and labours of the ,apostle borrowed from ,acts of ,paul--a work containing1 so far as is known to us1 both truth and fiction4 #dd ,less advanced criticism lays down the broad thesis that all the ,pauline epistles are real letters written by him1 but that ,paul1 who reckoned the future of this present world not by millennia or centuries1 but by a few short years1 had not the faintest surmise of the part his letters were destined to play in the providential ordering of the world4 #de ,accepting the genuineness of the ,epistles1 and therefore of the passage in #a ,cor4 xv4 #c-h1 let us pause and think over the chief features of the argument4 ,in the first place1 it seems to me that the fact of ,st4 ,paul having been a contemporary of the ,messiah really only adds to our perplexities4 ,when there were so many who were eye-witnesses of ,his life1 why should ,god single out one who was not thus favoured as ,his chief witness for all posterity8 ,he was living at the same time and in the same country as ,christ1 and yet never knew ,him4 ,surely it stands to reason that an eye-witness is of more value than a mere visionary who wrote letters revealing a remarkable ignorance of the greater part of the narrative of the ,gospels1 and indeed of the whole body of teachings there ascribed to ,jesus4 ,that ,st4 ,paul would believe in the ,resurrection before he took up the ,christian cause goes without saying2 but that he believed everything he heard from the followers of ,christ1 and everything he thought he heard when in a trance1 does not1 ,i fear1 amount to much in the way of evidence--and especially so when we know that this was an age when the resurrection of any great prophet was taken to be a normal event4 ,how often1 ,i wonder1 in the world's history have not the disciples of great teachers attributed miraculous powers to their beloved master1 even when with them alive1 and still further magnified these powers after his death8 ,how often has it not occurred that these same stories have been further exaggerated in the course of their transmission to succeeding generations8 ,nothing is more conceivable than that the ,bible story may spuriously embellish the real life of ,jesus as much as the mythical accounts of ,buddha1 for instance1 spuriously embellish the real life of ,prince ,siddrtha4 ,of all old-world legends1 the death and resurrection of a virgin-born or in some way divinely-born ,saviour was the most widespread4 ,saul1 the ,pharisee1 would have been imbued with this prevalent notion1 and so could never get away from the thought that some kind of propitiation had to be made for the sins of men4 ,time after time a terrible suspicion must have crossed his mind--what if he were committing a heinous crime in persecuting the ,christians8 ,what if1 after all1 the ,crucified ,one were the real ,saviour of mankind8 ,doubts such as these may well have deeply agitated him4 ,the living figure so often described to him by the ,christians must have stood out before him4 ,on his own testimony1 as well as that of the ,acts1 he was prone to visions and other ecstatic conditions 7#b ,cor4 xii4 #a-d2 #a ,cor4 xiv4 #ah2 ,acts ix4 #ab1 xvi4 #i1 xxii4 #ag1 xxvii4 #bc74 ,what more natural than that after his religious experience near ,damascus he should be convinced that he had been specially favoured by an interview with the ,saviour8 ,so many spiritual experiences of a like nature are on record that it is difficult to know which is the best to select for comparison4 ,professor ,huxley1 in his essay on ,the ,value of ,witness to the ,miraculous1 takes the cases of ,eginhard 7born about ,a4,d4 #ggj71 who wrote ,the ,history of the ,translation of the ,blessed ,martyrs of ,christ1 ,s4,s4 ,marcellinus and ,petrus2 and ,george ,fox1 who1 about the year #afdg1 heard voices and saw visions which assured him that there is a living ,god who made all things4 ,perhaps the case of ,emanuel ,swedenborg #df may be worth a moment's consideration4 ,he was the son of a bishop1 and was carefully educated4 ,endowed with unusual intellectual powers and an iron constitution1 he acquired vast stores of learning4 ,from early childhood he evinced a serious turn of mind1 combined with a remarkable tendency to indulge in religious speculations4 ,eventually he received an extraordinary call in the shape of a vision4 ,this converted the scientific inquirer into a supernatural prophet4 ,he was now the mouthpiece of ,god4 ,the ,lord ,himself hath called me1 who was graciously pleased to manifest ,himself to me1 ,his unworthy servant1 in a personal experience in the year #agde4 ,i have never1 he says in his work on ,true ,christian ,religion1 received anything appertaining to the doctrines of that ,church from any angel1 but from the ,lord alone1 while ,i was reading the ,word4 ,swedenborg was a man who won the respect1 confidence1 and love of all who came in contact with him4 ,he had a peculiarly abstract metaphysical character of mind1 and was firmly convinced that he had conversed with spirits and seen the ,lord4 ,so was ,martin ,luther perfectly convinced that he had seen the ,devil when he threw his ink-pot at him4 ,so was the peasant girl of ,lourdes convinced that she had seen the ,virgin ,mary4 ,so is ,evan ,roberts convinced that he has seen his ,saviour4 ,so have many good ,christians from time to time been convinced that they have seen ,christ1 the ,virgin ,mary1 saints1 and angels4 ,father ,ignatius1 the ,evangelist monk1 may be1 as ,i have heard him called1 an emotional wreck2 but he is also a most earnest ,christian1 and he is quite sure that he has seen the ,virgin ,mary4 #dg ,john ,wesley1 whose followers throughout the world to-day number #cj1jjj1jjj1 was also a visionary4 ,thousands and thousands of heathens as well as ,christians have had visions of their saviours2 but such experiences could scarcely be brought forward seriously as a proof of the existence of the divinities believed to have been seen1 or of their ascension after a life upon earth4 ,visual and auditory hallucinations are now the subject of a searching inquiry by the ,society for ,psychical ,research1 and1 willing as some of its members are to explain metapsychical phenomena by the simple theory of the spiritists1 the growing opinion is that these apparitions and voices are purely hallucinatory and due to causes which are not extra-human4 ,as ,mr4 ,lowes ,dickinson pertinently remarks when speaking of ,conversions in his article on ,revelations1 in the ,independent ,review3 ,the important question is whether the belief of the recipient in the evidential value of the experience is justified2 and ,i think that a little consideration will show that it is not so1 for it is noticeable that the truth supposed to be revealed in the moment of conversion is commonly1 if not invariably1 the reflection of the doctrine or theory with which the subject1 whether or no he has accepted it1 has hitherto been most familiar4 ,i have never heard1 for example1 of a case in which a ,mohammedan or a ,hindoo1 without having ever heard of ,christianity1 has had a revelation of ,christian truth4 ,conversion1 in fact1 it would seem1 is not the communication of a new truth2 it is the presentation of ideas already familiar in such a way that they are accompanied by an irresistible certainty that they are true4444 ,a religious revelation cannot be distinguished from what would be admitted to be the hallucinations of disease4 ,a man may be convinced1 with equal assurance1 that he is a poached egg or a saint2 that he has a mission to assassinate the king or redeem the world2 that he is eternally damned or eternally saved2 that he has had a vision of the ,virgin ,mary or a vision of ,nirvana4 ,another argument for considering the ,resurrection as an historical fact is that brought forward by the ,rev4 ,d4 ,s4 ,margoliouth4 ,the learned ,professor argues in the ,expositor that the ,gospel narrative is located within historic times4 ,so are the narratives of ,king ,arthur 7the ,celtic ,messiah71 or ,william ,tell1 or ,robin ,hood2 but historians are silent about all these narratives1 sacred and profane alike4 ,there was probably a real ,arthur1 however different from the hero of the trouvres1 and a real ,robin ,hood1 however now enlarged and disguised by the accretion of legend4 ,similarly there was a real ,jesus ,christ2 but the marvellous event of ,his resurrection is unrecorded by any of the celebrated historians of the period4 ,the final argument is that the ,resurrection is1 so to speak1 of a piece with the whole character and the claims of ,christ4444 ,even had we no ,testament at all1 we should be obliged to postulate something very much like either the ,resurrection or the belief in the ,resurrection in order to account for ,christianity4 ,no one disputes1 ,i should think1 this necessity for the ,resurrection1 if we are to remain ,christians2 but it is of the fact of the ,resurrection that unfortunate doubters wish to be assured4 ,the ,bishop of ,ripon argues that the miraculous accessories connected with the birth and resurrection of ,jesus ,christ find a place only in the group of secondary witnesses1 and adds significantly3 ,our belief in ,jesus ,christ must be based upon moral conviction1 not upon physical wonder4 ,the meaning of this1 in plain ,english1 is clear enough1 and ,i leave it for the honest-minded reader to decide whether this is a satisfactory foundation for the ,christian dogmas4 ,is this what he was taught1 or what his children are now being taught8 ,will it suffice8 ,can he remain a ,christian8 ,will his children1 when they grow up and begin to think for themselves1 remain ,christians8 ,the ,dean of ,westminster writes to the ,archbishop of ,canterbury3 ,students of natural science find themselves left with ,st4 ,luke as the strongest historical evidence within the ,new ,testament4 ,now1 the author of ,st4 ,luke is also the author of the ,acts1 and his propensity for miraculous decoration is by no means reassuring4 ,besides1 he was not an eye-witness4 ,then1 too1 we have ,canon ,henson1 in the ,hibbert ,journal for ,april1 #aijd1 informing us that ,any candid ,christian reading through the accounts of the ,new ,testament evidences 444 cannot escape the inference that the evidence for the quasi-historical statements of the ,creed is of a highly complicated1 dubious1 and even contradictory character4 ,he then asks us3 ,is an honest belief in the ,resurrection really inconsistent with a reverent agnosticism as to the historical circumstances out of which in the first instance that belief arose8 ,the reply of an ordinary candid layman is1 ,i think1 sufficiently obvious4 ,similarly1 ,abb ,loisy1 the champion of advanced theology in the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 considers the ,resurrection to be a spiritual fact only1 and not a fact of the historical order4 ,la ,rsurrection n'est pas proprement un fait d'ordre historique4 ,the powerful article in the ,encyclopdia ,biblica also leads us to the same conclusion4 ,those who believe in the fact of the ,resurrection1 and have not ,canon ,henson's reverent agnosticism concerning the event1 must believe also in all the facts related in connection with it1 including the account of ,jesus having eaten and having been touched1 and of his bodily ascent up into the clouds4 ,if any one portion of the story be considered incredible or untrustworthy1 the whole collapses4 ,it may be useful1 therefore1 to put to ourselves some questions concerning any one of the many marvellous accessories of the ,resurrection4 ,how few of us have ever had our belief tested by searching questions such as a cultured heathen would put if we tried to convert him8 ,for instance1 what would you reply if you were asked by an intelligent native of ,india1 ,china1 or ,japan3 ,who were the saints of whom ,matthew speaks as having risen from their graves8 ,to whom did they appear8 ,and how was it that their graves were opened as ,jesus died1 while their bodies did not come out till after ,his ,resurrection8 ,what also became of them afterwards8 ,to this the only candid reply possible would be3 ,i am unable to give you any information on this subject4 ,their not appearing till after ,jesus rose from death would seem to have been introduced so as not to give them the precedence over ,him in the exercise of the privilege of resurrection4 ,he is said to be 'the first that should rise from the dead' 7,acts xxvi4 #bc71 'the first fruits of them that slept' 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #bj71 'the first-born from the dead' 7,col4 i4 #ah74 ,this1 however1 would hardly satisfy your questioner1 who would reply3 ,your inability to give me this information excites my suspicions1 and your further statements seem to me to be very clumsy4 ,to mark and enhance the death of the ,messiah1 nature is said to be convulsed1 and graves thrown open2 but the exit of the saints who were to come out of them is restrained till ,he should first have made ,his egress from the tomb three days later4 ,and1 after all1 ,he had no such precedence in resurrection1 for several persons are said to have been raised from the dead by the prophets of old and by ,himself2 two passed into heaven without ever being in their graves1 and one of them--namely1 ,elias--appeared to ,him with ,moses in risen life at the time of ,his transfiguration4 ,may ,i ask1 ,are the disturbances of nature which are said to have occurred at the crucifixion--namely1 the preternatural darkness for three hours and the earthquake--mentioned by historians of the time8 ,you would have to confess1 ,they are not4 ,thus you would fail to convert your heathen interlocutor1 whose final fling at you would be3 ,that seems to demonstrate that nothing of the kind could really have occurred4 ,moreover1 had there been such phenomena1 the other evangelists would not have failed to support their position with these divine manifestations4 ,,the ,,ascension4 ,if apologetics dealing with the ,resurrection are unconvincing1 still more so are those regarding the ,ascension4 ,there is little or no attempt to explain the meagreness of the ,gospel narratives1 how all mention of it is omitted in the ,gospels of ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,john2 and one vague sentence is all we are given in ,st4 ,mark and ,st4 ,luke--sentences which1 according to the ,higher ,critics1 were never penned by these persons4 ,in ,the ,acts the ,st4 ,luke writer furnishes the detail that a cloud received him out of their sight1 and that1 as ,he went up1 behold1 two men stood by them in white apparel1 which also said1 ,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing up into heaven8 ,this same ,jesus1 which is taken up from you into heaven1 shall so come in like manner as ye have seen ,him go into heaven4 ,in these days ascending up has no meaning for us4 ,candidly1 if the writer had had our astronomical knowledge1 would these words ever have been written8 ,certainly they would not4 ,then is the ,ascension a fact or is it not8 ,how is it possible that ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,john could have remained silent regarding such an event if they had really witnessed it8 ,or granting1 in the case of the writer of ,st4 ,john1 that he was not ,st4 ,john the ,apostle1 though he distinctly says he was1 it is still astounding that he should have omitted to record such important evidence of ,christ's divinity1 if it was an accepted fact at the time he wrote4 ,archdeacon ,wilson1 in a paper read at the ,diocesan ,conference at ,manchester1 ,october #bbnd1 #aijc1 asks3 ,what do we mean in our ,creed when we say3 ',he came down from heaven'8 ,we explain away 'down1' we explain away 'heaven' in the sense in which the word was originally used4 ,what do we mean by 'descended into ,hell'8 by ',sitteth on the right hand of ,god'8444 ,spiritual truths are spiritually discerned1 and do not admit of final intellectual definitions4 ,we can only avert the rejection of theology by recognising its limitations4 ,is it possible for the bulk of humanity1 ,i ask1 to possess the requisite spiritual discernment8 ,is it not far more likely that1 with the spread of education1 they will finally reject theology8 ,the ,rev4 ,david ,smith1 in his book1 ,the ,days of ,his ,flesh1 #dh dismisses the ,ascension with the words3 ,when ,jesus parted from the eleven on ,olivet1 ,he did not forsake the earth and migrate to a distant ,heaven4 ,he ceased to manifest ,himself2 but ,he is here at this hour no otherwise than during those forty days4 ,one can but wonder how ,ascension ,day is kept in ,mr4 ,smith's church1 and how he brings himself to repeat the ,apostles' ,creed4 ,leaving aside the thoroughly unreliable nature of the ,bible accounts of the ,ascension1 consider how easy it is for the superstitious1 through optical illusions or subjective visions 7or whatever name it may please the neologist to give to these experiences71 to be honestly convinced of the occurrence of a supernatural event1 and to take care that it should lose nothing of its marvellous character in the telling4 ,only the other day the good people of ,sudja saw a mighty iris-coloured cross appear over the cathedral during divine service1 and regarded the phenomenon as a sign of heaven's resolve to bestow victory upon ,christian ,russia4 ,this miracle was witnessed by all the notabilities of the city1 who forwarded a description to ,general ,kuropatkin in a document duly attested with their signatures4 ,for the stupendous and absurdly impossible miracle of the ,ascension we have not even got a satisfactory description1 much less an attested document4 ,is it not time that we should ask ourselves the plain question1 ,do we really believe that an extraordinary levitation occurred1 and that ,jesus ,christ was seen to be rising in the air until some passing clouds concealed ,him from view8 ,if we do not so believe1 why do we say we do when we repeat the ,creed8 ,why do we pretend we do when we sit in church and listen to the account of the ,ascension1 and perhaps to a sermon on it8 ,why do we allow our friends to think that we do so believe8 ,why is ,ascension ,day one of our ,holy ,days8 ,and1 finally1 why do we teach1 or allow others to teach1 our children what we know to be untrue8 ,surely these are serious questions to ask ourselves4 ,,the ,,incarnation4 ,there remains the miracle of the ,virgin-birth4 ,that this is under dispute among ,christian theologians is notorious1 and the controversy has but served to show with ever-increasing clearness how untrustworthy is the evidence for this miracle4 ,christian ,biblical experts inform us that it belongs to the latest strata of the ,new ,testament tradition1 and that no trace of the story can be found before #abj ,a4,d4 ,in other words1 that it is an obvious interpolation in ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke4 ,adolf ,harnack1 the learned ,professor of ,church ,history in the ,university of ,berlin1 is looked upon1 even by the orthodox1 as one of our greatest living ,biblical scholars1 and we learn from him that we must disregard the history of ,jesus' birth given in these two ,gospels2 for not only is it untrustworthy1 but the evangelists themselves never refer to it1 nor make ,jesus ,himself refer to ,his antecedents4 ,on the contrary1 they tell us that ,jesus' mother and ,his brethren were completely surprised at ,his coming forward1 and did not know what to make of it4 ,paul1 too1 is silent2 so that we can be sure that the oldest tradition knew nothing of any stories of ,jesus' birth4 #di ,moral fitness appears to be the only argument that we can fall back upon1 and this is now the apologists' last stronghold4 ,if they belong to the ,church of ,england1 they should remember that it was this identical line of reasoning that gave rise to the pious opinion that the ,mother of ,christ had herself been miraculously preserved from all taint of original sin from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother4 ,as ,bernard of ,clairvaux vigorously argued 7in #aadj ,a4,d473 ,on the same principle you would be obliged to hold that the conception of her ancestors1 in an ascending line1 was also a holy one1 since otherwise she would not have descended from them worthily4 ,yet1 in spite of the absurdity1 the doctrine of the ,immaculate ,conception was formally defined1 as a dogma binding on the acceptance of all the faithful1 by the bull ,ineffabilis ,deus 7,december #hth1 #ahed74 ,certainly there is a moral fitness in the ,virgin-birth of the ,son of ,god1 and it is also fit that ,his mother should have been immaculately conceived2 and those who hold to the one doctrine may well hold to the other4 ,some apologists appear almost in despair of a continuance of belief in this dogma4 ,the learned ,dr4 ,sanday says we ought to regard the ,virgin-birth as one of those hidden mysteries which1 whether or not ,god wills that we should believe them now1 ,he has1 at all events1 willed that men should believe in times past4 ,is not this tantamount to giving up belief in the ,virgin-birth8 ,,concluding ,,remarks4 ,because ,god once willed that men should have all kinds of absurd superstitions1 and now wills that they should acknowledge their absurdity1 are we1 as ,dr4 ,sanday appears to recommend1 to keep up the pretence of believing in them on the ground that they are hidden mysteries8 ,surely not2 but1 speaking of mysteries1 there is one which ought to be cleared1 or at least receive a much fuller investigation than it has yet received at the hands of the ,church4 ,i refer to the fact that1 ages before the ,christian era1 certain miracles were believed to have taken place1 and that these were of precisely the same nature as those recorded in the ,bible4 ,for instance1 numerous saviours were believed to have been born of virgins1 to have died for the sins of mankind1 to have risen again from the dead1 and to have ascended into heaven4 ,thus not only are the ,bible miracles scientifically impossible2 not only are they unsupported by anything approaching adequate evidence2 not only do the specious explanations of apologists serve but to confirm our scepticism concerning them2 but we find that they are not even original--that they form part of ancient superstitions4 ,that these fresh grounds for suspecting the truth of ,christianity are of the gravest character will be shown in the chapter on ,comparative ,mythology4 ,,bible ,,criticism ,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,destructive ,,character ,,of ,,modern ,,bible ,,criticism #a4 ,clashing ,views on ,bible ,criticism4 ,such1 then1 is an outline of the state of apologetics on the subject of ,miracles in general1 and of those connected with the central doctrines of the ,church in particular4 ,nothing could be more unsatisfactory1 nothing more calculated to arouse suspicion of the ,faith2 and now1 if we turn our attention to the ,higher ,criticism1 and to the apologetics it has called forth1 we shall find these suspicions still further strengthened4 ,on the one hand a considerable proportion of these criticisms are accepted by the more enlightened divines1 and1 on the other hand1 those who refuse to accept any of them urge that they undermine ,christianity4 ,the ,dean of ,canterbury1 ,dr4 ,wace1 is one of the latter class4 ,speaking at a men's service 7at ,st4 ,mary ,bredin's ,church1 ,canterbury1 on ,december #dth1 #aijd71 he justly twits the critics for describing a considerable part of the ,bible1 and particularly the early part1 as not historical1 when what they mean is that it is not true4 ,no subtle theories are required to support ,dr4 ,wace's belief in ,christianity1 for even the first chapter of ,genesis is1 in his opinion1 a substantially accurate account of that which happened on earth before there were any men upon it1 and is the best proof that the ,bible proceeded from ,god4 ,he remains among the dwindling number of those who1 in these days of ,christian storm and stress1 still cling to the old ideas about the ,bible4 ,his reasons for doing so are apparently similar to those given by ,roger in a little pamphlet entitled ,roger's ,reasons 7by ,john ,urquhart71 where it is sought to reconcile the ,bible and ,science at the expense of accuracy1 logic1 and common sense4 ,for the obscurantist1 belief is made easy1 and the apologies for the ,faith can be comparatively straightforward4 ,for the enlightened the conditions are reversed4 ,an example of the advanced views of a ,church of ,england divine1 and of the objections to these views of a strictly orthodox ,churchman1 may prove instructive4 ,reviewing the ,bishop of ,winchester's book1 ,on ,holy ,scripture and ,criticism1 the ,church ,times 7of ,february #ajth1 #aije7 pertinently observes3 ,attacks upon the ,gospel narratives of the ,virgin ,birth and the ,resurrection1 made with such persistence from within the ,church1 are ugly developments which were not anticipated in #ahij4 ,yet1 strange to say1 there is no recognition of the new situation in the ,bishop of ,winchester's book4 ,this silence regarding points especially requiring explanation is1 ,i fear1 a common feature in religious apologetics4 ,look again at the reviewer's next remark3 ,the ,bishop forgets that the truth of the message is intimately connected with the authenticity of the record1 and a critical theory which assails the one assails the other4 ,here1 then1 we have an elementary truth frankly recognised2 and1 in plain ,english1 it means that1 if the ,bishop's criticisms be true1 ,christianity is untrue4 ,entering into more detail1 the writer goes on to say3 ,for example1 the ,bible record of the ,fall and the truth of our ,lord's 'atoning death on the ,cross' are closely connected with each other4 ,modern criticism discards the former as a myth1 and indications abound on every side that the denial of the ,fall leads to a denial of the ,atonement4 ,it is not too much to say that the new method of interpreting the ,bible has helped to overthrow belief in ,christ as a ,divine ,redeemer4 ,his redemptive work and mediatorial office have been thrust into the background4 ,the situation could not be put more lucidly4 ,there is no hair-splitting or glozing here4 ,the reviewer characterises this silence on crucial points as grave omissions1 and he might have added that such omissions are calculated to arouse suspicions of the ,faith4 ,he continues3 ,again the ,bishop says3-- ,think of the use made of the ,hebrew ,scriptures by the ,apostles in the ,acts1 or by ,st4 ,paul in his ,epistles4 ,it is ever the spiritual and moral lesson4 ,it is by no means 'ever' the spiritual and moral lesson only4 ,both in the ,book of the ,acts and ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles the historical and predictive portions of the ,jewish ,scriptures are constantly appealed to1 and used as the basis of argument4 ,the suggestion that the ,apostles attached little importance to the latter is far from being borne out by the evidence4 ,one of the chief things in which they differ from writers of the modern school is their use of ,old ,testament history and prediction4 ,compare the place which prophecy occupies in the ,epistle to the ,romans with the place it holds in the ,bishop of ,winchester's book1 where no more than sixteen lines in #ahg pages are allotted to it4 ,each of the ,synoptic ,gospels describes the scene at the ,transfiguration1 when ,moses and ,elias talked with our ,lord in the sight of three of ,his disciples4 ,st4 ,luke mentions that they talked about ,his approaching death4 ,in the face of that narrative1 those who say that our ,lord knew no more of ,moses than any ,jew of the period are bound to explain how they reconcile the statement with the ,evangelists' account of the ,transfiguration4 ,no ,jewish scribe of the first century a4d4 could pretend to have seen or conversed with either ,elijah or ,moses4 ,bishop ,ryle says of our ,lord3-- ,in ,his incidental references to ,moses1 ,he adopts the language of the ,scribes4444 ,he never displayed knowledge of facts which could not be possessed by those of his own time4444 ,to ,his intellectual powers in ,his humanity there seem to have been assigned the natural barriers of the time in which he lived4 ,the ,bishop does not perceive apparently that these arguments cut both ways1 so that they tell against our ,lord's claim to foreknow the future quite as much as against ,his knowledge of the past4 ,and we are entitled to ask how they can possibly be made to agree with the express testimony of the ,evangelists that ,moses and ,elijah were seen in ,christ's company1 and 'spake of the decease which ,he should accomplish at ,jerusalem4' ,i have quoted these apposite remarks at length because they will come with more force from the mouth of an orthodox believer than from anyone in doubt like myself4 ,one cannot help wondering what the ,bishop could have to urge in reply2 for the ground is cut from under him by his own acceptance of so much of modern criticism4 ,as he is a high dignitary of the ,church1 it is all the more puzzling4 ,referring to the remarks concerning ,moses1 it may be mentioned that1 according to the critics1 ,moses is not a historical personage4 #ej ,whether the ,bishop accepts this or not it is difficult to say2 but apparently he does1 from his desire to explain that1 in ,his references to ,moses1 ,christ adopts the language of the ,scribes4 ,dr4 ,driver's new book on ,genesis has also called forth some adverse criticisms from the less advanced4 ,for example1 ,dr4 ,lock1 the ,warden of ,keble1 enumerates several considerations in support of the general trustworthiness of the patriarchal narratives1 and observes that the fact of inspiration1 once admitted on the higher level of a moral and spiritual tone1 may well carry its influence over into details of fact1 and turn the balance when otherwise uncertain4 ,personally1 ,i very much doubt whether the general public1 once informed of the truth1 will ever be induced to look at facts through ,dr4 ,lock's spiritual spectacles4 ,dr4 ,driver1 it should be added1 informs us that ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 and ,joseph were presumably monotheists1 though their monotheism is rudimentary1 and the terms in which they express themselves suggest much riper spiritual capacities and experiences1 being1 in some cases1 borrowed evidently from the phraseology of a much later age4 ,can we depend upon such narrators to furnish us with true history8 ,commenting on ,dr4 ,driver's impossible interpretations of the words1 it shall bruise thy head1 and of the story of the ,fall1 his reviewer in the ,church ,times asks3 ,was it1 or was it not1 a promise made by ,god8 ,this is the plain question which ,dr4 ,driver's readers are forced to ask4 ,sceptical truthseekers1 also1 are asking the same question4 ,when will they receive a straight answer8 #b4 ,a ,summary of the ,results of ,bible ,criticism4 ,the general public know little or nothing of the results of ,bible criticism4 ,why should they8 ,not only do they deem it a dull subject1 but those who attend church are being informed from the pulpit that the ,gospels have been battered by years of criticism1 but have come out of it stronger than ever4 #ea ,it is easy enough to make statements of this kind1 and1 doubtless1 they serve temporarily to quiet the fears of a congregation who know very little of the subject1 and are only too glad to believe what they are told so authoritatively2 but1 unfortunately1 such statements are1 to put it mildly1 misleading4 ,the ordinary man is wofully ignorant of the ,higher ,criticism4 ,his ideas of ,bible difficulties are mostly confined to common sense4 ,he knows1 perhaps1 that scoffers of the ,london parks freethinking type gibe at ,holy ,writ1 and he may himself have made fun of some passages that appear absurd2 but here his knowledge of ,bible criticism ceases4 ,he is not aware that the critics are a body of the most erudite experts in theology1 whose only motive for offering their opinion is to give to the world the result of their arduous research--the motives1 in fact1 of a ,bruno1 a ,darwin1 or a ,pasteur4 ,in view of this widespread ignorance1 ,i propose to enumerate briefly a few of the results of modern criticism1 and1 in giving these results1 ,i shall omit those arising from a study of comparative mythology and of evolution1 as ,i have devoted separate chapters to that purpose4 ,a work has been issued lately which sums up the conclusions of ,bible criticism--higher1 #eb lower or textual1 and historical4 ,it is called the ,encyclopdia ,biblica4 ,its four massive volumes set forth the new views1 and support them by a mass of learning which deserves our serious consideration4 #ec ,space permits of my giving only a few notes of its conclusions1 and but meagre details of the wealth of evidence in support of them4 ,the ,creation ,story a ,myth4--,the story of the ,creation as given in ,genesis originated in a stock of primitive myths common to the ,semitic races4 ,its coincidences with the ,babylonian myth are so numerous that it is impossible to doubt the existence of a real historical connection between them4 ,many indications show that not till after the ,exile in the sixth century ,b4,c4 did the story take its present shape4 ,the ,patriarchs ,unhistorical ,figures4--,then1 again1 all the stories of the ,patriarchs are legendary2 they may contain some truth1 though how much will probably never be known2 to suppose them entirely true is to throw historical criticism altogether overboard4 ,dr4 ,peters is the ,episcopal rector of a large parish in ,new ,york1 who has done good service in the past1 both as ,professor of ,biblical ,literature in the ,episcopal ,seminary at ,philadelphia and as the first leader of the expedition to ,babylonia sent out in #ahhh by the ,university of ,pennsylvania4 ,he has lately written a book called ,the ,early ,hebrew ,story3 ,its ,historical ,background4 ,canon ,cheyne1 reviewing this book in the ,hibbert ,journal for ,january1 #aije1 remarks3 ,it will be granted that ,dr4 ,peters's view of the origination of the stories of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 and1 to some extent1 of ,joseph1 in myths1 legends1 and traditions of sanctuaries1 is a sound one4 ,book of ,genesis ,legendary4--,the book of ,genesis is a composite narrative based on older records long since lost4 ,it appears to have been compiled in the seventh century b4c41 and to have been added to again later4 ,the story of the ,deluge is a ,hebrew version of the ,babylonian epic4 ,book of ,exodus ,legendary4--,the book of ,exodus1 too1 is another composite legend which has long been mistaken for history4 ,sober history gives no warrant for supposing that the signs and wonders wrought by ,moses ever occurred1 that the first-born of ,egypt were ever slain1 or that ,pharaoh was ever drowned in the ,red ,sea4 ,moses a ,legendary ,character4--,the historical character of ,moses has not been established1 and it is doubtful whether the name is that of an individual or that of a clan4 ,the alleged origin of the ,ten ,commandments is purely legendary2 it is probable that they were framed not earlier than the time of ,amos4 ,it is admitted even by conservative critics that the original worship of the ,israelites was not of an ethical character4 ,one of the first suspicions that ever crossed my mind was with regard to the sudden and complete disappearance of the two tables of testimony1 tables of stone written with the finger of ,god4 #ed ,later on1 when ,i knew of the ,moabite stone #ee and the ,rosetta stone1 #ef and especially when ,i learnt that there were inscriptions on bricks and cylinders of a far earlier date than that ascribed to the giving of the ,ten ,commandments1 the old perplexity returned with added force4 ,i remember1 too1 the same feeling of dissatisfaction and suspicion as ,i gazed on the clearly-cut ,pali inscriptions in the ,buddhist caves near ,poona1 and thought of those lost tables said to have been inscribed by the finger of ,god4 ,i once put the question to a well-read clerical friend of mine3 ,how can these tables1 written by the finger of ,god or by ,his direct inspiration1 have been lost8 ,how is it that they have simply disappeared without a word of explanatory comment in the ,bible8 ,it is inconceivably strange4 ,what a witness would they not have been to the truth of the ,old ,testament account1 and to the ,divine authority for the ,commandments6 ,his reply was3 ,it would never have done for these stones to have been preserved1 for they would have become objects of worship4 ,granted that they might have become objects of adoration1 which is worse--to worship faked relics such as the water in which ,joseph of ,arimathea washed the blood-stained body of ,jesus1 portions of wood from the true ,cross1 bits from the crown of thorns1 and thousands of odd pieces of bone from the anatomy of the ,saints2 or to venerate stones that would at least have had the merit of being genuine8 ,why are we left without any reliable evidences of ,god's miraculous revelation of ,himself to men1 while we have abundant evidence for occurrences of trifling importance to mankind that happened thousands of years before the alleged revelation8 ,hammurabi 7a ,babylonian monarch who flourished two thousand years or more before the ,christian era7 inscribed a very excellent1 if somewhat drastic1 code of laws upon a pillar of black diorite1 and we have now got the stone and read the inscriptions2 but the stone inscribed by ,god is lost6 ,the ,book of ,deuteronomy4--,evidence of every kind concurs to prove that in its original form it was a product of the seventh1 not of the fifteenth1 century ,b4,c4 ,in its present form1 ,deuteronomy is a composite and considerably modified version of the older work4 ,originally it may have consisted merely of the long speech attributed to ,moses1 and this may have been the book which was found in the temple in the reign of ,josiah1 the rest of the work being added shortly afterwards4 ,as it is difficult to believe that such a work would have remained in the temple undiscovered for eight hundred years1 is it not reasonable to conclude that the book was placed there by men who thought the time ripe for religious reforms--in fact1 that a pious fraud was perpetrated8 ,the ,psalms a ,composite ,book4--,the fond delusion that all the ,psalms were written by ,david 7though why we should be anxious to ascribe what is really of much ethical value to a person confessedly immoral ,i never could understand7 has been entirely dispelled4 ,it is doubtful whether ,david wrote any of the ,psalms4 ,poetry and ,prophetic ,literature4--,the book of ,job is not a literary unity1 nor was it written with any particular purpose2 it is not a manufacture1 but a growth4 ,jonah is a ,jewish midrash1 or tradition1 like the histories of ,tobit and ,susanna1 and was certainly written after the ,exile4 ,even orthodox clergymen now admit 7in private7 that the ,jonah story is a fairy tale4 ,the great book of ,isaiah is the work of several authors4 ,the book of ,daniel was once assumed to be the most definitely prophetical of the ,old ,testament writings--a notion which is seriously discounted by the discovery that it was beyond question written in the time of ,antiochus ,epiphanes1 after or during the happening of the events which were supposed to be foretold1 and nearly #ejj years after the time of its supposed author4 ,it is questionable whether such a person as ,daniel ever existed2 but it is certain that his adventure in the den of lions1 and that of ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abed-nego in the fiery furnace1 are as fabulous as any in the collection of sop4 ,as a rule1 says ,canon ,cheyne1 the prophets directly connect the final restoration with the removal of the sins of their own age1 and with the accomplishment of such a work of judgment as lies within their own horizon2 to ,isaiah the last troubles are those of the ,assyrian invasion2 to ,jeremiah the restoration follows on the exile to ,babylon2 ,daniel connects the future glory with the overthrow of the ,greek monarchy4 #eg ,referring to non-,christian parallels to the belief in a ,messiah1 ,canon ,cheyne draws special attention to a ,babylonian parallel1 and concludes that it is historically very conceivable that a ,babylonian belief may be the real parent both of this and of all other ,messianic beliefs within the sphere of ,babylonian influence4 #eh ,the manner in which these so-called prophets can be looked upon as foretelling is explained elsewhere #ei as follows3 ,the prophets in the ,old ,testament1 being inspired to interpret human needs1 became unconscious prophets of the ,christ4444 ,it is quite true that prophecy explained in this way is no longer available for the truth of ,christianity to the same extent that it once was--at any rate1 for the convincing of unbelievers4 ,new ,testament ,chronology4--,we do not know exactly when or where #fj ,jesus was born1 when ,he died1 or how long ,he ministered4 ,as to the birth of ,jesus1 the only account which claims to give indications of date rests on a series of mistakes4 ,no census was possible under ,herod1 and none took place under ,cyrenius until ,a4,d4 #g4 ,the only results which have a high degree of probability are the date ,a4,d4 #cj for the death of ,jesus1 and the period of about one year--conservative opinion estimates it to be three years--for the length of ,his public ministry4 ,the ,virgin ,birth4--,the ,gospels themselves afford the amplest justification for a criticism of their narratives4 ,jesus ,himself made no appeal to ,his supposed miraculous birth4 ,the only two verses in the first chapter of ,st4 ,luke which clearly express the idea of a supernatural birth so disturb the connection that we are impelled to regard them as an interpolation4 ,it is ,joseph1 and not ,mary1 whose descent is traced from the son of ,jesse4 ,the genealogy of ,joseph1 given in the first ,gospel1 is prior in date to the story of the ,virgin ,birth1 and could have been drawn up only while he was regarded as the real father of ,jesus4 ,also ,st4 ,paul's statement that ,jesus was born of the seed of ,david according to the flesh cannot be reconciled with the account of his having been born of a virgin4 ,there is no recorded adoration of the ,virgin by ,st4 ,paul1 or1 for the matter of that1 by any of the ,apostles or disciples4 ,apologists point out that among the ,jews1 generally1 the notion of supernatural birth did not attach to their conception of the ,messiah4 ,this is true2 but in the school of thought of which ,philo was head there were traditions that every child of promise was born of a virgin4 ,now ,philo1 the ,hellenistic ,jewish philosopher of ,alexandria1 was a contemporary of ,christ1 and the influence of his school is not disputed4 ,speaking of him in the article on ,alexandria in his ,dictionary of the ,bible1 ,dr4 ,smith says3 ,it is impossible not to feel the important office which the mystic philosophy1 of which ,philo is the representative1 fulfilled in preparing for the apprehension of the highest ,christian truth4 ,in the next chapter we shall see that this mystic philosophy sprang from a heathen source1 and that for the whole birth and childhood story of ,st4 ,matthew1 in its every detail1 it is possible to trace a pagan substratum4 ,jesus4--,professor ,a4 ,b4 ,bruce1 #fa writer of the article on ,jesus1 points out that1 while the ,gospels may be regarded as1 in the main1 a trustworthy tradition1 they are unreliable in many of their details4 ,those details turn out to be the all-important ones1 for he goes on to show that3 ,the ,temptation is a symbolic representation of a spiritual experience2 the story of the ,crucifixion is not pure truth1 but truth mixed with doubtful legend2 the night trial1 the mocking1 the incident of ,barabbas1 the two thieves1 and the preternatural concomitants of the death are picturesque accessories of doubtful authenticity2 ,christ's conceptions of ,messiahship were greatly influenced by the later ,isaiah2 while ,his spiritual intuitions are pure truth valid for all ages1 ,his language concerning the ,father shows limitation of vision2 ,his acts of healing are considered to be real1 though it does not follow that they were miraculous4 ,referring to the strange statement that ,jesus declined to expound ,his parables to the people1 lest they should be converted1 we are assured that it is not credible that ,jesus would either cherish or avow such an inhuman intention1 though it is possible that in ,his disappointment ,he may have expressed ,himself in such a way as to be misunderstood4 ,this is all very well2 but1 if this be granted1 we are naturally anxious to know in how many more matters ,jesus may not have been misunderstood4 ,what is the use of a revelation which can be misunderstood in this way8 ,what can be the motive of the ,omnipotent ,revealer in allowing ,himself to be misunderstood8 ,were not ,his hearers who misunderstood ,him ,his own selected expositors8 ,we even find suspicion thrown on the supposed early belief in the divinity of ,jesus4 ,for the writer points out that1 while in the ,gospel of ,st4 ,luke ,jesus is called the ,lord about a dozen times1 the earlier ,gospels of ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,mark refer to ,him simply as ,jesus--a fact which seems to indicate the gradual evolution of the belief in ,his divinity4 ,the conclusions of ,professor ,schmiedel1 ,d4,d41 of ,zrich1 one of the writers of the article on the ,gospels1 are still more destructive4 ,he admits #fb that his criticisms may have sometimes raised a doubt whether any credible elements were to be found in the ,gospels at all1 and that there are only nine passages which might be called the foundation-pillars for a truly scientific life of ,jesus4 ,he admits also the meagreness of the historical testimony regarding ,jesus1 as well in canonical writings outside of the ,gospels as in profane writers such as ,josephus1 ,tacitus1 ,suetonius1 and ,pliny4 ,the ,resurrection4--,the all-important subject of the ,resurrection is treated by ,professor ,schmiedel1 who tells us that the ,gospel accounts exhibit contradictions of the most glaring kind4 ,the actuality of the ,resurrection depends for its establishment upon these very narratives1 and in such a case unimpeachable witnesses are naturally demanded4 ,such witnesses do not exist4 ,the reality of the appearances has ever been in dispute4 ,the account of the watch at the sepulchre and the sealing of the tomb is now given up as unhistorical even by those who accept the story as a whole4 ,the statements as to the empty tomb are to be rejected4 #fc ,the silence of ,st4 ,paul with regard to these details is unaccountable1 if the story of the ,resurrection be true4 ,for him nothing less than the truth of ,christianity rested on the actuality of the ,resurrection of ,jesus4 ,during his visit to ,jerusalem he had had opportunities of acquiring knowledge relating to it1 and it may naturally be assumed that1 when endeavouring to prove to the ,corinthians the truth of the ,resurrection1 he would state fully and clearly all that he knew about it4 ,it is admitted on all hands that the appearance recorded by him was in the nature of a vision--a purely subjective experience4 ,and it is well known that ,st4 ,paul uses the same ,greek word to describe both the appearance to himself and the appearances to the original disciples1 thereby implying the possibility that the latter also were of a visionary or subjective character4 ,an apologetic tendency is perceptible in the ,gospel account1 and this may help to explain the rise of unhistorical elements4 ,it is probable that1 in the absence of knowledge1 conjectures were freely made1 and many questions asked1 the replies to which were afterwards assumed to be facts4 ,the ,gospels4--,the article on the ,gospels by ,dr4 ,e4 ,a4 ,abbott #fd and ,professor ,schmiedel is crowded with damaging criticism4 ,the view hitherto current that the four ,gospels were written by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 and appeared thirty or forty years after the death of ,jesus1 can1 it is stated1 no longer be maintained4 ,the four ,gospels were compiled from earlier materials which have perished1 and the dates when they first appeared in their present form are given as follows3--,mark1 certainly after the destruction of ,jerusalem in the year #gj #fe2 ,matthew1 about #aai ,a4,d42 ,luke1 between #ajj and #aaj2 and ,john1 between #acb and #adj4 ,but1 even if we accept more conservative opinions which place the earliest ,gospel about #fe ,a4,d41 that would not1 of course1 make any material difference1 nor affect the conclusions of criticism as to their contents4 ,some of their statements of fact are quite erroneous1 and the data are often in direct contradiction to one another4 ,the evangelists made it clear that they wrote with a lack of concern for historical precision4 ,the imperfection of the ,gospel accounts is everywhere manifest4 ,even if ,his ministry lasted only a few months1 ,he must have said a thousandfold more1 and repeated ,his sayings with many variations4 ,the text must not be taken as a trustworthy guide to ,his original meaning4 ,it merely shows us what the evangelists or their predecessors believed him to mean4 ,the situations in which the words of ,jesus are said to have been spoken cannot be implicitly accepted4 ,both ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,mark seem to have read into the utterances of ,jesus details borrowed from subsequent facts or controversies4 ,the historical value of the third ,gospel is lowered by evidence of the writer's errors and misunderstandings4 ,it has been widely assumed that it was written by the physician ,luke1 and that ,luke was a companion of ,paul4 ,this view of its ,pauline character1 however1 can now be maintained only in a very limited sense4 ,it is clear that the third ,gospel and the ,acts are by the same author1 but that author was not ,luke4 ,in the fourth ,gospel we find more ambiguities than in all the other three together4 ,the story of the raising of ,lazarus cannot be considered historical4 ,the common-sense view of the ,synoptic omission of the raising of ,lazarus is that earlier authors omitted the tradition because they did not accept it1 and probably had never heard of it4 ,is1 then1 the record of the raising of ,lazarus a fiction8 asks ,dr4 ,abbott4 ,not a fiction1 for it is a development4 ,but it is non-historical1 like the history of the ,creation in ,genesis1 and like the records of the other miracles in the fourth ,gospel1 all of which are poetic developments4 #ff ,lastly1 we are plainly warned that it is vain to look to the ,church fathers for trustworthy information on the subject of the origin of the ,gospels4 #fg ,this is an exceedingly grave admission when we remember that these same untrustworthy fathers of the ,church did the work of sifting the wheat from the chaff--settling what was and what was not canonical4 ,it need hardly be said that these general conclusions1 which are supported by evidence that has satisfied numerous ,christian scholars1 entirely do away with the idea that the ,gospels are credible and trustworthy narratives4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles4--,the sections of this book in which the narrative is written in the first person plural 7says ,professor ,schmiedel7 can be implicitly accepted2 but it is equally certain that they are not by the same hand as the rest of the book4 ,apart from the we sections1 no statement merits immediate acceptance on the mere ground of its presence in the book4 ,the speeches are constructed by the author in accordance with his own conceptions4 ,this book does not come from a companion of ,st4 ,paul2 its date may be set down as between ,a4,d4 #aje and #acj4 ,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul4--,the genuineness of the ,pauline ,epistles does not appear to be so clear as was once universally supposed4 ,advanced criticism1 ,professor van ,manen #fh tells us1 in his elaborate article on ,paul1 has learned to recognise that none of these ,epistles is by him1 not even the four generally regarded as unassailable4 ,van ,manen's position1 however1 is exceptional4 ,in the article on ,epistolary ,literature the ,epistle to ,philemon and the ,epistles to the ,philippians1 ,thessalonians1 ,galatians1 ,colossians1 ,ephesians1 and even the ,epistle to the ,romans1 are recognised as real letters written by ,st4 ,paul4 ,the genuineness of four of the ,epistles is1 in any case1 generally accepted4 ,as these include the first ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 this conclusion is of the greatest importance4 ,the ,bishop of ,london is content to rest his case1 for not being intellectually ashamed of the documentary evidence1 on the four undisputed ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul4 #fi ,the ,apocalypse4--,criticism has clearly shown that the ,book of ,revelation can no longer be regarded as a literary unit1 but is an admixture of ,jewish with ,christian ideas and speculations4 ,ancient testimony1 that of ,papias in particular1 assumed the ,presbyter ,john1 and not the ,apostle1 to be its author4 ,this completes a summary of conclusions1 arrived at by eminent ,christian scholars of the more advanced school4 ,though they1 or the majority of them1 would be the last to make any such admission1 the net result amounts practically to a surrender of the ,christian dogmas4 #c4 ,by ,whom the ,higher ,criticism is ,accepted4 ,these criticisms are1 ,i repeat1 the work not of anti-,christians1 but of ,christians1 who have devoted themselves to ,biblical research1 and who are among the greatest living experts in that sphere of knowledge4 ,canon ,cheyne1 one of the two editors of the ,encyclopdia ,biblica1 has now written a volume on ,bible ,problems and the ,new ,material for their ,solution1 in which he appeals to ,churchmen and scholars and all who are interested in ,bible criticism for thoroughness of investigation4 ,there can be no doubt that there is a crying need for this thorough investigation1 which at present is being shirked4 ,while the main results arrived at by the ,higher ,criticism are1 it is true1 largely accepted by enlightened divines1 the usual policy so far has been not to disseminate such knowledge4 ,on this ,i shall have more to say in the concluding chapter of this book4 ,dr4 ,harnack in ,germany1 and ,m4 ,loisy in ,france1 may be cited as types of liberal theologians who proclaim their acceptance of the ,higher ,criticism4 ,they both detach ,christianity from mere narrative1 and seek to appreciate it as a spiritual reality1 which appeals to the imagination1 the emotions1 and the soul4 ,dr4 ,harnack is the ,professor of ,church ,history in the ,university of ,berlin1 and member of the ,royal ,prussian ,academy1 and a book called ,what is ,christianity8 is an ,english translation of sixteen lectures delivered by him in the ,university of ,berlin1 #ahii-aijj4 ,in this book the effort to prove that the ,gospels though unhistorical are yet historical1 that ,christianity though untrue is yet true1 is strongly in evidence to any impartial reader4 ,take his remark on the ,miraculous ,element in ,lecture ,,ii42 we find the same kind of specious argument on which ,i have already animadverted in the chapter on ,miracles4 ,he says3 ,miracles1 it is true1 do not happen2 but of the marvellous and the inexplicable there is no lack--that the earth in its course stood still1 that a she-ass spoke1 that a storm was quieted by a word1 #gj we do not believe1 and we shall never again believe2 but that the lame walked1 the blind saw1 and the deaf heard1 will not be so summarily dismissed as an illusion4 ,why8 ,because1 after all1 these may have been accomplished by the operation of a natural law with which we are as yet unacquainted6 ,although the order of ,nature be inviolable1 we are not yet by any means acquainted with all the forces working in it and acting reciprocally with other forces4 ,our acquaintance even with the forces inherent in matter1 and with the field of their action1 is incomplete2 while of psychic forces we know very much less4 ,he gives the whole situation away1 however1 by making excuses for the ,evangelists1 such as we know that the ,gospels come from a time in which the marvellous may be said to have been something of almost daily occurrence1 and we now know that eminent persons have not to wait until they have been long dead1 or even for several years1 to have miracles reported of them2 they are reported at once1 often the very next day4 ,again1 speaking of the first three ,gospels1 he says3 ,these ,gospels are not1 it is true1 historical works any more than the fourth2 they were not written with the simple object of giving the facts as they were2 they were books composed for the work of evangelisation4 ,such reasoning serves only to confirm one's suspicions4 ,here is the unedifying spectacle of an erudite scholar using his intellectual powers to make out a case for a ,faith built upon foundations which he has himself destroyed4 ,we do not wish to be told that there is a substratum of truth in the ,gospel narratives4 ,the ordinary man feels strongly that the whole should be true if it be ,god's ,word4 ,that this is1 and always will be1 the common-sense view of mankind is proved by the fact that it is held by the vast majority of the strictly orthodox1 as well as by every ,agnostic and every cultured heathen4 ,m4 ,loisy writes in much the same strain as ,dr4 ,harnack1 and finds adherents in both ,english and ,roman ,catholic ,churches1 as may be seen from the correspondence in the ,church ,times during ,april1 #aijd4 ,in the ,hibbert ,journal 7,january1 #aije7 an ,oxfordshire rector1 the ,rev4 ,c4 ,j4 ,shebbeare1 presents the same aspect of liberal theology by means of various illustrations4 ,he remarks3 ,it is evident that the lesson taught by our new teachers must have an important bearing upon popular religious conceptions and upon religious practice4 ,its chief effect will be to deliver us from the error of identifying religion with belief in the supernatural--an error of which it is not difficult to see the pernicious consequences 7italics are mine74 ,this is all very well for those who can divest the ,christian religion of its supernatural element1 and yet remain honest believers4 ,to my mind1 this is simply non-,christian ,theism1 and the ,theistic ,church1 ,swallow ,street1 is the place where such persons should perform their devotions4 ,i crave the reader's patience while ,i give one more example of advanced apologetics4 ,the ,rev4 ,arthur ,moorhouse1 ,m4,a41 ,b4,d41 ,tutor in ,old ,testament ,languages and ,literature at ,didsbury ,college1 offers1 in a lecture #ga delivered at ,manchester on ,the ,inspiration of the ,old ,testament1 an unhesitating and emphatic denial to the statement that there is any untruth in the ,old ,testament4 ,yet he tells us that the early chapters of ,genesis are not historical in our modern and scientific sense1 and asks us to remember that1 in the nature of things1 it could not be history1 for it deals with facts which are1 of necessity1 prehistoric6 ,such pitiful shifts and evasions seem to many of us wholly unworthy of earnest men4 ,our fathers1 says ,mr4 ,moorhouse1 may have thought that this was history miraculously dictated1 but the ,bible does not say so4 ,no1 and the ,bible does not say that it is speaking the truth1 but our fathers were simple-minded enough to forget that such a guarantee was necessary on the part of a book which they1 like ,mr4 ,moorhouse1 believed to be the inspired ,word of ,god4 #d4 ,admissions by ,orthodox ,apologists4 ,i cannot conclude this review of ,bible criticism without an allusion to the opinions of those theologians who agree with the ,higher ,critics to an extent far exceeding anything the pious layman suspects4 ,i shall omit1 as being too advanced1 the views of ,dr4 ,driver1 given in his ,genesis1 or of ,canon ,henson1 as expressed in the ,contemporary ,review and in his book1 ,the ,value of the ,bible and ,other ,sermons1 or of ,archdeacon ,wilson1 shown in his various interesting books and pamphlets2 and will confine myself to comparatively conservative theology4 ,i select1 as representative of this type1 ,the ,divine ,library of the ,old ,testament1 by ,dr4 ,a4 ,f4 ,kirkpatrick 7,master of ,selwyn ,college1 ,regius ,professor of ,hebrew in the ,university of ,cambridge1 and ,canon of ,ely ,cathedral71 and ,the ,study of the ,gospels1 being a ,handbook for the ,clergy1 by ,dr4 ,j4 ,armitage ,robinson 7,dean of ,westminster74 ,in the former1 which is among the books selected by the ,christian ,evidence ,society for their ,examination in ,march1 #aijg1 we read3 ,the lectures do not attempt to deal with many of the graver questions which are being raised as to the ,old ,testament4 ,but it is just the more difficult questions1 such as those examined with such destructive effect by the ,higher ,criticism1 which specially require to be answered4 ,why are they neglected8 ,the author goes on to confess that the books were constructed out of earlier narratives2 some were formed by the union of previous collections of poetry or prophecies2 some betray marks of a reviser's hand2 and even books which bear the names of well-known authors in some cases contain matter which must be attributed to other writers4 ,also we find the following significant admissions4 ,referring to the important last twenty-seven chapters of ,isaiah1 he accepts ,dr4 ,driver's criticisms1 and says3 ,i do not see how we can resist the conclusion that these chapters were not written by ,isaiah1 but by an unknown prophet towards the close of the ,babylonian ,exile2 and he owns that it will inevitably seem to many students of the ,bible that1 in assigning the prophecy to a date so near to the events which it foretells1 we are detracting from its truly predictive character and diminishing its value4 ,however1 he considers that ,isaiah is great enough to share his glory with this disciple1 in whom1 being dead1 he yet spoke2 and1 paradox as it may seem1 the truly prophetic character of the work gains by being referred to the time of the ,exile4 ,by what process of reasoning he arrives at this astonishing conclusion it is exceedingly difficult to comprehend4 ,further admissions by ,dr4 ,kirkpatrick must be noticed more briefly4 ,they are3 ,the first chapter of ,genesis is not1 as we now know1 a scientifically exact account of ,creation4 ,the account of the ,fall is1 it may be1 an allegory rather than a history in the strict sense of the term4 ,the ,deluge was not universal in the sense that the waters covered the whole surface of the entire globe4 ,the ,psalms1 like the ,proverbs1 have a long literary history4 ,they are poems by different authors1 and ,david may be one of them4 ,modern criticism claims1 and claims with justice1 that the ,hexateuch1 like so many of the other books1 is composite in its origin1 and has a long literary history4 ,that the ,pentateuch was entirely written by ,moses is merely a ,jewish tradition1 which passed into the ,christian ,church and was commonly accepted until modern times4 ,yet how much hangs upon the trustworthiness of this same ,jewish tradition1 and how much else may not the ,church have wrongfully accepted8 ,some of the variations of the ,,lxx4 #gb from the ,hebrew text are due1 no doubt1 to errors and interpolations and deliberate alterations2 but after all allowance has been made for these1 ,i do not see how any candid critic can resist the conclusion that many of them represent variations existing in the ,hebrew text from which the translation was made4 ,it was probably at the very beginning of this period from the ,fall of ,jerusalem to the end of the fifth century1 towards the close of the first century a4d41 that the final settlement of an authoritative text took place4444 ,how came it that all the copies containing other readings have disappeared8444 ,copies differing from it the standard text would die out or be deliberately destroyed4 ,the oldest ,hebrew ,,ms4 in existence of which the date is known was written in #iaf ,a4,d4--i4e41 separated by more than a thousand years from the latest of the works included in the ,canon4 ,finally1 the following crucial questions are offered 7pp4 #hh-i7 and left unanswered3 ,in what sense1 it is asked1 can this legislation1 which is now said to be ,mosaic in elemental germ and idea only1 and to represent not the inspired deliverance of a supremely great individual1 but the painful efforts of many generations of law-makers2 these histories which have been compiled from primitive traditions1 and chronicles1 and annals1 and what not2 these books of prophecy which are not the authentic autographs of the prophets1 but posthumous collections of such writings 7if any7 as they left behind them1 eked out by the recollections of their disciples2 these ,proverbs and ,psalms which have been handed down by tradition and altered and edited and re-edited2 these histories which contain errors of date and fact1 and have been1 perhaps1 'idealised' by the reflection of the circumstances and ideas of the writer's own times upon a distant past2 these seeming narratives which may be allegories2 and these would-be prophecies which may be histories2 in what sense can these be said to be inspired8 ,the problems raised are grave4 ,my own thoughts1 and the thoughts of many like myself1 are here candidly expressed4 ,i have nothing to add1 and can only echo this learned divine's solemn words--the problems raised are grave6 ,turning now to the ,study of the ,gospels1 we learn from ,dr4 ,robinson as follows3 ,there is no proof that ,st4 ,matthew is the author of the first ,gospel4 ,he is unable to fix the date himself1 but quotes ,dr4 ,harnack1 who says probably #gj-ge1 and who also adds the important reservation1 except certain later additions4 ,st4 ,mark's authorship1 he thinks1 is practically certain1 and the year #fe is the probable date4 ,it is1 he says1 exceedingly probable that ,st4 ,peter would not write or preach1 even if he could speak at all1 in any language but his mother tongue1 the ,aramaic of ,galilee1 a local dialect akin to ,hebrew4 ,when he wrote or preached to ,greek-speaking people1 he would use ,mark or some other disciple as his interpreter4 ,what1 then1 may ,i ask1 had become of the gifts at ,pentecost8 ,st4 ,luke is1 according to ,dr4 ,robinson1 the fellow-traveller of ,st4 ,paul1 and the date of his ,gospel shortly after #gj4 ,regarding ,st4 ,john's1 we are informed that ,dr4 ,harnack fixes the date between #hj and #aaj1 and thinks that it was written by another person of the same name--,john the presbyter1 or elder1 of ,ephesus4 ,dr4 ,robinson1 however1 in a chapter he devotes to the subject of the fourth ,gospel1 attempts to show its apostolic authorship4 ,dr4 ,robinson admits that the authorship of all four ,gospels is doubtful1 but thinks that1 regarding the second ,gospel1 we may accept the second-century tradition that it was written by ,st4 ,mark1 and that ,st4 ,mark was the interpreter of ,st4 ,peter and wrote the ,gospel in ,rome from information derived from that ,apostle4 ,very good2 let us accept this conclusion4 ,we have it1 then1 that one of the ,gospels is from the mouth of an eye-witness4 ,this eye-witness1 however1 was1 after all1 an eye-witness of only one year 7or1 according to conservative criticism1 three years7 of ,christ's life2 he was an illiterate person1 and the information he imparted after thirty or forty years had to be written down by another person in another language1 and there is no telling how faithful or unfaithful the translation may have been4 ,besides1 as ,dr4 ,robinson points out in his chapters on ,the ,great ,sermon and ,the ,non-,marcan ,document1 there are very important omissions in ,st4 ,mark's ,gospel4 ,referring to a supposed source for the information furnished by other evangelists1 but omitted by ,st4 ,mark1 he says3 ,you may gain some general idea of the scope of this document 7the ,non-,marcan #gc7 by underlining in ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel all those portions which are to be found in ,st4 ,matthew1 but are not to be found in ,st4 ,mark4 ,now1 what are these omissions in ,st4 ,mark8 ,are they trivial8 ,let us judge for ourselves by taking a few selections4 ,there is no mention whatever of the story of ,christ's miraculous birth1 nor of the other incidents of ,his childhood which are said to be in fulfilment of prophecy1 and there is no mention of the great ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,the story of the ,resurrection is told in a few sentences1 and the ,ascension in one sentence4 ,unfortunately1 too1 these very sentences are admittedly interpolations1 and ,st4 ,mark really ends at xvi4 #h4 #gd ,so there is no account of either the ,incarnation1 ,resurrection1 or ,ascension1 and we are left with oral traditions1 lost documents1 and unknown copyists1 as the only source from which to obtain any detailed information concerning the very groundwork of our ,creed6 ,could anything be more unsatisfactory1 more calculated to arouse suspicion of the ,christian ,verities--the ,gospel truths8 ,i am completely at a loss to understand how the ,bishop of ,gloucester #ge can say that the ,higher ,criticism has been a gain to the ,church1 or the ,bishop of ,london#a that the ,new ,testament stands ten times as strong as it did fifty years ago4 ,it would seem to be a case of where ignorance is bliss1 etc41 or else of the wish being father to the thought4 ,there is much more that ,i should wish to call attention to1 did space permit1 but ,i have now1 ,i think1 given some insight into modern ,bible criticism1 and the extent to which it is accepted by ,christians4 ,it only remains1 in conclusion1 to ask for earnest thought on this new aspect of the ,word of ,god4 ,in doing so the following additional considerations may be borne in mind4 #e4 ,some ,remaining ,difficulties4 ,,we ,,must ,,accept ,,the ,,whole ,,or ,,reject ,,the ,,whole4 ,the orthodox and traditional view of the ,old ,testament is preserved in the unrepealed ,blasphemy ,act1 #i and #aj1 ,william ,,iii41 cap4 #cb1 which enacts that any person who shall deny the ,holy ,scriptures of the ,old and ,new ,testament to be of divine authority shall be incapable of holding any public office or employment1 and shall1 on a second conviction1 also suffer imprisonment for a space of three years4 ,the ,vatican ,council of #ahgj1 speaking under the inspiration of the ,holy ,ghost1 declared that the books of the ,old and ,new ,testament have ,god for their author1 and1 as such1 have been delivered to the ,church4 ,the ,council1 therefore1 ordained that the man should be anathema who refused to receive1 for sacred and canonical1 the books of the ,holy ,scripture in their integrity1 with all their parts4 ,dr4 ,bayley expressed the opinion of his day when he wrote #gf3 ,the ,bible cannot be less than verbally inspired4 ,every word1 every syllable1 every letter1 is just what it would be had ,god spoken from heaven without any human intervention4 ,every scientific statement is infallibly correct2 all its history and narratives of every kind are without any inaccuracy4 ,listen1 again1 to the words of a well-known divine of our own ,church1 spoken but yesterday3 ,the whole of the teaching of the ,new ,testament is based upon the supposition that ,god made a covenant with ,abraham4 #gg ,you have our ,lord ,jesus ,christ building ,his whole life on the ,scriptures1 and submitting to death in obedience to them4 #gh ,this is the strictly orthodox opinion1 and it is consistent with ,christian doctrine4 ,yet1 for obvious reasons1 the ,old ,testament is now regarded as an incubus by an increasing number of earnest ,christians4 ,in the ,new ,testament there are many cruel sayings attributed to ,jesus4 ,only the few are to be saved from the eternal torments of the damned 7,st4 ,matt4 xiii4 #aj-ac1 xxii4 #ad1 xxv4 #da2 ,st4 ,mark iv4 #aa-ab1 xvi4 #af1 etc474 ,happily1 owing to the rise of ,rationalism and the consequent subjection of the ,bible to criticism1 the dogma of eternal torment is disputed on all sides1 and the ,athanasian ,creed will soon no longer be forced upon us4 ,the principle of the chosen few is so clearly ,christ's teaching1 and furnishes such a convenient explanation for the attitude of the many1 that it is commonly adhered to2 but liberal theologians no longer hold that he that believeth not shall be damned1 or that the punishment of the sinner is to be excruciating torture for all eternity4 ,unbelievers and sinners may all ultimately be saved1 or at the worst their existence will end with this life4 ,good1 very good2 such views appeal to us as being more humane and rational2 but are they compatible with the truth of the ,bible8 ,mark the words of the late ,bishop of ,manchester3 ,the very foundation of our ,faith1 the very basis of our hopes1 are taken from us when one line of that sacred volume1 on which we base everything1 is declared to be untruthful and untrustworthy4 ,thus it is that there are many who would still retain the inhuman doctrines ascribed to the ,master4 ,fearful of losing the basis of their hopes1 and unconscious1 apparently1 of their sublime egoism1 they reason1 and reason with logic3 ,we must accept the whole or reject the whole4 ,,silence ,,of ,,historians4 ,that the ,bible should be open to criticism at all seems to me inconceivable if it really be ,god's gift to mankind4 ,how could ,god1 having determined after ons of time to make a definite revelation of ,himself to ,his human creatures1 permit the account of this revelation to be handed down in such a haphazard fashion that future generations cannot be sure that they possess a reliable record8 ,this1 too1 when a trustworthy record was the more essential on account of the miraculous nature of the narrative4 ,as ,professor ,schmiedel remarks1 the meagreness of the historical testimony regarding ,jesus1 whether in canonical writings outside of the ,gospels or in profane writers such as ,josephus1 ,tacitus1 ,suetonius1 and ,pliny1 is most pronounced4 ,not a single passage can be produced from the writings of the great historians and philosophers who flourished between ,a4,d4 #dj and ,a4,d4 #adj which makes the slightest allusion to the astounding phenomena connected with the birth1 resurrection1 and ascension of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,it was at one time claimed that ,josephus spoke of ,jesus4 ,that this has been given up by theologians may be verified by a reference to ,canon ,farrar's ,life of ,christ1 vol4 i41 p4 #fc 7and p4 #ca of the cheap edition71 where we read that ,the single passage in which he 7,josephus7 alludes to ,him is interpolated1 if not wholly spurious4 ,there is also a disputed passage #gi in ,tacitus1 where he speaks of ,christians having their denomination from ,christus1 who1 in the reign of ,tiberius1 was put to death as a criminal by the procurator1 ,pontius ,pilate4 ,and that is all6 ,could anything be more disappointing than this must be to thoughtful ,christians who wish to establish the historical accuracy of the miraculous story of ,god's life on earth8 ,eusebius 7,a4,d4 #cae-cdj71 the celebrated ecclesiastical historian1 is apparently reduced to appealing to a ,pagan oracle for a proof of the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ1 for he says to the heathen3 ,but thou at least listen to thine own gods1 to thy oracular deities themselves1 who have borne witness1 and ascribed to our ,saviour 7,jesus ,christ7 not imposture1 but piety and wisdom1 and ascent into heaven4 ,the silence of secular historians is accounted for1 by certain divines1 by falling back on a theory of hostility or contempt4 ,thus ,dean ,farrar thinks that ,josephus's silence on the subject of ,jesus and ,christianity was as deliberate as it was dishonest 7see his ,life of ,christ1 vol4 i41 p4 #fc74 ,except that this offers a much-needed explanation1 ,i am not cognisant of any reason for suspecting the famous secular historian1 although1 of course1 the untrustworthiness of the ,christian historians is notorious4 ,eusebius1 for example1 the gravest of the ecclesiastical historians1 confesses1 with commendable frankness3 ,we have decided to relate nothing concerning them the early ,christians except the things in which we can vindicate the divine judgment4 #hj ,with regard to the prodigy of the darkness1 etc41 that occurred at the death of ,jesus1 ,gibbon informs us as follows3 ,it happened during the lifetime of ,seneca and the elder ,pliny1 who must have experienced the immediate effects1 or received the earliest intelligence of the prodigy4 ,each of these philosophers1 in a laborious work1 has recorded all the great phenomena of ,nature--earthquakes1 meteors1 comets1 and eclipses--which his indefatigable curiosity could collect4 ,but the one and the other has omitted to mention the greatest phenomenon to which the mortal eye has been witness since the creation of the globe4 #ha ,any attempt to explain this away by supposing that the darkness of three hours was local only detracts from the magnitude of the miracle1 which was intended1 by its very magnitude1 to be one of the proofs of the death of a ,god4 ,,thoughts ,,on ,,tradition ,,as ,,god',s ,,method ,,for ,,the ,,transmission ,,of ,,truth ,,to ,,posterity4 ,have you ever1 in the days of your early youth1 played the game of gossip8 ,it is an amusing game1 and also points a moral4 ,a number of persons put themselves in a long row1 and the first will think of some little incident1 which he will carefully whisper to his neighbour1 who will then pass it on1 and so on1 and so on1 till it reaches the last person1 who will proceed to repeat out loud the story he has heard4 ,the original story will then be divulged1 and much amusement is caused by the differences that are found between the two stories4 ,this illustration of what occurs in gossip came back to my mind with much misgiving when ,i first heard how the story of my ,saviour's life on earth was handed down for a long period by tradition4 ,apparently1 ,christian theologians look quite complacently1 and without any misgiving1 upon this process for the transmission of the ,christian verities2 but1 for myself1 whether it were a century1 or whether it were only a matter of thirty or forty years1 before the final committal to writing1 it was a heartrending discovery1 and all my confidence in the truth of the ,bible story was shaken4 ,my dismay was not diminished when ,i learnt also that it was extremely doubtful whether the authors were eye-witnesses of the events1 or especially inspired by ,god for their task2 also1 that there had been subsequent interpolations by equally unknown and uninspired writers1 who1 to speak plainly1 were nothing more nor less than forgers1 actuated1 possibly1 by pious motives4 ,that the writers of the ,gospels were vouchsafed any unusual facilities through the indwelling of the ,holy ,spirit is discredited by the remarks of the apologists themselves4 ,thus1 ,dr4 ,robinson1 in his book already referred to1 alludes to ,st4 ,peter's illiteracy1 ,st4 ,mark's poor literary attainments1 and the limitations to which all the evangelists in ancient times were subjected4 ,we find ourselves asking the questions1 ,did not ,god know that a time would come when we should discover that nature's laws were not of the fragile or elastic character which our forefathers had supposed8 ,did ,he not know that we should therefore require absolute proof before we could believe that they had been broken in a bygone and credulous age8 ,instead of this1 the only proofs afforded us are copies of documents concocted from hearsay--we are not sure when or by whom--and from time to time fraudulently manipulated by interested though pious forgers4 ,did ,he1 in ,his ,omniscience1 purposely allow events to take their course1 and intend the story of ,his ,son's life upon earth to be handed down to us by the same unsatisfactory process as that of many another ancient tradition now known to be historically worthless8 ,if ever special interference with the course of nature were necessary1 surely it would be here--a miracle to prove the miracle on which our hopes are staked4 ,or1 if this be asking too much1 if it be argued that it is no longer ,god's pleasure to break the laws which ,he has made1 and that ,he now accomplishes ,his purposes by means of these laws only1 how comes it that1 for the safeguarding of this great truth1 the most ordinary precautions have been neglected8 ,we are often asked to consider the yearnings of man as a proof that the thing yearned for is a reality4 ,his yearnings1 therefore1 are not a negligible quantity4 ,do not1 then1 the yearnings of millions of ,christians in the ,roman ,catholic and ,greek ,churches for miraculous proofs of ,god's residence once upon earth count for something8 ,are not all the miraculous relics and wonder-working ikons a proof that man feels that ,god's revelation ought to be assured to us by the continuance of miracles8 ,in our own ,church1 ,holman ,hunt's painting of ,the ,light of the ,world is being sent round our colonies1 to strengthen people's belief in ,jesus ,christ4 ,why1 oh why1 have we not the real picture of our ,saviour1 bringing our ,god nearer to us1 and enabling us to focus our thoughts on ,him8 ,i once mentioned my feeling on this subject to a clergyman1 a doctor of divinity1 well versed in ,church history4 ,he replied by suggesting that there was a tradition which indicated that the true likeness of our ,lord had been miraculously transmitted1 and that from this the great ,italian painters had caught their inspiration4 #hb ,it seems hardly necessary to have recourse to the supernatural when there were natural sources available in the shape of representations of pagan gods4 ,thus ,mercury1 attired as a shepherd1 with a lamb upon his shoulders1 was no infrequent object in ancient art1 and this has1 in some cases1 led to a difficulty in distinguishing between ,mercury and ,jesus ,christ4 ,similarly we know that the pictures and sculptures wherein ,isis is represented in the act of suckling her child ,horus formed the foundation for the ,christian figures and paintings of the ,madonna and child4 ,,the ,,alleged ,,sinlessness ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,it may be urged that we have1 what is of far more importance1 the picture of ,his character4 ,have we8 ,the absolute sinlessness of ,christ is one of the chief proofs held out to us of ,his divinity4 ,it is described as being in itself a miracle so great that it furnishes us with sufficient grounds for belief in other miracles4 ,many pious and learned theists feel that the character of ,christ as portrayed in the ,gospels betrays imperfections4 ,but let this pass4 ,what do we know of ,his life8 ,let us assume that in the ,gospel of ,st4 ,mark we are put in possession of the impressions of an eye-witness4 ,st4 ,peter's personal knowledge of the private life of ,jesus was confined to his recollections concerning a beloved ,master during the period of ,his public ministry4 ,and that ministry extended over one year1 or at most three years4 ,have not the disciples of great teachers in the past invariably extolled the perfections of their masters8 ,have they ever dwelt upon their imperfections8 ,has not the picture handed down by tradition1 and afterwards committed to writing1 often been that of a perfect man8 ,that the writers of the ,gospels recognised the need for ,christ to appear sinless1 and adopted questionable methods for their purpose1 is only too evident4 ,dr4 ,robinson explains #hc the disappearance from the other ,gospels of ,st4 ,mark's references to anger1 grief1 groaning1 vehemence1 etc41 as being the result of a kind of reverence which belonged to a slightly later stage of reflection1 when certain traits might even seem derogatory to the dignity of the sacred character4 ,comment is superfluous4 ,,the ,,ignorance ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,there is another difficulty of belief in the divinity of ,christ1 which it is all the more essential to bring into prominence because it usually receives but scant notice from the pulpit4 ,i refer to the ignorance of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in a review of ,le ,ralisme ,chrtien et l',idalisme ,grec1 par ,l4 ,laberthonnire1 the ,church ,times praises the ,abb's conception of ,christian realism1 and then goes on to say3 ,here is found the key to the mystery of the ignorance of ,jesus ,christ1 and of the other limitations attributed to ,him in the ,gospels4 ,there are two untenable theories--the one that ,he deliberately kept things back from ,his disciples2 the other that ,he was ,himself ignorant of ,his own true nature1 which afterwards became known to the ,church4 ,the truth is that ,he had to reveal ,himself by living among men1 and not by giving them an abstract doctrine about ,himself--a doctrine which must have been either inadequate because adjusted to their comprehension1 or else incomprehensible because adjusted to a reality which was beyond them4 ,the plain question1 however1 is--,had ,he1 or had ,he not1 the attribute of ,omniscience8 ,did ,he1 or did ,he not1 know what we now know8 ,are we to suppose that ,he pretended to be ignorant8 ,was ,he ,god or was ,he man8 ,the usual answer is that1 as ,very ,man1 ,he had only the knowledge of ,his age 7or1 should we not say1 of the very restricted environment selected by ,himself for ,his activities upon earth871 but that as ,very ,god he performed miracles1 taught spiritually1 as never man taught1 and was sinless4 ,this answer1 however1 would not be accepted by the ,venerable ,w4 ,m4 ,sinclair1 ,archdeacon of ,london1 who conjectures that when our ,lord said1 ',greater works than these shall ye do1' ,he was perhaps thinking of the marvellous discoveries of surgeons and physicians in times of advanced science 64 #hd ,nor would it be accepted by the ,rev4 ,david ,smith1 who holds that ,jesus accommodated ,himself to the popular idea1 and after ,his wont fell in with the delusion 64 #he ,surely an ,omniscient ,god must have known that grave doubts would arise in the future from the real or apparent ignorance of ,his ,son1 and1 vice versa1 that any prescience shown by ,him would be hailed with delight as a proof of ,his divinity4 ,if it be urged that such trials of faith are useful1 why should it be the thoughtful of future generations who are chiefly to be so tried8 ,if ,christ had chosen ,his disciples from among the wise men of the ,east 7or ,west71 instead of from among men of the lowest order of intelligence and education1 there would then have been no necessity for the doctrine to have been either inadequate because adjusted to their comprehension1 or else incomprehensible because adjusted to a reality which was beyond them4 ,only a very small and remote corner of the world was favoured by the presence of ,god when revealing ,himself in human form for the benefit of mankind4 ,only the most ignorant1 for the most part1 heard ,his personal teaching4 ,had ,he revealed ,himself to all1 or to a far greater number of persons then living1 and satisfied the ardent longings of the wise men and philosophers of those times1 would this not have conduced to the rapid recognition of ,christianity and to its firm establishment over the whole world for all ages8 ,the tiny ,sea of ,galilee1 the birthplace of the ,gospel1 is only about twelve miles long and seven miles in its widest part1 and ,chorazin1 ,bethsaida1 and ,capernaum were all situated close together at the northern end4 ,here ,jesus made his permanent home after ,his fellow-townsmen at ,nazareth had rejected ,him2 here ,he preached1 and here ,he performed many mighty works4 ,not till ,i had visited the spot did ,i fully realise the insignificance of the area to which the ,saviour of mankind confined ,his ministry4 ,round the lake stood such important cities as ,tiberias and ,tariche4 ,they were studiously avoided by ,jesus4 7,this would account1 perhaps1 for their great men hearing nothing of the new teaching1 though hardly for their hearing nothing of stupendous miracles performed at their very door47 ,the cities of the ,decapolis were also flourishing in this neighbourhood at the time of ,christ's ministry1 and were the centre of great literary activity4 ,gadara produced ,philodemus the ,epicurean1 a contemporary of ,cicero2 ,meleager the epigrammatist2 ,menippus the satirist2 ,theodorus the rhetorician1 the tutor of ,tiberius2 and others4 ,gerasa1 also1 was a mother of great teachers4 ,in the words of ,george ,adam ,smith3 ,philodemus1 ,meleager1 ,menippus1 ,theodorus1 were names of which one end of the ,lake of ,galilee was proud1 when ,matthew1 ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john were working at the other end4 #hf ,if it be argued that for some inscrutable reason ,god sent ,his ,son only to the lost sheep of the house of ,israel and intended ,his preaching to reach the ,gentiles through the medium of ,his chosen people1 why was such a learned and pious ,jew as ,philo left out in the cold8 ,apologists do not explain at all convincingly why the ,almighty could not1 or preferred not to1 make ,himself understood4 ,if ,he could say ,let there be light1 ,he could also have said ,let there be knowledge4 ,besides1 after all1 what is there in the broad facts of modern science which could not be explained to an intelligent savage to-day8 ,the shape and movements of the earth are explained in the most elementary geography books1 and the theory of ,evolution can be made quite clear to comparative children 7,i speak from personal experience74 ,recent discoveries have revealed to us that ancient nations must have reached an extraordinarily high state of civilisation4 ,six thousand years ago1 in the valley of the ,nile1 there existed a standard of civilisation incomparably higher than that of the ,jews at the time when ,god is alleged to have selected them as ,his chosen people4 ,the ,old ,testament1 says ,canon ,c4 ,h4 ,robinson1 is the history of a people insignificant in number1 occupying a country about the same size as the county of ,yorkshire2 remarkable neither for their superior learning1 civilisation1 nor military power2 remarkable1 if for anything1 for their obstinate1 grasping1 usurious character2 who1 nevertheless1 were chosen out of all the nations of the ancient world to be the recipients of peculiar blessings and favours4 #hg ,this incomprehensible selection of ignorant ,jews to be the special recipients of ,revelation only emphasises the contention that we have no right to assume that learned men of two thousand years ago could not have understood plain facts1 or that it was necessary for them to believe in purely imaginary explanations of the cosmos1 in a flat1 stationary earth1 in a blue-basin sky1 in an ,adam and ,eve origin1 in devil-possession1 in absurd miracles1 etc4 ,their ignorance1 which was natural enough considering their opportunities1 could easily have been dispelled when ,god graciously condescended to come and live among them4 ,what a proof would that not have been of ,his ,divinity6 ,in any case1 we are to understand that the ,apostles were inspired by the ,holy ,ghost1 so that they might be able to work miracles and be witnesses unto ,christ1 even to the utmost parts of the earth4 ,surely1 then1 they could and should have been enlightened for their mission work up to the level1 say1 of some of our twentieth-century theologians8 ,the miracle of an intelligence and knowledge equal to that of the average modern apologist is not1 after all1 so very inconceivable1 and it would1 at least1 have been more useful than miracle-working in a miracle-believing age4 ,christians1 who glibly admit that ,jesus had only the knowledge of ,his age1 cannot1 ,i think1 fully realise the force of such an admission4 ,one reason for this may be that their own knowledge is not completely up to date4 ,that ,jesus had no knowledge of nature's inviolable laws and shared many of the gross superstitions prevalent around ,him2 that ,he accepted the ,scriptures as literally true1 and not in the sense now attributed to them by the ,higher ,critics2 that ,he believed that ,he would come again in the clouds of heaven with power and great might1 and that the generation in which ,he lived would not pass away till this had been fulfilled--of all this they may be dimly conscious2 but what remain still to be studied by them are the startling disclosures of ,comparative ,mythology1 and of the now fully-established theory of ,evolution1 and their bearing upon the ,christian ,faith4 ,the matter is one of the utmost importance1 as will be seen by a perusal of the following chapters4 ,,comparative ,,mythology ,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,grave ,,suspicions ,,aroused ,,by ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,ancient ,,beliefs #a4 ,the ,new ,theological ,theory of a ,progressive ,revelation4 ,the facts and truths established by ,science are no longer made the subject of attacks by ,christian apologists in the manner that they used to be2 they are now considered by them to be the unfolding1 through ,god's ,providence1 of pieces of information hitherto concealed from us4 ,a scientific discovery 7by men who are more often than not ,agnostics7 simply means that ,god wills to reveal another detail of ,his eternal methods4 ,there must be1 we are told1 a frank modification1 or even the abandonment1 of certain preconceived ideas which1 faulty as they were1 had sufficed for man in an earlier stage of his development1 and had come to be regarded as integral parts of his religious faith4 ,this is the substance of the modern apologist's argument which is intended to reconcile all outlying discrepancies between our new knowledge and our old beliefs4 ,the new explanation1 based upon the assumption that revelation is progressive1 will come as a surprise to the rank and file of ,christendom1 who have hitherto been given to understand that the ,bible contained the one1 only1 and sufficient revelation of ,god to man4 ,however1 there is no alternative4 ,if accepted1 many grave difficulties of faith are swept away4 ,nay1 more2 the reasonableness of our faith is immensely strengthened1 and the facts of science and research become a valuable adjunct to the armour of the ,christian apologist4 ,on the other hand1 a refusal to accept spells disaster to the ,christian faith4 ,the truth of progressive revelation is1 therefore1 a matter of life or death for the ,christian religion2 and1 of all branches of modern research1 it is ,comparative ,mythology which absolutely demands the complete establishment of this theory4 ,if true1 our belief is further verified by the startling discoveries of the ethnologist2 if untrue1 it is irrevocably shattered4 ,accordingly1 in this chapter ,i am giving a prominent place to the discussion of this theory4 ,i think ,i may safely say that there is no department of knowledge about which so little is known by the ordinary man1 and even1 ,i regret to say1 by the majority of ecclesiastics1 as ,comparative ,mythology4 ,yet it is the study of this science perhaps more than of any other which is causing well-informed men and women to lose faith in ,christianity4 ,ask ,christian professors in our universities who are in touch with the thought around them1 and you will hear that their sceptical friends are all telling them the same thing2 they cannot get over anthropology1 and especially that branch of it which concerns itself with the traditions and beliefs of primitive peoples4 ,recent ethnological research has thrown an entirely new light upon old problems4 ,the discoveries of science1 including the animal origin of man1 may1 by a stretch of imagination and faith1 be reconciled with belief2 so also the disclosures of the ,higher ,criticism2 but the very origin of ,christianity is exposed by the study of ,comparative ,mythology4 ,it is indeed a melancholy and in some respects thankless task to strike at the foundations of beliefs in which1 as in a strong tower1 the hopes and aspirations of humanity through long ages have sought a refuge from the storm and stress of life4 ,yet sooner or later it is inevitable that the battery of the comparative method should breach these venerable walls1 mantled over with the ivy and mosses and wild flowers of a thousand tender and sacred associations4 #hh ,some years ago there were ecclesiastics who took a lively interest in ,comparative ,mythology4 ,students of ,pagan religions as well as ,christian missionaries were bent on discovering more striking and more startling coincidences in order to use them in confirmation of their favourite theory that some rays of a primeval revelation1 or some reflection of the ,jewish religion1 had reached the uttermost ends of the world4 ,subsequently the study of comparative mythology seems to have lost much of its charm4 ,why8 ,the theory that there was a primeval preternatural revelation granted to the fathers of the human race1 and that the grains of truth which catch our eye when exploring the temples of heathen gods are the scattered fragments of that sacred heirloom--the seeds that fell by the wayside or upon stony places--would find but few supporters at present2 no more1 in fact1 than the theory that there was in the beginning one complete and perfect primeval language1 broken up in later times into the numberless languages of the world4 ,the opinion1 again1 that the ,pagan religions were mere corruptions of the religion of the ,old ,testament1 once supported by men of high authority and great learning1 is now as completely surrendered as the attempts to explain ,greek and ,latin as corruptions of ,hebrew4 #hi ,it will be as well1 in the first place1 to see exactly what the ,church herself now says on the matter2 how far she recognises that gigantic strides have been made in a study formerly pursued in a manner necessarily elementary by the ,alexandrian schools2 how far she concedes the conclusions of the modern ethnologist2 and how far she approves of progressive revelation as the explanation for the whole enigma of the parallels between ancient beliefs and our own4 ,for this purpose ,i think ,i cannot do better than quote from two striking articles on the subject in the ,church ,times4 ,they were contributed by the editor of ,the ,treasury magazine4 ,the study1 he says1 of folk-lore1 of anthropology1 of primitive myth and ritual1 has made enormous strides within the last quarter of a century1 and the fruits of that study are now forced1 for the first time1 #ij upon the attention of the general public4 ,presented in outline1 the situation is as follows3 ,we have been accustomed to consider ,christianity apart from all other religions4 ,we have recognised1 indeed1 the historical preparation for it so far as that is described in the pages of the ,old ,testament2 but we have thought of that preparation as conducted among a single people1 and by means of a unique revelation4 ,of pagan religions we have known practically nothing4 ,the mythology of the ,greeks and ,romans1 which some of us had to learn at school1 seemed to be a collection of pointless fairy tales4 ,and as regards other and more primitive races1 both ancient and modern1 the statement that 'the heathen1 in his blindness1 bows down to wood and stone' comprised accurately the sum of our knowledge4 ,that there could be any but the vaguest likeness between them and our own beliefs was unimaginable4 ,possibly there was a belief in the ,fatherhood of some supreme being1 some vague conception of a future life2 while sacrificial rites1 as we knew1 were not peculiar to the ,jews4 ,but the other doctrines of our ,creed we regarded as exclusively our own4 ,the ideas of a ,triune ,god-head1 of an ,incarnate ,saviour1 of the ,virgin ,birth1 of the ,second ,advent1 of the ,sacraments1 of the ,communion of ,saints--these seemed to be the distinctive possessions of ,christianity2 these were marks clearly dividing it from any form of paganism4 ,so1 at least1 we imagined4 ,had we not every reason thus to imagine on the authority of ,holy ,scripture8 ,but it proves that we were completely mistaken4 ,the modern study of primitive religion shows that every one of these beliefs is1 or has been1 held in some part or other of the pagan world quite independently of ,christian influence1 and that1 while we are bound to speak of these beliefs as1 in a sense1 distinctly ,christian1 to term them exclusively ,christian is no longer possible4444 ,in these early mythologies we can discern the longing for a personal ,god1 capable of direct communication with man1 and for some sort of union between the divine and human natures4 ,whence did these instincts themselves originate8 ,the one tenable reply seems to be that they were ,god-implanted4444 ,the ,zoroastrian anticipates the advent of a ',saviour' 7,saoshyas71 who will end the strife between good and evil1 personified as ,ormuzd and ,ahriman1 by sweeping away evil from the earth4 ,in the ancient ,vedic and ,scandinavian religions1 in the ,old-,world creeds of ,egypt and ,babylon1 in the legends of ,mexico and ,polynesia1 is found1 in a variety of guises1 the same fundamental idea4 ,always there is a sense of a supremely righteous ,power2 of a world tainted with evil1 and out of harmony with the ,power above it2 of the coming of some ,deliverer1 who will establish a kingdom of righteousness4 ,once more1 in many mythologies the idea of a ,virgin ,birth is associated with that of a ,divine ,incarnation4 ,men felt instinctively that the entrance of a ,divine ,being into the human race must take place in a miraculous way4 ,and thus the ,spirit of ,god1 working by means of what we may term the instinctive feelings of mankind1 prepared the human race throughout the world for the coming of the ,son of ,god1 to be born of a pure ,virgin1 to take our nature upon ,him for evermore1 and to redeem us from the power of sin4444 ,we find conceptions1 such as that of the ,hindu ,trimurti1 which seem to remember the doctrine of the ,trinity4 ,in the sacramental meals of totem-worship1 when a sacred animal is killed1 and partaken of by the worshippers in order that its power may be communicated to them not to mention sacred men killed with the same idea1 there seems a dim anticipation of the highest ,christian rite4 ,baptism as a cleansing and symbolical ceremony was known centuries before the ,christian era4444 ,these rites and beliefs1 obscured by superstition and insufficient to satisfy the longing which brought them into existence1 were designed to serve as the schoolmasters who would lead the heathen at length to ,christ 7cf4 ,galatians iii4 #bd74 ,these remarks1 by a clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 will enable the ordinary person1 who for the most part knows nothing whatever about these things1 to realise the immense importance of the questions raised by ,comparative ,mythology4 #b4 ,parallels in ,ancient ,religions1 and ,some ,remarks ,upon ,them4 ,before proceeding any further1 it will be advisable to consider some concrete examples of the parallels between the beliefs and teachings of ancient religions and those of the ,christian religion4 ,,krishna ,,and ,,buddha4 ,krishna4--,krishna was a miraculous incarnation of ,vishnu in the womb of ,devaki4 ,a chorus of angels exclaimed3 ,in the delivery of this favoured woman nature shall have cause to exult4 ,the birth was indicated in the heavens by a star4 ,on the morning of his birth the spirits of heaven danced and sang1 and the clouds emitted low1 pleasing sounds4 ,though royally descended1 he was actually born in a cave4 #ia ,the divine child was recognised and adored by cowherds4 ,he was presented with gifts of sandalwood and perfumes4 ,the holy ,indian prophet1 ,nared1 paid him a visit1 consulted the stars and declared him to be of celestial descent4 ,his birth was beset by peril1 and his foster father was warned by a heavenly voice to fly with the child1 as the reigning monarch1 ,king ,kansa1 might take his life4 ,the king ordered the massacre in all his ,states of all the male children born during the night of the birth of ,krishna4 ,one of the first miracles performed by ,krishna1 when mature1 was the curing of a leper4 ,a lame woman came with a vessel filled with spices and sweet oil1 and anointed his head4 ,krishna was slain4 ,at his death a black circle surrounded the moon1 and the sun was darkened at noonday4 ,spirits were to be seen on all sides4 ,krishna descended into hell1 rose again from the dead1 and ascended bodily into heaven1 many persons witnessing his ascent4 ,he is to come again on earth in the latter days4 ,he will appear as an armed warrior riding a white horse4 ,at his approach the sun and moon will be darkened1 the earth will tremble1 and the stars fall from the firmament 7compare ,rev4 vi4 #b1 #ab1 #ac74 ,he is to judge the dead at the last day4 ,krishna is the ,creator of all things visible and invisible1 and is the beginning1 middle1 and end of all things4 ,krishna was transfigured before his beloved disciple1 ,arjuna4 ,krishna was the meekest of beings4 ,he preached sublimely4 ,according to the purer ,vaishnava faith1 he was pure and chaste in reality2 any amorousness related of him is to be explained allegorically1 as symbolising the longing of the human soul for the ,supreme2 just as the amorous ,song of ,solomon is said to be allegorical1 and to mean ,christ's love for his ,church4 ,krishna even condescended to wash the feet of the ,brahmins4 ,he is the incarnation of ,vishnu1 the second person in the ,hindoo ,trinity of ,brahma1 ,vishnu1 and ,siva2 and ,vishnu in his incarnations is a saviour1 protector1 and friend4 ,krishna said3 ,let a man1 if seeking ,god by deep abstraction1 abandon his possessions and his hopes1 betake himself to some secluded spot1 and fix his heart and thoughts on ,god alone4 ,and1 again3 ,then be not sorrowful2 from all thy sins ,i will deliver thee4 ,many other such remarkable passages might be adduced from the ,bhagavad-gita4 ,justice1 humanity1 good faith1 compassion1 disinterestedness--in fact1 all the virtues--are said to have been taught by ,krishna1 both by precept and example2 but we must remember1 as ,monier ,williams informs us in his ,hinduism1 that ,krishna1 in the ancient epic poems1 is simply a great hero1 and it is not until about the fourth century ,b4,c4 that he is deified and declared to be an incarnation of ,vishnu4 ,in conclusion1 the accounts of ,krishna's childhood agree very closely with the apocryphal accounts of ,christ's childhood4 ,buddha4--,if the similarity between the histories of ,krishna and ,jesus is remarkable1 what shall we say of that between the mythological #ib portions of the history of ,gautama ,buddha and the history of ,jesus8 ,looked upon as a confirmation of ,progressive ,revelation1 it is nothing short of marvellous1 whether we regard the similarity in events1 characters1 actions1 or sayings4 ,from ,buddha's divine incarnation until his ascension into the celestial regions1 almost every important episode of the life of ,christ appears to be paralleled4 ,attendant miraculous events1 spotless character1 wonderful doings1 cherished sayings--all are here4 ,buddha was miraculously #ic born of the pure and holy ,maya4 ,he descended into her womb from heaven in a spiritual manner4 ,there was joy in heaven1 the ,devas singing3 ,to-day ,bodhisatwa is born on earth1 to give joy and peace to men and ,devas4 ,he was recognised by the aged and devout ,asita as the perfect ,buddha come to the world for its salvation4 ,his life was threatened by the ,king ,bimbisara1 who was advised to destroy the child4 ,he was presented in the temple4 ,when still a mere child he was found to be as proficient as his masters1 and he disputed with learned doctors4 ,his ancestry was traced from his father to ,maha ,sammata1 the first monarch of the world4 ,he bathed in water1 the spirits making their presence known as he did so4 ,when about to adopt a religious life1 he fasted for a long time1 and was tempted by ,mara1 the author of ,evil2 but he heeded not the words of the ,evil ,one1 and bade him depart from him4 ,the heavens showed their appreciation of this defeat by raining flowers4 ,towards the end of his life he was transfigured when on a mountain in ,india called ,pandava4 ,he performed great miracles4 ,for instance1 on one occasion he floated through the air across a river2 and1 on another1 he caused a tempest to cease1 and so saved a disciple1 who was in imminent danger of shipwreck4 ,shortly before his death a weeping woman embraced his feet4 ,when ,buddha died many miracles occurred4 ,the coffin was opened1 and the body uncovered1 supernaturally4 ,he promised that another ,buddha would be sent to them4 ,he foretold his departure1 and after death entered ,nirvana4 ,he was very early regarded as omniscient and absolutely sinless4 ,earth and heaven did homage to him at birth and death4 ,a great earthquake occurred at his ,temptation4 ,he is represented as saying3 ,let all the sins that are committed in the world fall upon me1 that the world may be delivered2 and again3 ,hide your good deeds1 and confess before the world the sins you have committed2 and again3 ,though the great world be swallowed up and pass away1 yet be assured the words of ,buddha are true2 and again3 ,beware of fixing your eyes upon women2 ,a wise man should avoid unchaste life1 as if it were a burning pit of live coals2 ,one who is not able to live in a state of celibacy should not commit adultery4 ,according to ,buddha1 the motives of all our actions should be pity1 or love for our neighbour4 ,those who became his disciples were told they must renounce the world1 give up their riches1 and take the vow of poverty4 ,finally1 we should note that ,buddha aimed to establish a ,kingdom of ,heaven 7,dharmachakra72 that the account given by ,st4 ,peter 7,ep4 ii41 ch4 #c7 of the earth once destroyed by water1 and about to be destroyed by fire1 is in agreement with the ,buddhist story2 and that the ,jews believed in the pre-existence of souls and a modified form of metempsychosis 7transmigration of the soul74 ,it is difficult to separate fiction from fact2 but the generally accepted records show that1 together with superior natural endowments1 ,gautama ,buddha attained to an exceptional purity of life and integrity of purpose4 ,probably he never arrogated to himself any higher authority than that of a teacher2 but his followers1 turning for consolation to the theory that he still lived1 exalted him1 within a quarter of a century of his death1 to a place among their deities4 ,as already mentioned1 he was very early regarded as omniscient and absolutely sinless4 #id ,all sorts of legends1 borrowed from current myths1 attach themselves to the story of his life1 while his teaching as a simple-hearted1 truth-seeking philanthropist became encrusted with the superstitions and religious speculations that were current4 ,as with ,krishna1 so here there are stories of ,buddha's childhood of which the apocryphal stories of ,christ's childhood are an almost exact reproduction4 ,,parallels ,,other ,,than ,,krishna ,,and ,,buddha4 ,in the case of ,krishna and ,buddha it is contended by some ,christian writers that the stories must have been borrowed from ,christian sources both canonical and apocryphal4 ,this contention1 founded on the lateness of the mythical stories in literary form1 will be considered in due course2 but first let us have clearly before our minds those parallels concerning which there is no such contention1 for the simple reason that there is no getting away from the fact that the beliefs existed long before the advent of ,christ4 ,in ancient religions other than ,hindooism and ,buddhism1 there are1 among many others1 distinct parallels to--the ,virgin ,birth2 the ,heavenly ,choir2 the ,epiphany2 the ,slaughter of the ,innocents2 the ,temptation and ,forty ,days' ,fast2 the ,miracles2 the ,crucifixion ,darkness1 and ,descent into ,hell2 the ,resurrection and ,ascension2 the ,second ,coming and ,day of ,judgment4 ,the ,virgin ,birth4--,according to ,chinese legends1 the sages ,fohi 78 #cdfh ,b4,c47 and ,lao-,kiun 7about #fjj ,b4,c47 were born of virgins4 ,dean ,milman mentions in his ,history of ,christianity that the first ,jesuit missionaries who went to ,china were appalled at finding in the mythology of that country a counterpart of the story of the ,virgin4 ,in ,persia1 ,zoroaster1 #ie the founder of the ,perso-,iranian national religion1 was miraculously conceived4 ,all attempts to connect him with ,hebrew influences are groundless4 ,in ,egypt1 ,horus1 who had the epithet of ,saviour1 was born of the virgin ,isis4 ,the ,egyptian ,bible1 remember1 is the oldest in the world6 ,plutarch mentions the notion of the ,egyptians that a woman might conceive by the approach of some divine spirit4 ,egyptian monuments represent the infant saviour in the arms of his virgin mother1 or sitting on her knee4 ,the image of the child was worshipped just as the ,bambino is worshipped in ,rome to-day4 ,women then1 as now1 believed in its efficacy for their relief in time of nature's sorrows4 ,in ,grecian and ,roman mythology the ,sons of ,jove--,hercules1 ,bacchus1 ,amphion1 ,perseus1 ,mercury1 olus1 ,apollo1 and others--have mortal mothers4 ,speaking of this1 the ,christian ,father1 ,justin ,martyr1 declared that the myths regarding the multitude of sons of gods1 and especially the myth regarding the virgin's son ,perseus1 had been invented by the demons in order to rob the manifestation of ,jesus1 the true ,son of ,god1 of its importance4 ,he also insisted that1 with their doctrine of the ,virgin-birth of ,jesus1 of ,his passion1 and of ,his ascension1 the ,christians were affirming nothing new as compared with what was alleged of the so-called sons of ,zeus4 #if ,even regarding ,plato there was a legend that his mother1 ,perictione1 had experienced a miraculous conception through the influences of the ,god ,apollo1 and that the ,god had declared to ,aris1 to whom she was betrothed1 the parentage of the child 7compare ,st4 ,matthew i4 #bj74 ,this was believed in by the disciples of ,plato centuries before the ,christian era4 ,among northern nations the sons of ,odin take the place of the sons of ,jove4 ,thus ,baldur the ,good1 the ,beneficent ,saviour1 was the son of ,odin and ,friga4 ,the worship of ,friga was continued until that of the ,virgin ,mary took its place4 ,in ,mexico1 the ,saviour ,quetzalcoatl was born of a pure virgin1 who was called the ,queen of ,heaven4 ,an ambassador from heaven announced to the virgin ,sochiquetzal1 mother of ,quetzalcoatl1 that it was the will of ,god that she should conceive a son without connection with man4 ,here we have an exact parallel to the annunciation of the ,virgin ,mary 7,st4 ,luke i4 #bf-ce71 in a part of the globe that was not discovered by ,christians till nearly #a1ejj years after the birth of ,christ6 ,similar traditions of ,saviours are found among various tribes of ,north and ,south ,america4 ,regarding the tendency to believe in incarnations1 ,dr4 ,illingworth #ig explains that a general tendency in the human mind to expect a thing cannot possibly be twisted into a presumption against its occurrence4444 ,the fact of the expectation does not logically make invention a likelier alternative than occurrence1 except upon one hypothesis--namely1 that the occurrence is impossible4 ,this argument skims over--or1 ,i might almost say1 neglects--the real contention of the ,rationalist4 ,let us assume that incarnation is not ruled out of court as being priori impossible2 the virgin-birth of ,jesus was subsequently invented by the ,christian ,church because its eminent suitability necessitated its invention4 ,only thus could the divinity and sinlessness of ,jesus ,christ be firmly established4 ,more especially would this be the case in an age when everyone was familiar with the notion of virgin-born ,saviours4 ,the minds of men were deeply imbued with the idea of miraculous birth in the case of anyone claiming to be of divine origin4 ,only on this understanding would the heathen1 already believing in their own virgin-born ,saviours1 have accepted ,christianity4 ,the ,heavenly ,choir4--,even ,confucius1 the celebrated philosopher 7born #eea ,b4,c471 was ushered into the world with dragons and angels hovering about the couch1 and with the sound of heavenly music in the air4 ,at the birth of ,osiris1 the father of ,horus1 another ,egyptian ,saviour1 a voice was heard proclaiming that the ,ruler of all the earth is born4 ,there was joy in ,olympus when ,apollo was born1 and at the time of the birth of ,hercules his father ,zeus spake from heaven1 and said3 ,this day shall a child be born of the race of ,perseus1 who shall be the mightiest of the sons of men4 ,the ,epiphany4--,legends of the coming of wise men to see an infant grew up in various places4 ,krishna was visited by sages who brought perfumes4 ,confucius has a somewhat similar legend1 and one occurs even in connection with the birth of ,plato4 ,the ,slaughter of the ,innocents4--,the story of the dangerous child is almost universal4 ,horus1 ,zoroaster1 and ,bacchus1 for example1 were dangerous children4 ,the ,forty ,days' ,fast and the ,temptation4--,according to ,pliny1 ,zoroaster lived for thirty years in the wilderness upon cheese4 ,the ,devil made ,zoroaster magnificent promises2 but the temptations were in vain4 ,the ancient ,persians had a religious festival1 which they annually celebrated1 called the ,salutation of ,mithras 7the sun-god71 and during it forty days were set apart for sacrifice and thanksgiving4 ,among the ancient ,egyptians the priest submitted to abstinence of the most severe description4 ,the priests in ,heliopolis1 says ,plutarch1 have many fasts1 during which they meditate upon divine things4 ,fasting and self-denial were observances required of the ,greeks who desired initiation into the mysteries4 ,the same practice was found among the ancient ,mexicans and ,peruvians4 ,the ,mexicans had a forty days' fast1 in memory of ,quetzalcoatl1 who was tempted and fasted forty days on a mountain4 ,lord ,kingsborough says3 ,the temptation of ,quetzalcoatl and the fast of forty days 444 are very curious and mysterious4 #ih ,mr4 ,bonwick says3 ,the ,spaniards were surprised to see the ,mexicans keep the vernal forty days' fast4 #ii ,turning to the ,old ,testament1 we may remind ourselves that ,moses went up into a mountain to receive certain instructions from ,god1 and was there with the ,lord forty days and forty nights1 and he did neither eat bread nor drink water4 ,on a second occasion1 when he received the ,ten ,commandments1 he was again with the ,lord forty days and forty nights1 and did neither eat bread nor drink water4 ,elijah fled to the desert1 where an angel gave him cake and water1 and in the strength of that meat he went for forty days without food4 ,the number forty occurs over and over again in that portion of the ,old ,testament which the ,higher ,criticism has shown to be unhistorical4 ,the ,rationalist avers that the number forty is mythological1 and that we have this story of the ,forty ,days' ,fast and the ,temptation in the ,new ,testament because the writer wishes to show that ,jesus ,christ was proof against all temptation2 that ,he1 too1 as well as other ,christs1 could resist the powers of the ,prince of ,evil4 ,it may be urged that in all these cases the number is quite immaterial4 ,are we not1 then1 to take the author of ,the ,acts literally when he informs us that ,christ spent forty days on earth after ,his resurrection8 ,the ,miracles4--,not only ,krishna and ,buddha1 but all leaders of religious movements1 had the reputation of having performed miracles4 ,religions were established as much by the miracles as by the preachings4 ,miracles were needed in those days on all special occasions4 ,many of them are attested in the gravest manner by the gravest writers1 and were firmly believed at the time by the people4 ,healing miracles1 such as those performed by ,jesus1 were the commonest of all4 ,the ,gospel miracles are in no respect singular or more wonderful4 ,horus1 as well as ,krishna1 raised the dead to life4 ,bacchus changed water into wine4 sculapius not only cured the sick1 but raised the dead4 ,pausanias1 the eminent ,greek geographer and historian1 writes that in the temple of sculapius at ,epidaurus there was an old pillar dedicated to the memory of ,hippolytus1 who had been raised from the dead4 #ajj ,apollonius of ,tyana was celebrated for the wonderful miracles he performed4 ,he caused a devil to depart out of a youth1 and he restored a dead maiden to life4 ,the ,christian ,fathers inform us that ,simon ,magus1 with the ,devil's aid1 could make his appearance wherever he pleased at any moment2 could poise himself in the air2 produce trees from the earth suddenly the mango tree trick82 fling himself from high precipices unhurt the very feat suggested by the ,devil in the ,temptation2 and walk through the streets accompanied by spirits of the dead4 ,tacitus1 the celebrated ,roman historian1 tells us that the ,emperor ,vespasian 7born #i ,a4,d47 performed wonderful miracles for the good of mankind1 and among others he describes the cure of a blind man with the emperor's spittle4 ,the ,atonement4--,in ,china the ,holy ,one 7,tien7 dies to save the world4 ,the sufferings and death of ,osiris were the great mystery of the ,egyptian religion4 ,his being the divine goodness1 and the abstract idea of 'good1' his manifestation upon earth 7like an ,indian god71 his death and resurrection1 and his office as judge of the dead in a future life1 look like the early revelation of a future manifestation of the deity converted into a mythological fable4 #aja ,while ,osiris is the judge1 ,horus1 his son1 is the mediator4 ,in the ,judgment scene in the ,book of the ,dead1 ,horus1 the son of ,isis1 leads the deceased1 after his heart has been weighed1 into the presence of ,osiris 7see ,papyrus of ,ani1 plates #c #d74 ,mithras1 the sun-god of the ,persians1 was a ,mediator between ,god and men--the ,saviour1 who1 by his laborious conflicts1 worked their salvation4 ,he was also called the ,word4 ,attys1 called the ,only ,begotten ,son and the ,saviour1 was worshipped by the ,phrygians1 and represented by them as a man tied or nailed to a tree4 ,adonis was another virgin-born ,saviour who suffered for mankind4 ,the yearly festival of ,adonis in the spring was a special favourite with women4 ,in the ,old ,testament reference is made to the weeping of the women over ,tammuz1 the ,babylonian equivalent of ,adonis 7,ezekiel viii4 #ad74 ,according to the ,rev4 ,sir ,g4 ,w4 ,cox1 #ajb he was the crucified ,tao 7divine love personified74 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,parkhurst1 in the chapter on the ,resurrection in his ,hebrew lexicon1 says3 ,i find myself obliged to refer ,tammuz to that class of idols which were originally designed to represent the promised ,saviour1 the desire of all nations4 ,prometheus was a ,saviour who suffered the most fearful tortures as the friend of the human race4 schylus's tragedy1 ,prometheus ,vinctus1 was acted in ,athens five hundred years before the ,christian era4 ,even ,bacchus1 whom most of us think of as the rollicking wine-god of classical mythology1 was a slain ,saviour4 ,when we turn to the ,new ,world we find the worship of a crucified ,saviour among the ancient ,mexicans and ,peruvians4 ,lord ,kingsborough tells us that1 according to the belief of the ancient ,mexicans1 the death of ,quetzalcoatl upon the cross was an atonement for the sins of mankind4 #ajc ,dr4 ,daniel ,brinton relates how the ,aztecs had a feast which they celebrated in the early spring1 when victims were nailed to a cross and shot with an arrow4 #ajd ,alexander von ,humboldt1 in his ,american ,researches1 also speaks of a feast1 at which the ,mexicans crucified a man and pierced him with an arrow4 ,the ,rev4 ,j4 ,p4 ,lundy1 speaking of this1 says3 ,here is the old story of ,prometheus crucified on the ,caucasus1 and of all other pagan crucifixions of the young incarnate divinities of ,india1 ,persia1 ,asia ,minor1 and ,egypt4 #aje ,moral ,teaching4--,there is not only an extraordinary similarity in beliefs1 but also in moral teachings4 ,the teachings of ,confucius1 ,mencius1 and ,wang ,yang ,ming might1 as ,professor ,nitobe points out1 #ajf just as well be considered plagiarisms from the ,divine library1 for they furnish numerous remarkable parallels to the ,new ,testament teaching4 ,taoism1 the philosophy of ,laotze1 for a long time successfully rivalled the more utilitarian system of ,confucius1 and its close agreement with many of the teachings of ,christ is most noticeable4 ,the morals of the ancient ,egyptians are clearly set forth in the ,book of the ,dead1 which came into use after #bjjj ,b4,c4 ,they indicate a far higher standard than existed in ,israel in ,david's time4 ,yet1 as ,dr4 ,callaway remarks1 #ajg in traditions which still linger among us1 the law under which ,david lived and reigned was perfect and divine2 while the name of ,egypt stands for darkness and sin4 ,with regard to the parallels in the moral teaching1 ,dean ,farrar1 in his work1 ,seekers after ,god1 has clearly shown that to say that pagan morality kindled its faded taper at the ,gospel light1 whether furtively or unconsciously1 that it dissembled the obligation and made a boast of the splendour1 as if it were originally her own1 is to make an assertion wholly untenable4 ,he points out that the attempts of the ,christian ,fathers to make out ,pythagoras a debtor to ,hebraic wisdom1 ,plato an ,atticising ,moses1 ,aristotle a learner of ethics from a ,jew1 ,seneca a correspondent of ,st4 ,paul1 were due in some cases to ignorance1 in some to a want of perfect honesty in controversial dealing4 ,apocryphal ,gospels4--,we are assured by ,christian writers that the parallels between the accounts of ,krishna's and ,buddha's childhood and those in the apocryphal gospels of ,christ's childhood are due to the ,hindoos having borrowed legends current among the early ,christians4 ,dr4 ,wallis ,budge1 the keeper of ,egyptian and ,assyrian antiquities in the ,british ,museum1 informs us1 however1 that several of the incidents of the wanderings of the ,virgin with the child in ,egypt1 as recorded in the ,apocryphal ,gospels1 reflect scenes in the life of ,isis as described in the texts found on the ,metternich ,stele4 #ajh ,and1 again1 he says3 ,in the apocryphal literature of the first six centuries which followed the evangelisation of ,egypt1 several of the legends about ,isis and her sorrowful wanderings were made to centre round the mother of ,christ4 #aji ,the evidence is conclusive that certain legends prevalent among the early ,christians were borrowed from the ancient ,egyptian religion2 yet we are to believe that where the ,krishna and ,buddha parallels are concerned the borrowing process was the other way6 ,so be it4 ,let us suppose that certain ,egyptian superstitions reached the ,hindoo through the medium of the ,christian2 the fact remains that beliefs once held by devout but unlettered ,christians have a heathen origin4 ,this is of serious import1 for it lends weight to the suspicion that the marvellous tales in the canonical gospels have been similarly derived from heathen legends--legends from which some of the more glaring absurdities and all that would mar the ethical ideals of the ,christian religion were eclectically expunged4 ,,are ,,the ,,krishna ,,and ,,buddha ,,legends ,,borrowed ,,from ,,christianity8 ,i have indicated a few of the more striking parallels in other religions besides ,krishnaism and ,buddhism4 ,did space permit1 it could be shown that there are also parallels to the teaching of ,christ1 the darkness at the ,crucifixion1 the descent into ,hell1 the ,resurrection1 the claim of ,jesus ,christ to be ,alpha and ,omega 7according to the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john71 the prophecy of the ,second ,coming1 the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 the doctrine of the ,trinity1 the worship of the ,blessed ,virgin1 the ,christian symbols 7cross1 triangle1 ,i4,h4,s41 fish1 serpent1 dove1 and lamb74 ,i cannot understand what the ,christian cause can gain by ascribing the parallels in ,hindoo mythology to ,christian sources1 when there is all this mass of evidence for parallels that are quite as extraordinary 7though less numerous7 in those ancient religions where the priority to ,christianity cannot reasonably be denied4 ,certainly the ,krishna and ,buddha parallels are extremely numerous and strikingly exact2 but a policy which seeks to explain them in a different manner from that adopted in the case of the same phenomena in other religions1 while it serves to confirm the suspicions of the sceptic1 is doomed eventually to failure4 ,this being so1 it is unnecessary1 ,i think1 to enter at any great length into the controversy4 ,in ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson's book1 ,christianity and ,mythology1 there is a scholarly investigation from which ,i extract the following leading points #aaj3--;,hindoos1 as ,professor ,tiele urges1 could perfectly well have borrowed1 if they did borrow1 from ,egypt before ,christianity was heard of4 ,there is hardly a leading detail in the ,krishna birth legend which is not variously paralleled in other early non-,christian mythology4 ,the more we collate the main ,christian myth-notions with those of ,krishnaism1 the more clearly does it appear that1 instead of the latter being borrowed from the former1 they are1 not indeed the originals from which ,christianity borrowed1 but always presumptively the more ancient1 and in one or two cases they do appear to be the actual sources of ,gospel stories4 ,the lateness of the ,purnic stories in literary form is no argument against their antiquity4 ,scholars are agreed that late documents often preserve extremely old myth-material4 ,the leading elements in the ,krishna myth are inexplicable save on the view that the cultus is ancient4 ,the close coincidences in the legends of ,krishna and ,buddha are to be explained in terms of borrowing by the latter from the former1 and not vice versa4 ,i should add here that the denial of the ,christian accretions theory does not convey also the implication that the ,bible story was borrowed from the ,krishna and ,buddha myths4 ,on the contrary1 the strong probability is that there has been little or no borrowing either way--that there is a common source for both in earlier ,aryan and ,semitic myths4 ,in the ,introduction to his standard work1 ,the ,romantic ,history of ,buddha1 #aaa ,mr4 ,beal refers to the legends concerning the pre-existence of ,buddha in heaven--his miraculous incarnation--salutation by angels--recognition by ,asita 7,simeon7--presentation in the ,temple--baptism by fire and water--disputation with doctors--temptation in the wilderness--life passed in preaching and working miracles1 etc4--and frankly admits that1 if we could prove that they were unknown in the ,east for some centuries after ,christ1 the explanation would be easy2 but all the evidence we have goes to prove the contrary4 ,regarding the parallelisms with the ,apocryphal ,gospels1 he says3 ,it would be a natural inference that many of the events in the legend of ,buddha were borrowed from the ,apocryphal ,gospels 7compare1 for example1 the ,gospel of the ,infancy1 chap4 xx43 ',our ,lord learning his alphabet1' with the account given in chap4 xi4 of this volume71 if we were quite certain that these ,apocryphal ,gospels had not borrowed from it4 ,in his later work1 ,buddhist ,literature1 ,mr4 ,beal modifies his position4 ,neither ,max ,mller in his ,introduction to the ,science of ,religion1 nor ,forlong in his ,short ,studies of the ,science of ,comparative ,religions1 nor ,senart in his learned work1 ,la ,lgende du ,buddha1 nor ,seydel in his ,evangelium von ,jesu and his ,buddha ,legends1 nor ,pfleiderer in his ,urchristentum1 supports the theory of ,christian accretions4 ,bunsen1 in his ,angel-,messiah1 maintains 7p4 #ah7 that1 according to ,sanscrit and ,chinese scriptures and the stone-cut edicts of ,asoka and the ,senchi ,tope1 certain legends about ,buddha circulated in ,india and ,china1 not only before the apostolic age1 but more than three centuries earlier1 and that among these legends the most ancient are those which refer to the incarnation of ,buddha as the ,angel ,messiah4 ,on page #aj of ,rhys ,davids' well-known little work1 ,buddhism 7published under the direction of the ,s4,p4,c4,k471 we read3 ,there is every reason to believe that the ,pitakas now extant in ,ceylon are substantially identical with the books of the ,orthodox ,canon1 as settled at the ,council of ,patna about the year #bej ,b4,c4 ,as no works would have been received into the canon which were not then believed to be very old1 the ,pitakas may be approximately placed in the fourth century ,b4,c41 and parts of them possibly read back very nearly1 if not quite1 to the time of ,gautama himself4 ,on page #ae it is explained that1 when the statements in the ,sanscrit and ,pali texts agree1 the greatest reliance may be placed upon them1 not indeed as to the actual facts of ,gautama's life1 but as to the belief of the early ,buddhists concerning it4 ,professor ,rhys ,davids enumerates the more important of these early beliefs1 and they include many of the startling coincidences which ,i have noticed4 ,the later beliefs he passes over for the most part in silence2 but1 speaking generally1 he is of opinion that the greater portion1 if not all1 of the legends could be explained by hero-worship1 mere poetical imagery1 misapprehension1 the desire to edify1 applications to ,gautama of previously existing stories or sun-myths1 and so on4 ,nowhere does he state or imply that in any of the legends1 early or late1 there can be any application to ,gautama of the ,gospel stories of the life of ,christ2 while he considers ,m4 ,senart's theory of the almost complete dependence of the ,buddha legends on solar myths most interesting4 ,now1 it is just those very ideas of virgin-birth1 resurrection1 and ascension appearing in the later legends which were nothing more nor less than solar myths4 ,in any case1 whatever their origin1 they were world-wide very many centuries before the ,christian era2 so any argument from the lateness of these legends is founded upon sand4 ,in his ,buddhism1 as also in his article on ,buddhism in the ,encyclopdia ,britannica1 the ,professor steers clear of the question of the parallels2 but in his ,buddhist ,suttas1 translated by him from the ,pali and appearing in the ,sacred ,books of the ,east series1 we read 7in the ,introduction1 p4 #afe7 that while he ventures to disagree with writers who argue that the resemblances in the ,pali ,pitakas and passages in the ,new ,testament indicate that the ,new ,testament as the later must be borrowed1 he holds that the resemblance is due not to any borrowing on the one side or the other1 but solely to the similarity of the conditions under which the two movements grew and1 the ,rationalist would add1 a similarity in the myths afloat is a part1 and a very essential part1 of the similarity of the conditions4 ,so also with regard to the lateness of the ,krishna legends in literary form1 it is futile to argue that they are1 to use a familiar term1 cribbed from the canonical and apocryphal gospels1 when most of them are obviously plagiarisms of the ancient sun-myths4 ,the ,rev4 ,sir ,g4 ,w4 ,cox1 speaking on this subject in his ,aryan ,mythology1 says3 ,there is no more room for inferring foreign influence in the growth of any of these myths than1 as ,bunsen rightly insists1 there is room for tracing ,christian influence in the early epical literature of the ,teutonic tribes4 ,practically the myths of ,krishna seem to have been fully developed in the days of ,megasthenes 7fourth century ,b4,c471 who identifies him with the ,greek ,hercules4 ,megasthenes wrote a work on ,india1 which was the chief source of the later ,greek information on the subject4 ,professor ,monier ,williams1 the accepted authority on ,hinduism1 writing for the ,s4,p4,g41 in his book1 ,indian ,wisdom1 and speaking of the ,bhagavad-gita1 says3 ,it may reasonably be questioned whether there could have been any actual contact of the ,hindoo system with ,christianity without a more satisfactory result in the modification of ,pantheistic and anti-,christian ideas4 ,again1 he says3 ,the religious creeds1 rites1 customs1 and habits of thought of the ,hindoos generally had altered little since the days of ,menu1 #ejj years ,b4,c4 ,in his ,hinduism 7p4 #ai7 he shows that we may be justified in assuming that the hymns of the ,veda were probably composed by a succession of poets at different dates between #aejj and #ajjj years ,b4,c4 ,this is an important concession1 because the ancient hymns of the ,veda furnish the germs of those sun-myths which tell of the death1 resurrection1 and ascension of a virgin-born saviour4 ,whatever may be thought of the conclusions of the highest authorities regarding ,krishnaistic and ,buddhistic beliefs1 ,i hope ,i may have so far carried the reader with me that he will be prepared to admit that there are very many striking resemblances to the ,gospel stories in those ancient beliefs whose priority to ,christianity is not disputed4 ,now that these resemblances are no longer attributed to a device of the ,evil ,one1 an explanation for them is urgently required4 ,the explanation from the ,christian side is the theory of a ,progressive ,revelation2 and1 apparently1 there can be no other1 if ,christianity be true4 ,the reader has been put in possession of a few details of the remarkable parallels1 and he should apply this theory for himself to each and all of them1 and see whether it furnishes a fair working hypothesis1 whether his mind can accept the explanation now offered to him1 and1 ,i might almost add1 whether he can honestly continue to call himself a ,christian believer4 ,let him ask himself which is the more probable1 that in the common mythos we have marvellous anticipations of the ,bible stories1 or that in the latter we have reproductions of the former8 #c4 ,parallels in the ,beliefs of ,primitive ,man1 and some ,remarks ,upon ,them4 ,i must ask the reader's patience if ,i postpone my final remarks on ,progressive ,revelation until ,i have adduced some illustrations of the beliefs and customs of primitive man1 as here also this same theory has to apply4 ,thus far the pagan beliefs have appeared to be of a comparatively harmless character2 but this can by no means be said of the beliefs of savage man4 ,he does not confine himself1 like his more civilised brother1 to mystical beliefs in ,saviours who once upon a time suffered for him1 and whose body and blood are to be symbolically assimilated2 but1 being of a realistic 7or shall we say materialistic87 turn of mind1 he prefers 7the inevitable result of a restricted intellectual development7 #aab to satisfy his religious emotions with the spectacle of a real human-divine sufferer1 and by a sacrificial feast of real flesh and blood4 ,can this be ,god's method of revealing ,himself8 ,true1 the religious convictions of civilised man have been a fruitful source of human agony1 both physical and mental1 in many a bloody fight and massacre1 in cruel and relentless persecutions1 in every refinement of excruciating torture and pitiable distress to body and mind2 but it is possible to gloze over all this with various specious arguments4 ,it is not so easy to do so with examples drawn from the history of savage races4 ,the only thing is that so few have ever had these examples brought before them1 or1 at least1 have ever thought of connecting them with anything that has to do with the truth of ,christianity4 ,i shall1 therefore1 now give some illustrations of the beliefs and customs of primitive man4 ,a vivid description may succeed in convincing the reader of the absurdity of the new theory1 where mere vague ideas of savage ritual would fail4 ,of the human sacrifices of rude peoples1 those of the ,mexicans are perhaps the most instructive1 for in them the theanthropic character of the victim comes out most clearly4 #aac ,when we go to the records of the cultures and creeds of ,mexico and ,peru1 records wonderfully preserved in the teeth of the fanaticism which would have destroyed them all if it could1 we stand clear of the frauds and prejudices alike of ,jew and ,christian4444 ,we are faced by a civilisation and a religion that reached wealth and complexity by normal evolution from the stages of early savagery and barbarism without ever coming in contact with those of ,europe till the moment of collision and destruction4 #aad ,we shall begin1 therefore1 with the ancient ,american4 ,,the ,,religions ,,of ,,ancient ,,america4 ,terrible was the prestige of the priesthood of ,mexico4 ,the greater the ,state grew1 the larger were the hecatombs of human victims4 ,almost every god had to be propitiated in the same way2 but above all must the war-god be for ever glutted with the smoking hearts of slain captives4 ,scarcely any historian1 says ,prescott1 estimates the number of human beings sacrificed yearly throughout the ,empire at less than #bj1jjj1 and some make it #ej1jjj4 ,the ,franciscan monks computed that #b1ejj victims were annually sacrificed in the town and district of ,mexico alone4 ,of this doomed host1 ,huitzilopochtli had the lion's share2 and it is recorded that at the dedication of his great new temple ,a4,d4 #adhf that is to say1 nearly #a1ejj years after ,god was pleased to reveal ,himself definitely to mankind there were slain in his honour #gj1jjj prisoners of war1 who had been reserved for the purpose for years throughout the ,empire4 ,they formed a train two miles long1 and the work of priestly butchery went on for several days4 #aae ,at every festival of the ,god there was a new hecatomb of victims1 and we may conceive how the chronic spectacle burnt itself in on the imagination of the people4444 ,and then the horror of the sacrificial act6 ,in the great majority of the sacrifices the victim was laid living on the convex stone and held by the limbs1 while the slayer cut open his breast with the sacred flint 7or rather obsidian7 knife--the ancient knife used before men had the use of metals1 and therefore most truly religious--and tore out the palpitating heart1 which was held on high to the all-seeing sun1 before being set to burn in incense in front of the idol1 whose lips1 and the walls of whose shrines1 were devoutly daubed with blood4 ,in connection with one annual festival of ,tezcatlipoca1 the ,creator and 'soul of the world1' who combined the attributes of perpetual youthful beauty with the function of the ,god of ,justice and ,retribution1 as the ,winter ,sun1 there was selected for immolation a young male captive of especial beauty1 who was treated with great reverence for a whole year before being sacrificed4444 ,when all was over the priests piously improved the occasion1 preaching that all this had been typical of human destiny1 while the aristocracy sacramentally ate the victim's roasted limbs4 ,they ,christians mystically eat the body of the slain ,god4 ,now1 this very act was performed by the ,mexicans1 not only literally as we have seen1 but in the symbolic way also2 and they connected their sacraments with the symbol of the cross4 ,that the ,mexicans were no longer cannibals by taste is shown by the fact that in the great siege by ,cortez they died of starvation by thousands4 ,they never ate fellow citizens3 only the sacrificially slain captive4 ,the strangest thing of all is that their frightful system of sacrifice was bound up not only with a strict and ascetic sexual morality1 but with an emphatic humanitarian doctrine4 ,if asceticism be virtue1 they cultivated virtue zealously4 ,there was a ,mexican ,goddess of ,love1 and there was of course plenty of vice2 but nowhere could men win a higher reputation for sanctity by living in celibacy4 ,their saints were numerous4 ,they had nearly all the formulas of ,christian morality1 so-called4 ,the priests themselves mostly lived in strict celibacy2 and they educated children with the greatest vigilance in their temple schools and higher colleges4 ,they taught the people to be peaceful1 to bear injuries with meekness1 to rely on ,god's mercy and not on their own merits2 they taught1 like ,jesus and the ,pagans1 that adultery could be committed by the eyes and the heart2 and1 above all1 they exhorted men to feed the poor4 ,the public hospitals were carefully attended to1 at a time when some ,christian countries had none4 ,they had the practice of confession and absolution1 and in the regular exhortation of the confessor there was this formula3 ,clothe the naked and feed the hungry1 whatever privations it may cost thee2 for remember their flesh is like thine1 and they are men like thee2 cherish the sick1 for they are the image of ,god4 ,and in this very same exhortation there was further urged on the penitent the special duty of instantly procuring a slave for sacrifice to the deity4 ,the ,mexican believed in the resurrection of the ,man-,god4 ,dr4 ,frazer relates how the idea that the ,god thus slain in the person of his representative comes to life again immediately was graphically represented in the ,mexican ritual by skinning the slain man-god1 and clothing in his skin a living man1 who thus became the new representative of the god-head4 #aaf ,it is civilisation that determines the tone of religion4 ,in ,peru1 where the civilisation was higher and the priesthood less powerful1 the sacrificial system was less burdensome and less terrible4 ,thus human sacrifices were practically extinct4 ,the ,peruvians had the institution of a ,holy ,communion1 in which they ate of a sacred bread1 sancu1 sprinkled with the blood of a sacrificed sheep1 the priest pronouncing this formula3 ,take heed how ye eat this sancu2 for he who eats it in sin and with a double will and heart is seen by our ,father1 the ,sun1 who will punish him with grievous troubles4 ,the ,spaniards themselves recognised that the ,mexicans ate the mystical body of the ,god with every sign of devotion and contrition2 and they were so far from depreciating the ,peruvian ,communion that they supposed ,st4 ,bartholomew had established it4 #aag ,with these facts confronting us1 it is nothing short of marvellous to find many learned divines completely ignoring them in their apologetic efforts4 ,i say marvellous1 for ,i assume they possess honesty of purpose and some acquaintance with ancient beliefs2 but perhaps ,i am wrong in the latter assumption4 ,the continuance of the celebration of the ,holy ,eucharist until the present day is held to be one of the evidences for the ,christian faith1 and this on the ground that the rite could not have survived if ,christ had not founded it4 ,for some reason1 best known to the apologist1 the almost universal observance of the same ceremony1 ages before the ,christian era1 and its survival among the nations who finally adopted ,christianity1 are entirely overlooked4 ,thus ,dr4 ,maclear1 in his book1 ,the ,evidential ,value of the ,holy ,eucharist1 says3 ,the singular rite has survived all the vicissitudes of more than #a1jjj years4444 ,the early ,christian would inform a supposed questioner that the meal was a sacrificial feast1 instituted by ,him from ,whom we are called ,christians1 and ,who died for us on the ,cross4 ,here1 then1 we are on solid ground4 ,the rite1 so unique and so unprecedented1 rests on an objective historical fact4 ,one would think that ,dr4 ,maclear had entirely neglected the study of ancient and even modern non-,christian #aah beliefs4 ,,vegetation ,,gods4 ,there is another class of primitive sacrificial custom which claims our careful attention1 in order that we may see whether it manifests the beginning of a revelation from ,god4 ,even if we could agree that all these gruesome details represent a savage's glimmerings of the truth1 we must allow that the theory collapses when the object of the custom can be shown to have little or nothing to do with religion in any true sense of the word4 ,subtle intellects are capable of maintaining that the worship of ancestors1 or of the ,sun1 or of imaginary devils1 betokens a dim perception of ,god2 but when it comes to the propitiation of a vegetation-god solely for the sake of the material benefits expected to be derived from his cult1 surely it is time to dismiss the theory as worthless4 ,all the world over1 savages and semi-civilised people are in the habit of sacrificing human victims1 whose bodies are buried in the field with the seed of corn1 or other bread stuffs4 ,often enough the victim's blood is mixed with grain in order to fertilise it4 ,the most famous instance is that of the ,khonds of ,orissa1 who chose special victims1 known as ,meriahs1 and offered them up to ensure good harvests4 ,the ,meriah was often kept years before being sacrificed4 ,he was regarded as a consecrated being1 and treated with extreme affection1 mingled with deference4 #aai ,the periodical sacrifices1 says ,dr4 ,frazer1 in ,the ,golden ,bough1 were generally so arranged by tribes and divisions of tribes that each head of a family was enabled1 at least once a year1 to procure a shred of flesh for his fields1 generally about the time when his chief crop was laid down4 ,khonds in distress often sold their children as ,meriahs1 considering the beatification of their souls certain1 and their death1 for the benefit of mankind1 the most honourable possible4 ,their children were representatives of the ,deity4 ,with advancing civilisation we have the substitution of an animal in place of the human representative of the ,god4 ,in some cases the worshippers tore the living animal to pieces with their teeth4 ,the rending and devouring of live bulls1 calves1 and goats seems to have been a regular feature of the ,dionysiac rites1 the participators in the orgy fancying that they were devouring the actual body and blood of the god4 ,with the further advance of civilisation 7or1 according to the latest ,christian theory1 with the further advance of ,god's revelation71 as in the ,mediterranean region1 the bodies of the gods of agriculture were eaten by their votaries in the shape of cakes of bread1 or other food stuffs1 and their blood was drunk in the form of wine4 #abj ,if ,dr4 ,frazer be right as to the priority of the idea of a vegetation-god in cults commonly associated with the ,sun1 then ,krishna1 ,osiris1 ,dionysus or ,bacchus1 ,adonis1 ,attis1 and other ,saviours whose deaths and resurrections were annually celebrated at the spring equinox 7our ,easter71 may have been primarily vegetation-victims1 the abstract ideas which identified the death and resurrection of the god with the annual winter sleep and spring revival being finally fathered upon the worship4 ,whatever explanation may be the correct one for the phenomenon of a common mythos over the greater portion of the globe1 it is certainly not that of a ,progressive ,revelation4 ,such an explanation has never been mooted by anyone but the ,christian apologist4 ,among early men and savages every act of life has a sacred significance1 and agriculture especially is everywhere and always invested with a special sanctity4 ,to us it would seem natural that the act of sowing seed should be regarded as purely practical and physiological2 that the seed should be looked upon merely as the part of the plant intended for reproduction1 and that its germination should be accepted as a natural and normal process4 ,savages and early men1 however1 had no such conceptions4 ,to them the whole thing is a piece of natural magic4 #aba ,are we1 then1 to regard this working of primitive thought as the working of the ,holy ,spirit8 ,surely we may dismiss such a preposterous theory8 ,it will serve the ,church no good purpose2 for1 while thinking men will be further than ever estranged1 it will furnish the militant agnostic with a fresh weapon for his attacks upon her4 ,,why ,,men ,,eat ,,their ,,god4 ,whatever may have been the ultimate origin of the idea of ,god1 and of the belief in ,his expiatory death and subsequent resurrection1 the origin of the custom of eating ,him sacramentally permits of a very simple explanation4 ,du ,chaillu notes that some of his ,west ,african followers1 when going on an expedition1 brought out the skulls of their ancestors 7which they religiously preserved7 and scraped off small portions of the bone1 which they mixed with the water and drank1 giving as a reason for this conduct that their ancestors were brave1 and that by drinking a portion of them they too became brave and fearless4 ,here we have a simple and early case of that habit of 'eating the god' to whose universality and importance ,dr4 ,frazer has called attention4 #abb ,it is a common early belief1 which may still be met with1 that by eating a certain animal the consumer will become possessed of its qualities4 ,it is notorious1 for instance1 that the ,miris of ,northern ,india prize tiger's flesh for men1 because it gives them strength and courage4 ,and apparently the same belief exists also in ,southern ,india1 for ,i remember our ,madrassi ayah--a ,christian by the bye--begging for the hind leg of a panther 7shot by my wife71 and explaining that she wanted to eat it in order to make her muzbut 7strong74 ,i may mention also that certain religious rites still in vogue among the ,hindoos--disgusting as they are1 not only to our ideas1 but in fact--arise from a similar notion4 ,herbert ,spencer discusses this primitive idea in his ,principles of ,sociology4 ,he explains how attributes or properties1 as we understand them1 are not recognisable by the savage--are abstractions which neither his faculties can grasp nor his language express4 ,hence certain beliefs1 everywhere conspicuous among the uncivilised4 ,a special potency which some object or part of an object displays belongs to it in such a wise that it may be acquired by consuming or possessing this object or part4 ,the powers of a conquered antagonist are supposed to be gained by devouring him4 ,the ,dakotah eats the heart of a slain foe to increase his own courage2 the ,new ,zealander swallows his dead enemy's eyes that he may see further2 the ,abipone consumes tiger's flesh thinking so to gain the tiger's strength and ferocity--cases which recall the legend about ,zeus devouring ,metis that he might become possessed of her wisdom4 ,clearly the implied mode of thought1 shown even in the medical prescriptions of past ages1 is a mode of thought necessarily persisting until analysis has disclosed the complexities of causal relations4 #abc ,the belief that the qualities of any individual are appropriated by eating him is illustrated by the statement of ,stanbridge1 that when ,australians kill an infant they feed an older child with it1 believing 'that by its eating as much as possible of the roasted infant it will possess the strength of both4' ,elsewhere dead relations are consumed in pursuance of an allied belief4 ,we read of the ,cucamas that1 'as soon as a relation died1 these people assembled and ate him roasted or boiled1 according as he was thin or fat6' #abd ,it is easy1 then1 to understand why a savage should desire to partake of the flesh of an animal or man whom he regards as divine4 ,by eating the body of the god he shares in the god's attributes and powers4 ,and when1 as ,dr4 ,frazer points out1 #abe the god is a corn-god1 the corn is his proper body2 when he is a vine-god1 the juice of the grape is his blood2 and so by eating the bread and drinking the wine the worshipper partakes of the real body and blood of the god4 ,if the apologist1 nothing daunted1 maintains that there is a religious germ in these primitive superstitions1 it is practically tantamount to saying that every superstition contains such a germ2 that superstition and religion are1 in fact1 often synonymous terms4 ,i thought it was only the sceptic who said that4 ,before committing himself any further to a supernatural theory which is so obviously untenable1 ,i do entreat the average apologist to read carefully the works of great thinkers who have made primitive man their especial study4 ,let him read1 for instance1 ,herbert ,spencer's ,principles of ,sociology1 where he will find a natural and mind-satisfying explanation of primitive ideas concerning supernatural agents1 ghosts1 spirits1 demons1 gods1 resurrection1 another life1 inspiration1 divination1 sacrifices1 fasting1 propitiation1 and prayer4 ,he will learn1 also1 much that he ought to know concerning ancestor-worship1 idol-worship1 fetish-worship1 animal-worship1 plant-worship1 nature-worship1 and the heathen deities generally4 ,he should also read ,frazer's ,golden ,bough1 ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson's ,pagan ,christs and ,christianity and ,mythology1 and other scholarly and informing works of this description1 instead of confining his studies to works of an apologetic character1 where everything incompatible with existing ,christian theories is carefully omitted1 or coloured out of all recognition4 #d4 ,the ,solar ,myth4 ,,jonah ,,and ,,the ,,whale4 ,the resemblances to ancient myths are not confined to the principal incidents in the life of ,christ4 ,many of the most noteworthy events related in the ,old ,testament have their counterpart in widespread legends4 ,that the stories of the ,creation1 ,fall1 and ,deluge are legends is well known--a visit to the ,british ,museum should convince the most captious critic on this point--but it is not so well known that ancient folk-lore contains stories similar to those of the ,tower of ,babel1 the trial of ,abraham's faith1 ,jacob's vision of the ladder between earth and heaven1 the finding of ,moses in an ark1 the transformation of ,moses' rod into a serpent1 the ,israelites' passage through the ,red ,sea on dry land1 ,moses smiting the rock and thus producing water1 the reception by ,moses of the ,ten ,commandments from ,god1 ,balaam's expostulating ass1 ,joshua's command to the sun and the sun's obedience1 ,samson and his exploits1 ,elijah's ascent to heaven1 and ,jonah's sojourn for three days and three nights in the belly of a fish4 ,this ,jonah episode has an important bearing on the subject under discussion1 as it is a typical case of an absorption of the universal mythos4 ,among other authorities1 ,godfrey ,higgins tells us3 ,the story of ,jonas swallowed up by a whale is nothing but part of the fiction of ,hercules1 described in the ,heracleid or ,labours of ,hercules1 of whom the same story was told1 and who was swallowed up at the very same place1 ,joppa1 and for the same period of time1 three days4 #abf ,again1 with the exception of those who refuse to acknowledge anything damaging to the literal truth of ,holy ,writ1 all professors of theology are agreed that the miracle recorded in the book of ,jonah is not a historical fact4 ,this in spite of the alleged personal interviews with ,god as there recounted2 while the plea that we must make allowance for oriental imagery serves only to throw discredit upon historians on whom we are relying for facts upon which the scheme of ,christianity depends4 ,now1 the story of the three days' sojourn of ,hercules and other heroes in the bowels of the earth1 or the belly of a fish1 is only a different version of the myth concerning the death and resurrection of a god which we find to be prevalent over nearly the whole world4 ,and1 according to the new ,christian theory1 this shows an intuition of ,christ's death and resurrection6 ,,anticipations ,,of ,,christianity ,,in ,,solar ,,myths4 ,the advanced theologians1 who are presenting us with this theory1 have to explain1 among other things1 how it was that ,christ himself took the ,jonah and whale story seriously1 treating it as sober history4 ,he spoke of no mere allegory when ,he said3 ,for as ,jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly2 so shall the ,son of ,man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth4 #abg ,neither ,christ himself nor the ,apostles spoke of any revelation embodied in heathen beliefs4 ,very much the reverse4 ,yet the ,bishop of ,birmingham 7late of ,worcester71 speaking to the adversaries of ,christianity1 informs them3 ,you say that we find in ,christianity the relics of paganism4 ,on the contrary1 we find in paganism1 intermingled with much that is false1 superstitious1 and horrible1 the anticipations of ,christianity4 ,is that why we have paid them the compliment of adopting their dates for the birth and death of their ,saviours8 #abh ,canon ,p4 ,h4 ,robinson goes so far as to say that ,christianity has benefited by the addition of heathen thought ,n4,b4 ,he owns there has been this addition1 and that it is yet to benefit by further contact with heathen thought6 ,his actual words are3 ,if ,greek and ,roman thought were needed for a full appreciation of the meaning of the ,incarnation1 why may we not say the same of ,indian and ,chinese thought8 ,surely we are justified in believing that every country and every people have something to contribute to ,christianity and that the completion of the ,christian revelation awaits the contribution of each4 ,we believe that there are many important aspects of the ,christian truth which have never been understood1 simply because ,christianity has not yet been reflected in the experience of those nations of the world which are still heathen4 #abi ,,the ,,christian ,,theory ,,ignored ,,by ,,science4 ,the earliest attempts at a crude science of mythology were efforts to reconcile the legends of the gods and heroes with the religious sentiment which recognised in these beings objects of worship and respect4 ,when the ,christians first approached the problem of heathen mythology1 they agreed with ,st4 ,augustine that the gods were real persons--but diabolical1 not divine4 ,some later philosophers1 especially of the seventeenth century1 misled by the resemblance between ,biblical narratives and ancient myths1 came to the conclusion that the ,bible contains a pure1 the myths a distorted1 form of an original revelation4 #acj ,now1 however1 in tracing myths and legends to their probable origins1 the modern mythologist never dreams of calling to his aid any supernatural theory4 ,myths present1 ,i take it1 two main problems--first as to their origin1 and second as to their resemblances to ,biblical narratives4 ,some mythologists1 while no longer allowing orthodox tradition to hamper them1 only profess to answer the first question4 ,they disclaim the obligation of entering the arena of theological controversy4 ,it is important that the ,church should thoroughly realise this1 and that any disagreement there may be among mythologists as to the solution of the first problem--the origin of myths--has little or no bearing upon the solution of the second problem--the ,bible parallels4 ,what does it matter whether the gods had a vegetable or a solar origin1 or arose1 as ,max ,mller thought1 from a disease of language8 ,the all-important question for ,christians is3 ,can any of these possible origins point to a ,progressive ,revelation1 and1 if not1 how are we to account for the ,bible parallels8 ,,the ,,sun ,,as ,a ,,symbol4 ,suppose that1 whatever the ultimate origin may have been1 certain myths containing the parallels are1 as we know them1 solar myths 7and on this point mythologists are now in complete accord72 how can a belief be1 at one and the same time1 a solar myth and also an allegory expressing a spiritual truth8 ,the sun is the object of worship1 and its apparent movements give rise to myths concerning the birth1 death1 and resurrection of a ,saviour4 #aca ,can we call this ,progressive ,revelation8 ,certainly1 the apologists may reply2 is there no bright ,sun of ,righteousness--no personal and loving ,son of ,god1 of whom the material sun has been the type or symbol1 in all ages and among all nations8 ,what power is it that comes from the sun to give light and heat to all created things8 ,if the symbolical sun leads such a great and heavenly flock1 what must be said of the true and only begotten ,son of ,god8 ,if ,apollo was adopted by early ,christian art as a type of the ,good ,shepherd of the ,new ,testament1 this interpretation of the sun-god among all nations must be the solution of the universal mythos4 ,what other solution can it have8 ,to what other historical personage but ,christ can it apply8 ,if this mythos has no spiritual meaning1 all religion becomes mere idolatry1 or the worship of material things4 #acb ,will this sort of reasoning satisfy the average man8 ,to begin with1 the sun-worshippers themselves had no idea that the sun was1 as is now alleged1 the symbol of a great ,truth4 ,the sun1 or their conception of the sun as a divine person in a blazing car1 was the object of their worship4 ,what a waste of worship for thousands upon thousands of years6--worship that might have been centred upon the true ,god4 ,even now1 nigh on #b1jjj years after ,god was pleased at last to reveal ,himself1 as we are told1 to all mankind1 the greater portion do not know ,him1 or they deny ,him4 ,if ,god intended the sun to be a symbol of ,christ1 why have we never been told this before8 ,why even now is it only put forward by a certain school of apologists in costly books that few will ever set their eyes upon8 ,it is noteworthy1 too1 that the horrors that accompanied the worship of this same bright ,sun are discreetly kept in the background by these advocates of the symbol theory4 #e4 ,concluding ,remarks on ,christian and ,anti-,christian ,theories4 ,if ,progressive ,revelation be true1 it is the most marvellous proof of the truth of ,christianity--far the greatest proof that has ever yet been presented to us4 ,far greater1 for instance1 than the prophecies of those so-called prophets of the ,old ,testament1 who1 it now transpires1 were only anticipating or describing events of their own times4 ,it is such a proof as ,christianity is in dire need of just now--a proof that will save her from a peril which every hour brings nearer4 ,why1 then1 do we hear so little of this great discovery from the pulpit8 #acc ,how comes it that it is discovered so many years after the fulfilment of these unconscious prophecies of the pagans8 ,why is it produced merely to confute the sceptic and restore confidence to that infinitesimally small number who happen to have studied1 and therefore to have had their suspicions aroused by1 ,comparative ,mythology8 ,we are to believe that ,god revealed ,himself by an exceedingly slow and painful process1 extending over thousands upon thousands of years1 and entailing the most horrible customs among savages4 ,this process1 mark you1 not only led to the establishment of ,christianity as the world became more civilised1 but to the establishment of those other great religions which to this day are hostile to the reception of ,christianity6 ,simple-minded people will never be induced to agree that revelation can be progressive in the manner now indicated to us by the apologist4 ,rather they will agree with the nationalist1 who denies the originality of ,christianity1 contending that it is a cult which adopted1 step by step1 the mysteries1 the miracles1 and the myths of the popular ,gentile religions4 ,some freethinkers1 indeed1 go so far as to say that the whole ,gospel story is nothing more than a myth2 but the greater number consider that there is a substratum of truth1 and that round this have slowly gathered the religious ideas and doctrines that were current in the old pagan world4 ,the precise manner in which1 they conjecture1 the transformation actually took place is a large subject1 and there are differences of opinion--e4g41 some are inclined to think that ,essenism1 others that ,mithraism1 played a leading part2 but the point to be borne in mind is that there is no difficulty whatever in understanding how the absorption of myths could have taken place1 or how the ,christian cult could have arisen and prospered4 ,i especially mention this1 as some apologists argue that there was not sufficient time for heathen accretions between the death of ,jesus and the writing of the ,gospels4 ,i can only reiterate the remark of the well-known professor of ,church history1 ,dr4 ,harnack3 ,we know that the ,gospels come from a time in which the marvellous may be said to have been something of almost daily occurrence4 ,we now know that eminent persons have not to wait until they have been long dead1 or even for several years1 to have miracles reported of them2 they are reported at once1 often the very next day4 ,also1 ,i should call attention to the notes on ,essenism and ,mithraism at the close of this chapter1 as they contain the answer to this final objection4 ,but1 personally1 ,i fail to see how the time objection can in any case be maintained when we remember that the whole world had already been conversant for ages past with stories of suffering ,saviours1 similar in all essentials to the ,gospel narratives4 ,besides1 we know that documents have been tampered with more or less 7the sceptic says more1 the apologist less71 and that the composition of the ,gospels took place many years after the events they purport to describe2 while the age was one when men were extremely credulous1 and when1 consciously and unconsciously1 imposing upon this credulity was the ordinary method of propagating a ,faith4 ,,argument ,,from ,,essenism4 ,regarding the difficulty of supposing that ,jesus or the ,evangelists could have been imbued with any sun-myth ideas1 we must take into consideration the existence at that time of the ,jewish sect1 the ,essenes4 ,it seems quite possible that they considered ,jesus of ,nazareth to be the ,messiah they were expecting1 and that they came over to ,christianity in a body4 ,this monastic brotherhood1 living in settlements in the desert west of the ,dead ,sea--i4e41 within a day's journey of ,bethlehem and ,jerusalem--not only placed love of ,god1 of goodness1 and of man as articles in their programme1 but also sought with wonderful energy1 according to their lights1 to realise them in their life4 ,bunsen assures us 7p4 #aeh of his ,angel-,messiah71 and furnishes strong grounds for his opinion1 that the ,essenes introduced the new doctrine of an ,angel-,messiah1 and with it the doctrine of the atoning death of the ,messiah1 into ,judaism and ,christianity4 ,canon ,cheyne likewise places them among the number of those who prepared the way for the new world-religion4 ,this seems to have been the very reason of their disappearance in the second century ,a4,d4--,christianity dissolved them4 ,so much so that the ,essenes 7often called ,therapeut or healers7 are identified by ,eusebius with the ,christian monks1 and this opinion was generally adopted by the ,fathers 7see chap1 xvii41 bk4 ii41 p4 #aag1 of ,the ,church ,history of ,eusebius1 translated by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,c4 ,mc,giffert1 under the editorial supervision of ,henry ,wace1 ,d4,d41 and ,philip ,schaff1 ,d4,d474 ,from a perusal of the article on the ,essenes in the ,encyclopdia ,biblica1 it will be seen that ,essenism is not a purely ,jewish product1 but that ,persian and ,babylonian influence may reasonably be admitted4 ,oriental influences were1 ,canon ,cheyne informs us1 so to speak1 in the air1 and it is probable that the belief in the resurrection was not the only great debt which ,jewish religionists owed to ,zoroastrians4 ,bishop ,lightfoot describes the ,essenes as sun-worshippers4 ,is there1 then1 no likelihood of ,jesus and ,his disciples being familiar with the ideas of sun-worshippers8 ,but1 it may be urged1 the teaching of ,jesus ,christ was opposed to ,essenic doctrines in the matter of asceticism4 ,true2 but1 in one way1 this makes the case for the absorption of ,essenic ideas all the stronger1 for it would account for the strange fact that the ,christians approved of asceticism in spite of their own ,master's example to the contrary4 ,i do not wish to press this anti-,christian theory further than to say that it appears to me that1 among others1 it is one deserving of consideration4 ,presuming that in ,jesus the ,apostles were confronted with a personality of overwhelming attractiveness and power of appeal to themselves1 their language can be interpreted throughout as their attempt to expound and pass on their experience to the world4 ,in this attempt they were naturally driven to employ such conceptions as were current in their day1 and notably those of ,messianic anticipations and ,greek philosophy4 ,assuming that the ,gospels are without any important interpolations1 and that the authors are the ,evangelists1 even then the partial insertion of solar-myths would not necessarily be tantamount to any conscious dishonesty on the part of the ,evangelists2 it only points to their impregnation with the ,jewish beliefs1 such as those of the ,essenes1 that were around them4 ,if this theory be correct1 the difficulty arising from the shortness of the time between the ,resurrection and the writing of the ,gospels vanishes1 since accretions of a later date would no longer be the sole cause for the events recorded by the ,evangelists becoming inextricably entwined with mythical beliefs4 ,,argument ,,from ,,mithraism4 ,this argument is fully developed in ,part ,,iii4 of ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson's book1 ,pagan ,christs1 from which the following are quotations3 ,mithraism was in point of range the most nearly universal religion of the ,western world in the early centuries of the ,christian era4 ,as to this students are agreed4 ,here ,mr4 ,robertson gives in a footnote a formidable array of authorities4 ,to the early ,fathers1 we shall see4 ,mithraism was a most serious thorn in the flesh2 and the monumental remains of the ,roman period1 in almost all parts of the empire1 show its extraordinary extension4 ,mr4 ,robertson points out that there are a number of monuments in honour of ,mithra in ,england1 ,france1 ,italy1 ,germany1 and in many ,mediterranean ports4 ,he then proceeds to give us some exceedingly important information regarding ,mithraism1 out of which ,i select the following extracts for the more particular attention of ,christians3-- ,we have the culture of ,mithra as the ,sun-god1 the deity of light and truth1 created by1 and yet co-equal with1 the ,supreme ,deity1 and fighting on the side of the good against the evil power1 ,angra-,mainyu 7,ahriman7--this at a period long before the ,christian era4444 ,mithra comes to occupy a singular position as between the two great powers of good and evil1 ,ormuzd and ,ahriman1 being actually named the ,mediator1 and figuring to the devout eye as a humane and beneficent ,god1 nearer to man than the ,great ,spirit of ,good1 a ,saviour1 a ,redeemer1 eternally young1 son of the ,most ,high1 and preserver of mankind from the ,evil ,one4444 ,the first day of the week1 ,sunday1 was apparently from time immemorial consecrated to ,mithra by the ,mithraists2 and as the ,sun-god was pre-eminently 'the ,lord1' ,sunday was the ',lord's ,day' long before the ,christian era4444 ,we have some exact information as to the two chief ,mithraic ceremonies or festivals1 those of ,christmas and ,easter1 the winter solstice and the vernal equinox1 the birthday of the ,sun-god1 and the period of his sacrifice and his triumph4444 ,there were in antiquity1 we know from ,porphyry1 several elaborate treatises setting forth the religion of ,mithra2 and every one of these has been destroyed by the care of the ,church4444 ,of course1 we are told that the ,mithraic rites and mysteries are borrowed and imitated from ,christianity4 ,the refutation of this notion1 as has been pointed out by ,m4 ,havet1 lies in the language of those ,christian fathers who spoke of ,mithraism4 ,three of them1 as we have seen1 speak of the ,mithraic resemblances to ,christian rites as being the work of devils4 ,now1 if the ,mithraists had simply imitated the historic ,christians1 the obvious course for the latter would be simply to say so4444 ,the ,mithraic mysteries1 then1 of the burial and resurrection of the ,lord1 the ,mediator1 the ,saviour2 burial in a rock tomb and resurrection from the tomb2 the sacrament of bread and water1 the marking on the forehead with a mystic mark--all these were in practice before the publication of the ,christian ,gospel4444 ,nor was this all4 ,firmicus informs us that the devil1 in order to leave nothing undone for the destruction of souls1 had beforehand resorted to deceptive imitations of the ,cross of ,christ4444 ,still further does the parallel hold4 ,it is well known that1 whereas in the ,gospels ,jesus is said to have been born in an inn-stable1 early ,christian writers1 as ,justin ,martyr and ,origen1 explicitly say he was born in a cave4 ,now1 in the ,mithra myth1 ,mithra is both rock-born and born in a cave2 and the monuments show the new-born babe adored by shepherds who offer first-fruits4444 ,now1 however1 arises the great question4 ,how came such a cultus to die out of the ,roman and ,byzantine ,empire after making its way so far1 and holding its ground so long8 ,the answer to that question has never1 ,i think1 been fully given1 and is for the most part utterly evaded1 though part of it has been suggested often enough4 ,the truth is ,mithraism was not overthrown2 it was merely transformed4444 ,though ,mithraism had many attractions1 ,christianity had more1 having sedulously copied every one of its rivals and developed special features of its own4444 ,in the ,christian legend the ,god was humanised in the most literal way2 and for the multitude the concrete deity must needs replace the abstract4 ,the ,gospels gave a literal story3 ,the ,divine ,man was a carpenter1 and ate and drank with the poorest of the poor4444 ,gradually the very idea of allegory died out of the ,christian intelligence2 and priests as well as people came to take everything literally and concretely4444 ,this was the religion for the ,dark ,ages4444 ,byzantines and barbarians alike were held by literalism1 not by the unintelligible3 for both alike the symbol had to become a fetish2 and for the ,dark ,ages the symbol of the cross was much more plausibly appealing than that of the god slaying the zodiacal bull4444 ,a ,mithraist could turn to the ,christian worship and find his main rites unimpaired1 lightened only of the burden of initiative austerities1 stripped of the old obscure mysticism1 and with all things turned to the literal and the concrete1 in sympathy with the waning of knowledge and philosophy throughout the world4 ,but ,i must now close these quotations1 apologising to ,mr4 ,robertson for making such a free use of his book1 and advising my readers to study it4 ,they will find that his facts are reliable2 they are all backed by the highest authorities1 however much the conclusions drawn from them may1 at present1 be a matter of opinion4 ,suffice it to say here that the coincidences between ,mithraism and ,christianity are indescribably marvellous1 and require further explanation1 if ,mr4 ,robertson's theory of the absorption of the former by the latter be not very largely true4 ,whatever the substratum of real history may be1 there is no doubt that there was every opportunity for an early absorption of ,mithraism1 and every probability that it took place to an extent which throws a new flood of light upon many ,christian doctrines4 ,the first six centuries were characterised by fierce controversies as to the most fundamental verities of the ,christian faith1 by the wholesale introduction of adult converts1 who brought with them heathen and ,jewish habits of thought1 and who were in many cases of a low type of civilisation2 and the adulteration of the ,gospel was further facilitated by the purely nominal adhesion of persons anxious to stand well with the first ,christian ,emperors4 ,the period was one of incessant fermentation and of rapid and continuous change4 ,these are not the words of ,mr4 ,robertson1 nor of any other freethinker1 but are an extract from the resolution adopted by the ,church ,association in connection with the appeal by ,dean ,wace and others to the authority of the ,first ,six ,centuries4 ,what a period to appeal to6 ,when we know what we do of the credulity and the methods of those ,fathers of the ,church1 how can any rational being place in them any confidence whatsoever8 ,what steps do the ,churches propose to take concerning these disclosures8 ,will they proclaim from the pulpit their new theory of a ,progressive ,revelation1 or will they by their silence evince their own want of faith in this precious theory1 and allow the storm of unbelief slowly to gather force until it bursts and overwhelms the ,christian belief8 ,knowledge of the facts1 so ably discussed by ,mr4 ,robertson1 will soon be widely disseminated4 ,let there be no mistake on this point4 ,here1 for instance1 are some instructive passages appearing on page #dif of the ,nineteenth ,century1 ,september1 #aije3-- ,it has been truly observed that the recovery1 only partial as it is1 of the history of this religion the ,mithraic is one of the most remarkable triumphs of historical and antiquarian research4 ,originating in ,persia1 it was spread through the ,roman ,empire by poor and humble converts1 who were at first mainly soldiers2 but gradually1 like ,christianity1 it permeated all ranks1 and its temples are found scattered over the whole civilised world1 from ,babylon to the hills of ,scotland4 ,just as the religion of ,isis did1 it resembled that of ,christ in being a religion of inward holiness1 of austere self-discipline and purity2 but the details of its resemblance are incomparably more close and curious4 ,the briefest sketch of the matter is all that can be attempted here4 ,according to ,mithraic theology1 ,god considered in ,his totality is a ,being so infinite and so transcendent that ,his direct connection with man and the universe is inconceivable4 ,in order to become the father of man and creator1 ,he manifested ,himself in a second personality--namely1 ,mithra1 who was in his cosmic character identified with the 'unconquered sun1' and1 as a moral and intellectual ,being1 was the ,divine ,word or ,reason1 and1 in more senses than one1 'the mediator' between man and the ,most ,high4 ,life on earth1 according to the ,mithraic doctrine1 is for man a time of trial4 ,the ,spirit of ,evil1 his adversary1 is always seeking to destroy him--to crush him with pain and sorrow1 or to stain his soul with concupiscence2 but in all his struggles ,mithra is at hand to aid him1 and will at the last day be at once his judge and advocate1 when the graves give up their dead1 when the just are separated from the unjust1 when the saved are welcomed like children into eternal bliss1 and the lost are consumed in the fire prepared for the ,devil and his angels4 ,this ,divine ,saviour came into the world as an infant4 ,his first worshippers were shepherds2 and the day of ,his nativity was ,december #beth4 ,his followers preached a severe and rigid morality1 chief among their virtues being temperance1 chastity1 renunciation1 and self-control4 ,they kept the seventh day holy1 and the middle day of each month was a special feast of ,mithra1 which symbolised his function of ,mediator4 ,they had seven sacraments1 of which the most important were baptism1 confirmation1 and a ,eucharistic supper1 at which the communicants partook of the divine nature of ,mithra under the species of bread and wine4 ,,evolution ,chapter ,v4 ,,irreconcilable ,,difficulties ,,connected ,,with ,,evolution #a4 ,preliminary ,remarks4 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,evolution4 ,general views of the development or evolution of the visible order of nature have been entertained by philosophers from the earliest historical times4 ,there were pioneers of ,evolution from ,thales to ,lucretius 7#fjj ,b4,c4-#ej ,a4,d474 ,the inquiry was then arrested for nearly sixteen hundred years--that is1 until the renascence of ,science4 ,as knowledge1 in spite of ecclesiastical discouragement1 again slowly advanced1 the science of biology gained in strength1 and the work of ,linnus1 ,buffon1 ,lamarck1 ,erasmus ,darwin1 and others1 paved the way for that modern theory of ,evolution which ,darwin1 ,wallace1 ,spencer1 ,huxley1 and ,haeckel have demonstrated to us4 ,this doctrine of ,evolution is no longer a mere speculative theory1 possibly or probably true1 but an established fact accepted by the whole scientific world with hardly a single dissentient voice4 ,we know that everything as it now exists is the product of ,evolution--the solar system1 the earth1 all lower forms of life1 and lastly man1 together with his languages1 arts1 sciences1 theology1 social habits1 instincts1 and1 according to many high authorities1 morals1 conscience1 and consciousness4 ,yes1 man1 perfect as he may appear to us1 is still not a being apart in nature1 but by his whole organisation is continuous with the other zoological species4 ,anthropology1 properly so-called1 is1 in fact1 merely a chapter of zoology4 ,the homological structure of man1 his embryological development1 and the rudiments which he still retains1 all declare in the plainest possible manner that he is descended from some lower form4 ,he derives his moral sense from the social feelings which are instinctive or innate in the lower animals4 #acd ,it is in the special sense of explaining how living things came into being1 and how they have acquired their present characters1 that the teaching of ,evolution appears to be most in conflict with that of the ,churches and the ,bible4 ,it is1 therefore1 this aspect of ,evolution with which we are here chiefly concerned1 and we may remember that1 since ,charles ,darwin published his ,origin of ,species 7#ahei7 and ,descent of ,man 7#ahga71 his main conclusions have been confirmed by every branch of anthropological research--by palontology1 zoology1 comparative anatomy1 physiology1 pathology1 teratology1 psychology1 and more especially by embryology1 a science in which there has been a remarkable progress during the past thirty years4 ,professor ,haeckel points out on page #bd of his important work1 ,the ,evolution of ,man 7translated by ,joseph ,mc,cabe71 that even when human anatomy began to stir itself once more in the sixteenth century1 and independent research into the structure of the developed body was resumed1 anatomists did not dare to extend their inquiries to the unformed body1 the embryo1 and its development4 ,there were many reasons for the prevailing horror of such studies4 ,it is natural enough1 when we remember that a ,bull of ,boniface ,,viii4 excommunicated every man who ventured to dissect a human corpse4 ,if the dissection of a developed body were a crime to be thus punished1 how much more dreadful must it have seemed to deal with the embryonic body still enclosed in the womb1 which the ,creator ,himself had decently veiled from the curiosity of the scientist4 ,palontology is another very young science that has contributed greatly towards the evidence of our origin4 ,professor ,huxley informs us1 in his essay on ,the ,rise and ,progress of ,palontology1 that the first adequate investigation of the fossil remains of any large group of vertebrated animals dates from #ahbb1 and that in the last fifty years the number of known fossil remains of invertebrated animals has been trebled or quadrupled4 ,fossils were at one time believed to have been sown by the devil1 whose fell purpose was to throw discredit upon the ,bible story of ,creation4 ,perhaps this pious opinion may have had something to do with the slow progress of palontology8 ,,darwinism4 ,to prevent the chance of any misunderstanding1 some explanation may be necessary for the benefit of those who are not in touch with scientific thought1 and who hear that ,darwinism is out of date4 ,they should understand that1 although the doctrine of ,evolution as applied to organic life used to be widely spoken of by the term ,darwinism1 the latter is now only used by scientists in a special sense1 to designate the belief in the gradual origin of species by natural selection4 ,there are some who deem this hypothesis to be untenable4 ,but there is no dispute whatever concerning the doctrine of the derivation or descent1 with modification1 of all existing species1 genera1 orders1 classes1 etc41 of animals and plants1 from a few simple forms of life1 if not from one4 ,modern evolutionary theories1 however1 are more particularly concerned with the question of the ways and means by which living organisms have assumed their actual characters or forms1 and on these points there are many shades of individual opinion4 ,ignorance of the gist of the ,darwinian theory1 natural selection1 #ace has been fruitful in misunderstandings and objections regarding it1 so that it is advisable to mention here that the author of the theory states explicitly that it does not account for the origin of variations in individuals1 still less in species2 but that1 given the origination and existence of variations1 it shows that some of these are preserved1 while others are not--that favourable variations tend to be perpetuated1 and unfavourable variations to become extinct2 that those variations which best adapt an organisation to its environment are most favourable to its preservation1 and1 consequently1 that the theory of natural selection is adequate to explain the observed fact of the survival of the fittest in the struggle for existence4 ,natural selection 444 implies that the individuals which are best fitted for the complex and changing conditions to which1 in the course of ages1 they are exposed1 generally survive and procreate their kind4 #acf ,natural selection does not1 it may be added1 imply conscious selection4 ,it would be equally true to call it natural murder1 or natural weeding-out4 ,but1 whether ,darwin and ,weismann be right or wrong in attributing so much to natural selection1 what ,i wish particularly to point out is that the hypothesis of ,evolution is nowise invalidated because1 out of the various causes at work1 we are not quite sure as yet which is the most efficient4 ,it is necessary to make this clear1 for1 hearing that ,darwinism is under dispute1 the uninitiated might come to the conclusion that the animal origin of man is discredited4 ,,the ,,average ,,person',s ,,ideas ,,on ,,the ,,evolution ,,of ,,man4 ,with but very few exceptions1 every biological student admits our animal origin4 ,the ideas of most people1 however1 on this subject are hazy in the extreme1 and no wonder1 when the study of ,evolution has never been included in their school curriculum4 ,men 7and in very rare cases women7 pick up a few crumbs of knowledge concerning the scientific theory of their origin1 and then1 from want of leisure or from religious motives1 or from various causes1 they drop the subject4 ,often they are put off by the dry details of the evidence and the technical phrases before they have obtained a real grip of the subject4 ,they do not even know some of the more simple and obvious proofs which alone would have sufficed to convince them4 ,one finds that men's views concerning ,evolution are coloured by the opinion prevailing at the time when they themselves were once faintly interested in the subject2 and thus there is1 at present1 an inertia of ignorance1 due to the misconceptions and prejudices of older generations4 ,the opinions of our elders1 being formed on a riper experience1 very properly enlist our respect2 but1 unfortunately1 in this instance they are based upon false premises1 and so lead us astray4 ,people who remember when ,darwin first propounded his theory1 and the violent1 not to say virulent1 opposition with which it was received by the ,church1 only too often remain in blissful ignorance of all that has since transpired4 ,it is quite enough for them that they are erect1 tailless1 speaking1 reflecting bipeds4 ,with attributes such as these1 they fondly imagine that they are separated from the beast by a gulf that neither ,evolution nor any other theory could possibly bridge4 ,whatever the reasons may be--and there are many--the vast majority of ,christians not only remain woefully ignorant of ,evolution1 but have no desire to learn anything more about it4 ,they know it is opposed to ,bible teaching4 ,they prefer1 as it has been well said1 to consider themselves fallen angels rather than elevated apes4 ,we are not1 however1 concerned here with likes and dislikes1 but only with the truth as far as our reason allows us to discover it4 ,moreover1 if it be objected that we can take no pride in an animal ancestry1 surely we may say the same of our savage ancestry4 ,he who has seen a savage in his native land will not feel much shame if forced to acknowledge that the blood of some more humble creature flows in his veins4 ,for my own part1 ,i would as soon be descended from that heroic little monkey1 who braved his dreaded enemy in order to save the life of his keeper2 or from that old baboon1 who1 descending from the mountains1 carried away in triumph his young comrade from a crowd of astonished dogs1 as from a savage who delights to torture his enemies1 offers up bloody sacrifices1 practises infanticide without remorse1 treats his wives like slaves1 knows no decency1 and is haunted by the grossest superstitions4 #acg ,we must acknowledge1 as it seems to me1 that man1 with all his noble qualities1 with sympathy which feels for the most debased1 with benevolence which extends not only to other men1 but to the humblest living creature1 with his god-like intellect1 which has penetrated into the movement and constitution of the solar system--with all these exalted powers--man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin4 #ach ,,the ,,attitude ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,now let us consider the opinions of our spiritual guides4 ,at the ,shrewsbury ,church ,conference1 in #ahif1 ,archbishop ,temple said that1 in his opinion1 the full acceptance of the doctrine of ,evolution would prove a great help to ,christian thought and ,christian life4 ,in his book1 ,the ,relations between ,religion and ,science1 he states that the doctrine of ,evolution leaves the argument for an intelligent and beneficent ,creator and ,governor of the world stronger than it was before4 ,a decade has passed1 and still how few ,christians know of this help1 of this stronger argument6 ,in the course of his address at the ,weymouth ,church ,conference in #aije1 the ,bishop of ,gloucester admitted that ,darwin's teaching on evolution and development had revolutionised our ideas of ,god's action in nature4 ,if this be so1 how comes it that such a vast number of the pious still adhere to the old ideas8 ,is it not the duty of the pastor to educate his flock8 ,what ideas of ,god's action in nature are missionaries even now putting into the heads of their converts8 ,if we inquired of the average religionist1 should we find that his or her ideas had been revolutionised8 ,not only are worshippers in the ,house of ,god kept in ignorance1 but theological students are distinctly warned against the full acceptance of the doctrine of ,evolution4 ,for instance1 ,dr4 ,orr1 a professor of apologetics1 delivered a course of lectures before the professors and students of the ,princeton ,theological ,seminary in #aijc1 the object of which was to show the dangers that must accrue to the ,faith if the theories of ,darwin were accepted in their entirety4 ,he stoutly denied that man and woman were an evolution by slow stages from creatures that had gone before1 and asserted that the first man came into being1 as did the first woman1 by a special act of creation4 ,unfortunately for the validity of his assertion he labours under the delusion that science concedes that man1 or anything like man1 cannot be traced further back than the post-glacial period1 and that the brain capacity and physical characteristics of primeval man stood on as high a level as the average man of to-day6 #aci ,in a recently-published letter1 #adj written by ,charles ,kingsley to a correspondent1 we read3 ,my own belief in the general truth of my friend ,darwin's views--which deepen day by day as ,i verify them--has only given me wider and deeper and nobler notions of ,god's works in the material universe4 ,he then proceeds to illustrate his own thoughts by a charming little story of a certain old heathen ,khan1 who was delighted with the idea of a ,god so wise that he made all things make themselves4 ,this old ,khan and ,charles ,kingsley overlook an objection which to myself1 and to many others1 seems quite insuperable--namely1 that a ,god so wise and merciful would have seen his way to prevent that frightful wastefulness and cruelty which is part and parcel of the evolutionary process4 ,but more of this difficulty anon4 ,to give another example of a clerical evolutionist3 the ,rev4 ,g4 ,s4 ,streatfield1 vicar of ,christ ,church1 ,hampstead1 on ,may #bbnd1 #aija1 read a paper at the ,southport ,conference on ,questions that ,must be ,faced1 in which he conceded that the fact of ,evolution is now hardly questioned in the scientific world--one might almost say in the world of thought4 ,he1 too1 is charmed with the new theory1 for he says3 ,it is1 ,i suppose1 generally agreed that the evolutionist has worthier1 more rational1 more truly philosophical views of the ,divine ,will and ,action than those who hold the traditional theory4 ,clerics of his stamp and school are now becoming more outspoken1 and admit their convictions in public instead of in writings that are likely to be seen only by a select few4 ,only lately the ,dean of ,westminster1 addressing a large gathering of ,sunday-school teachers1 told them that the idea that the human species was separately created was given up1 and the fact of man's descent from lower organisms accepted4 ,while admiring his candour1 one cannot help calling to mind that in #ahfj ,professor ,huxley was utterly ridiculed by erudite scholars of the ,church for making a precisely similar statement4 ,between those who accept and those who entirely reject ,evolution there are various shades of opinion4 ,there are those who accept everything short of the evolution of certain mental faculties2 although students of comparative psychology now admit that the intellectual faculties of animals differ from those in man in degree only1 not in their essence4 ,there are those like the ,rev4 ,john ,urquhart1 author of a brochure called ,roger's ,reasons1 who seek to reconcile the ,bible story of creation with the ,evolution theory1 although any such interpretation was put out of court long ago by ,professor ,huxley's reply to ,mr4 ,gladstone4 #ada ,there are those who1 like ,dr4 ,torrey1 #adb persist in altogether denying our animal origin1 although there is hardly a single scientist1 hardly a single thoughtful man1 who has studied the subject without bias1 who believes anything else4 ,the number of clergymen who openly admit the truth of ,evolution is as yet comparatively small4 ,the few who do express their opinion openly1 profess to be delighted with the new light that has now been shed upon ,god's methods4 ,the question arises1 ,how is it1 then1 that we hear so little about ,evolution from the pulpit1 and that1 consequently1 the faithful are kept in ignorance of this fresh revelation8 ,the answer is obvious3 ,it is because the advanced divines have yet to educate their congregations up to their way of thinking1 and the process has1 for many reasons1 to be conducted with extreme caution4 ,they know full well that they have a difficult and dangerous task before them2 that those who accept ,evolution1 but are unable to accept their opinions concerning its spiritual helpfulness1 will lapse into agnosticism4 ,they also know that their views are not popular with conservative believers4 ,the chief reason1 perhaps1 for pulpit reticence is that the enormous majority in the ,church still remain hostile to this new doctrine4 ,they consider it to be dangerous1 and likely to unsettle people's minds4 ,possibly in their inmost souls1 if they have studied ,evolution at all1 they agree with a certain distinguished essayist who says3 ,a ,god who could have been deliberately guilty of them 7the ,evolutionary processes7 would be a ,god too absurd1 too monstrous1 too mad to be credible4 #adc ,the cruelty of the law of prey and struggle for existence1 and the wastefulness of ,nature's arrangements for the reproduction of life 7plant and animal alike71 do1 indeed1 appear sufficient warrant for some such painful impression2 while1 as if this were not enough1 there is for the ,christian the additional difficulty of reconciling ,evolution with the ,bible story of the ,creation and ,fall of man4 ,these various difficulties must now be carefully investigated4 #b4 ,nature ,red in ,tooth and ,claw4 ,darwin tells us that there is no exception to the rule that every organic being naturally increases at such a high rate that1 if not destroyed1 the earth would soon be covered by the progeny of a single pair4 ,even slow-breeding man has doubled in twenty-five years1 and at this rate in less than a thousand years there would literally not be standing room for his progeny4 #add ,i commend this passage to the notice of ,president ,roosevelt and others who are so anxious that we should obey ,god's command to ,noah1 and be fruitful and multiply1 and replenish the earth4 ,if all the offspring of the elephant1 the slowest breeder known1 survived1 there would be1 in seven hundred and fifty years1 nearly nineteen million elephants1 descended from the first pair4 ,if the eight or nine million eggs which the roe of a cod is said to contain1 developed into adult codfishes1 the sea would quickly become a solid mass of them4 ,it is the same with the plants4 ,the lower organisms multiply with an astonishing rapidity1 some minute fungi increasing a billion-fold in a few hours4 ,but we need not give further examples of this fecundity whereby ,nature1 'so careless of the single life1' secures the race against extinction4 ,the result is obvious--a ceaseless struggle for food and place4 ,in that struggle the race is to the swift1 and the battle to the strong2 the weaker1 be it in brain or body1 going to the wall2 the vast majority never reaching maturity1 or1 if they do1 attaining it only to be starved or slain4 ,as among men competition is sharper between those of the same trade1 so throughout the organic world the struggle is less severe between different species than between members of the same species1 because these compete more fiercely for their common needs--plants for the same soil1 carnivora for the same prey4 #ade ,the problem of evil has exercised the mind of man from all time1 and has never yet been solved4 ,in our own time the solution by theology seems farther off than ever1 now that the existence of the ,devil is denied1 while the law of prey and struggle for existence is admitted to be the ,creator's own handiwork--to be ,his ,divine plan for the evolution of all living things4 ,surely we must admit the inherent cruelty of the process8 ,professor ,huxley1 in an article on the ,struggle for ,existence1 concludes that1 since thousands of times a minute1 were our ears sharp enough1 we should hear sighs and groans of pain like those heard by ,dante at the gate of hell not to mention what we should not hear--the anguish and terror borne in silence1 the world cannot be governed by what we call benevolence4 #adf ,winwood ,reade1 in his striking book1 ,the ,martyrdom of ,man1 says3 ,but it is when we open the ,book of ,nature1 that book inscribed in blood and tears2 it is when we study the laws regulating life1 the laws productive of development1 that we see plainly how illusive is this theory that ,god is ,love4 ,in all things there is cruel1 profligate1 and abandoned waste4 ,of all the animals that are born a few only can survive2 and it is owing to this law that development takes place4 ,the law of murder is the law of growth4 ,life is one long tragedy2 creation is one great crime4 ,is it the law of a kind ,creator that no animal shall rise to excellence except by being fatal to the life of others8 ,it is useless to say that pain has its benevolence1 that massacre has its mercy4 ,why is it so ordained that bad should be the raw material of good8 ,pain is not less pain because it is useful2 murder is not less murder because it is conducive to development4 ,there is blood upon the hand still1 and all the perfumes of ,arabia will not sweeten it4 #adg ,robert ,blatchford 7,nunquam71 in his book1 ,god and ,my ,neighbour1 which has caused no little stir of late in certain quarters1 speaks to the same effect3 ,on land and in sea the animal creation chase and maim and slay and devour each other4 ,the beautiful swallow on the wing devours the equally beautiful gnat4 ,the graceful flying fish1 like a fair white bird1 goes glancing above the blue magnificence of the tropical seas4 ,his flight is one of terror2 he is pursued by the ravenous dolphin4 ,the ichneumon-fly lays eggs under the skin of the caterpillar4 ,the eggs are hatched by the warmth of the caterpillar's blood4 ,they produce a brood of larv which devour the caterpillar alive4444 ,a germ flies from a stagnant pool1 and the laughing child1 its mother's darling1 dies dreadfully of diphtheria4 ,a tidal wave rolls land-ward1 and twenty thousand human beings are drowned or crushed to death4 ,a volcano bursts suddenly into eruption1 and the beautiful city is a heap of ruins1 and its inhabitants are charred or mangled corpses4 ,and the ,heavenly ,father1 who is ,love and has power to save1 makes no sign4444 ,only man helps man4 ,only man pities2 only man tries to save4 ,but1 it may be said1 you are giving only the one side--the freethinker's side--of the question4 ,what are the ,christian evolutionist's replies to these terrible attacks upon our ,heavenly ,father8 ,you shall hear them1 and judge for yourself whether they are likely to convince the multitude4 ,in the second chapter of his book on ,darwinism1 ,dr4 ,alfred ,russel ,wallace lays himself out to say all that can be said1 and a great deal that cannot reasonably be said1 in extenuation of ,god's plan4 ,he owns that1 to many persons1 ,nature appears calm1 orderly1 and peaceful4 ,they see the birds singing in the trees1 the insects hovering over the flowers1 and all living things in the possession of health and in the enjoyment of a sunny existence4 ,but they do not see1 and hardly ever think of1 the means by which this beauty and harmony and enjoyment is brought about4 ,they do not see the constant and daily search after food1 the failure to obtain which means weakness or death2 the constant effort to escape enemies2 the ever-recurring struggle against the forces of ,nature4 ,this daily and hourly struggle1 this incessant warfare1 is1 nevertheless1 the very means by which much of the beauty and harmony and enjoyment in ,nature is produced1 and also affords one of the most important elements in bringing about the origin of the species4 ,after showing that the struggle for existence has proved a stumbling-block in the way of those who would fain believe in the all-wise and benevolent ,ruler of the universe1 he goes on to say that all this is greatly exaggerated2 that the supposed torments and miseries of animals have little real existence1 but are the reflection of the imagined sensations of cultivated men and women under similar circumstances2 and that the amount of actual suffering caused by the struggle for existence among animals is altogether insignificant4 ,space1 and a consideration for a possibly impatient reader1 prevent my wading through the paltry reasons he proceeds to bring forward in order to try to prove that pain is not pain1 and that the less degree of pain suffered by an animal or a savage is an excuse for its infliction4 ,the ,rev4 ,professor ,flint's book on ,theism #adh is much patronised by the ,church as an apologetic book of the highest order4 ,the ,professor tries to show 7p4 #bjd7 that1 although the process of development involves privation1 pain1 and conflict1 it is subservient to the noblest end1 because the final result is1 as he alleges1 order and beauty4 ,all the perfections of sentient creatures are1 he owns1 due to this painful process4 ,through it the lion has gained its strength1 the deer its speed1 the dog its sagacity4 ,the suffering which the conflict involves may indicate that ,god has made even animals for some higher end than happiness--that ,he cares for animals' perfection as well as for animals' enjoyment4 ,the ends are eminently worthy of a ,divine intelligence4 ,the ,professor does not explain why1 to paraphrase one of ,mr4 ,lowes ,dickenson's sage remarks1 the less perfectly evolved generations should be sacrificed in order that future generations may be heirs of an unearned increment4 ,myself1 ,i fail to see that even the ends1 whatever they may happen to be--and they appear distinctly nebulous--can ever justify the cruel means2 and ,i feel sure that our dumb fellow-creatures1 the principal parties concerned1 would agree with me1 had they the power of reflection and speech4 ,how can they1 how can we1 profess to approve of a plan that brings only unhappiness in its train8 ,suppose it were necessary in order to give more happiness in an after-life1 the creature might meekly wonder why he or she had first to suffer pain1 but could imagine1 as the pious imagine1 that it must be for some good purpose4 ,does ,dr4 ,flint mean to say that there is an after-life for all living things8 ,the learned ,professor tries to explain pain away by describing its preservative use4 ,he says 7p4 #bdf73 ,were animals insusceptible of pain1 they would be in continual peril4 ,that would certainly spoil the evolutionary ,creator's plans2 but it hardly excuses ,his methods4 ,professor ,flint1 however1 argues that1 though pain is not an end in itself1 it is a means to an end1 and its end is a benevolent one4 ,how1 ,i ask does it profit the creature itself to become ever so graceful in appearance1 ever so perfect in mind and body1 if it is only to gratify its ,maker1 who has an end in view with which it is in no wise itself concerned1 and to attain which infinite pain has to be endured8 ,which would you or ,i rather be--lovely and unhappy1 or ugly and happy8 ,there is another of these attempts to relieve doubt which ,i should like to bring to notice4 ,the little book entitled ,in ,relief of ,doubt1 by the ,rev4 ,e4 ,welsh1 highly recommended by the ,bishop of ,london1 and one of the books selected by the ,christian ,evidence ,society for their examination in ,march1 #aijg1 is quoted from by ,dr4 ,warschauer #adi when refuting ,mr4 ,blatchford's remarks on the cruelty of ,nature4 ,dr4 ,warschauer selects the passage where ,mr4 ,welsh says 7p4 #ajc73 ,we probably overstate the actual anguish of the lower creatures1 imagining that they are bundles of sensitive nerves and quick brains like our own1 and that they therefore have our sensibility to pain4 ,a trodden worm writhes1 and we credit it with all the pain that the foot of a ,brobdingnag would inflict on a delicate child under his heel4 ,now1 ,i am quite sure we credit no such thing4 ,if we did1 we1 and especially the ,isaak ,waltons among us1 would be perfect monsters of cruelty4 ,mark1 too1 how ,messrs4 ,welsh and ,warschauer carefully select for their illustration a worm--one of the lowly organised invertebrates6 ,i may mention that ,dr4 ,warschauer's book was particularly recommended to me by a well-read cleric1 who thought that it was an admirable and complete refutation of ,mr4 ,blatchford's arguments4 ,dr4 ,warschauer will hardly advance his cause by transparently omitting all mention of the higher animals1 or of that bundle of nerves called man4 ,nor will the average man agree with ,professor ,wallace that it is difficult even to imagine a system by which a greater balance of happiness could have been secured4 ,was it1 for example1 impossible for ,god to have decreed that sentient life should feed only on non-sentient life8 ,could ,he not have brought about development without all this terrible struggle8 ,one would think that ,messrs4 ,warschauer and ,wallace must not only have had a particularly good time themselves in this world1 but must have purposely shut their eyes to the misery all round them4 ,if they had to change places with a wounded ,russian or ,japanese writhing in agony on the battlefield1 ,i wonder whether their optimism would stand the test8 ,the bravest of us shudder at the idea of being buried alive1 and yet this was just the very fate of many a poor fellow in that truly terrible war4 ,not that man did not do his utmost4 ,one by one the dead and injured were carefully and tenderly taken out1 relates an eye-witness1 and many a tear was shed by strong men at the terrible sights we had to witness4 ,the worst part of our work was to have to endure the agonising cries of the men who were suffering terrible torture2 but everyone helped so willingly that we felt that we were not doing enough4 ,please note1 on the one hand1 the cruel torture1 and1 on the other1 the sympathy of man4 ,i will not weary or distress you further1 gentle reader1 with harrowing details of the pain that is endured alike by man and beast4 ,it is all so well known4 ,i shall only ask you to listen to a little story from the leaves of a naturalist's note-book1 and to put to yourself a few questions4 ,a sparrow-hawk suddenly dashed under the branches of a hedgerow oak1 and seized a linnet4 ,but the bird of prey had not calculated upon the missel-thrush whose nest was in the oak1 and who made it his business to have no suspicious strangers loitering in the neighbourhood4 ,with an angry 'jarr1' and a swoop that would have done credit to the hawk himself1 the plucky missel-thrush was upon the marauder almost at the same instant that the linnet was seized2 a feather--a hawk's feather--floated in the air1 and the astonished bird of prey flung himself sideways1 and spread his talons to meet the next assault4 ,this action released the linnet1 who sped away into the next parish like a bullet1 while the missel-thrush1 perched in the oak tree again1 noisily threatened to repeat the attack4 ,so the sparrow-hawk departed in the opposite direction to the linnet1 and in two minutes all birddom was twittering and squabbling as before on the site of what was so very nearly a sudden tragedy4 ,is not your sympathy1 humane reader1 all with the linnet and its gallant rescuer1 although the hawk was but carrying out the behests of its ,maker6 ,does it not give us a thrill of pleasure when the lion is baulked of his prey--when the pet lamb is rescued from the butcher8 ,are we1 then1 more merciful than ,god8 ,was it ,jesus or was it the gentle ,gautama that marked ,how lizard fed on ant1 and snake on him1 ,and kite on both2 and how the fish-hawk robbed ,the fish-tiger of that which it had seized2 ,the shrike chasing the bulbul1 which did hunt ,the jewelled butterflies2 till everywhere ,each slew a slayer1 and in turn was slain1 ,life living upon death4 ,so the fair show1 ,veiled one vast1 savage1 grim conspiracy ,of mutual murder1 from the worm to man1 ,who himself kills his fellow8 #aej #c4 ,the ,bible ,account of ,creation ,irreconcilable with ,science in ,each and ,every ,respect4 ,the hypothesis respecting the past history of ,nature1 which was formerly1 and is still very largely1 accepted by ,christians1 is the doctrine fully and clearly stated in the immortal poem of ,john ,milton--the ,english ,divina ,commedia--,paradise ,lost4 ,there is the best of reasons for the popularity of this doctrine4 ,it agrees literally with the plain words of the ,bible4 ,the hypothesis is briefly this3 ,that this visible universe of ours came into existence at no great distance of time from the present1 and that the parts of which it is composed made their appearance1 in a certain definite order1 in the space of six natural days1 in such a manner that on the first of these days light appeared2 that on the second the firmament or sky separated the waters above from the waters beneath the firmament2 that on the third day the waters drew away from the dry land1 and upon it a varied vegetable life1 similar to that which now exists1 made its appearance2 that the fourth day was signalised by the apparition of the sun1 the stars1 the moon1 and the planets2 that on the fifth day aquatic animals originated within the waters2 that on the sixth day the earth gave rise to our four-footed terrestrial creatures1 and to all variations of terrestrial animals except birds1 which had appeared on the preceding day2 and1 finally1 that man appeared upon the earth1 and the emergence of the universe from chaos was finished4 #aea ,this interpretation is that which has been instilled into most of us in our childhood2 but1 if we are to listen to many expositors of no mean authority1 we must believe that what seems so clearly defined in ,genesis--as if very great pains had been taken that there should be no possibility of mistake--is not the meaning of the text at all4 ,the account is divided into periods that we may make just as long or as short as convenience requires4 ,we are also to understand that it is consistent with the original text to believe that the most complex plants and animals may have been evolved by natural processes1 lasting for millions of years1 out of structureless rudiments4 ,a person who is not a ,hebrew scholar can only stand aside and admire the marvellous flexibility of a language which admits of such diverse interpretations4 #aeb ,furthermore1 we are to understand that there is no disagreement between theology and science in the sequence of the six acts of creation4 ,here at least we are not asked to twist words round so that one may mean a million4 ,we have a definite statement which science either supports or it does not4 ,the reader who knows that the verdict of science is negative may ask3 ,what is the use of wasting my time over a ,christian argument which has long since been exploded8 ,i crave his pardon and patience2 but1 however true it may be that ,mr4 ,gladstone's position was shown to be untenable1 it is equally true that an enormous number of persons still persist in maintaining that there is a remarkable coincidence of the ,pentateuchal story with the result of modern investigation1 and that science supports them in this conclusion4 ,the ,very ,rev4 ,henry ,wace1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,canterbury1 in his address before the ,christian ,association of ,university ,college1 ,london1 on ,may #gth1 #aijc1 reminded his hearers that a ,president of the ,british ,association 7,sir ,william ,dawson7 had stated that it would not be easy even now to construct a statement of the development of the world in popular terms so concise and so accurate as the first chapter of ,genesis4 ,and ,dr4 ,wace asks3 ,from whence could have come this marvellous approximation1 to say the least1 to the facts which science has been slowly revealing but from the ,divine wisdom which alone was cognizant of them1 and could alone make them known to mankind8 ,a short time ago a lady very kindly sent me a little pamphlet1 entitled ,roger's ,reasons2 or1 ,the ,bible and ,science1 written by the ,rev4 ,john ,urquhart4 ,in this there is a resurrection pie of the old1 old arguments1 dished up again in such a guise as to take in the unwary and ill-informed1 who would have no suspicion that the food thus given them for their refection was not only stale1 but had been condemned as unfit for mental consumption by the whole of the scientific faculty4 ,the lady above mentioned considered the reasoning perfectly convincing1 and so possibly would ninety-nine ,christian ladies out of a hundred4 ,mr4 ,urquhart is now much in evidence as a ,christian apologist1 and his pamphlet is being distributed broadcast 7#ha1jjj have already been issued71 so that it does seem worth while taking some notice of the attempts that are still being made to treat the ,creation myth as a ,divine revelation4 ,that modern science does not support either the interpretation put upon the ,bible story of the ,creation by ,mr4 ,urquhart or by ,mr4 ,gladstone1 or any interpretation which is compatible with the general sense of the narrative1 can be ascertained by anyone who will read ,professor ,huxley's essays1 ,the ,interpreters of ,genesis and ,mr4 ,gladstone and ,genesis4 ,a few quotations from these essays may enable the reader to form a slight idea of the decisive manner in which the assertion that modern science supports the ,bible narrative is controverted by science herself4 ,speaking of ,mr4 ,gladstone's contention that the statements in the first two verses of ,genesis are supported by the nebular hypothesis1 ,professor ,huxley remarks3 ,but science knows nothing of any stage in which the universe could be said1 in other than a metaphorical and popular sense1 to be formless or empty2 or in any respect less the seat of law and order than it is now4 ,one might as well talk of a fresh-laid hen's egg being 'without form and void' because the chick therein is potential and not actual1 as apply such terms to the nebulous mass which contains a potential solar system4 ,in a note at the end of the second essay1 ,mr4 ,gladstone and ,genesis1 there is an excellent exposition of the ,proper ,sense of the ',mosaic' ,narrative of the ,creation4 ,among other points1 ,huxley1 of course1 notices how the stars are1 as it were1 thrown in--,he made the stars also4 ,these words have always struck me as making it peculiarly clear that the ,mosaic narrative originated from man1 and not from ,god4 ,the unknown authors of the ,hexateuchal compilation were almost as ignorant of the nature of the stars and of their unthinkable distance away from us as a camel-driver in ,sind1 who gravely informed a friend of mine that the stars were once quite close to the earth1 until one fine day a certain woman 7it is always the woman who causes the mischief7 grabbed hold of one and used it for cleaning her child1 whereupon the gods1 much annoyed at such presumption on the part of mankind1 moved them far enough off to be safe from further desecration4 ,that the order of ,creation as given in the ,bible cannot be maintained will be clearly seen if we take the particular case of the birds and creeping things4 ,science does not affirm that the birds were made before everything that creepeth upon the earth4 ,mr4 ,gladstone tries to get over the difficulty by excluding reptiles1 lizards1 etc41 from the category of creeping things4 ,this will appear in the course of the following quotations from ,professor ,huxley's essay on ,mr4 ,gladstone and ,genesis3-- ,mr4 ,gladstone's views as to the proper method of dealing with grave and difficult scientific and religious problems had permitted him to base a solemn 'plea for a revelation of truth from ,god' upon an error as to a matter of fact1 from which the intelligent perusal of a manual of palontology would have saved him4444 ,he does1 indeed1 make a great parade of authorities1 and ,i have the greatest respect for those authorities whom ,mr4 ,gladstone mentions4 ,if he will get them to sign a joint memorial to the effect that our present palontological evidence proves that birds appeared before the 'land population' of terrestrial reptiles1 ,i shall think it my duty to reconsider my position--but not till then4444 ,i have every respect for the singer of the ,song of the ,three ,children 7whoever he may have been72 ,i desire to cast no shadow of doubt upon1 but1 on the contrary1 marvel at1 the exactness of ,mr4 ,gladstone's information as to the considerations which 'affected the method of the ,mosaic writer'2 nor do ,i venture to doubt that the inconvenient intrusion of these contemptible reptiles--'a family fallen from greatness1' a miserable1 decayed aristocracy reduced to mere 'skulkers about the earth1' in consequence1 apparently1 of difficulties about the occupation of land arising out of the earth-hunger of their former serfs1 the mammals--into an apologetic argument1 which would otherwise run quite smoothly1 is in every way to be deprecated4 ,still1 the wretched creatures stand there1 importunately demanding notice2 and1 however different may be the practice in that contentious atmosphere with which ,mr4 ,gladstone expresses and laments his familiarity1 in the atmosphere of science it really is of no avail whatever to shut one's eyes to facts1 or to try and bury them out of sight under a tumulus of rhetoric4444 ,however reprehensible1 and1 indeed1 contemptible1 terrestrial reptiles may be1 the only question which appears to me to be relevant to my argument is whether these creatures are or are not comprised under the denomination of 'everything that creepeth upon the ground4'444 ,hence ,i commend the following extract from the eleventh chapter of ,leviticus to ,mr4 ,gladstone's serious attention3-- ,and these are they which are unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth3 the weasel1 and the mouse1 and the great lizard after its kind1 and the gecko1 and the land-crocodile1 and the sand-lizard1 and the chameleon4 ,these are they which are unclean to you among all that creep 7v4 #bi-ca74 ,the merest ,sunday-school exegesis1 therefore1 suffices to prove that1 when the ,mosaic writer in ,genesis #a4 #bd speaks of 'creeping things1' he means to include lizards among them4 ,this being so1 it is agreed on all hands that terrestrial lizards and other reptiles allied to lizards occur in the ,permian strata4 ,it is further agreed that the ,triassic strata were deposited after these4 ,moreover1 it is well known that1 even if certain footprints are to be taken as unquestionable evidence of the existence of birds1 they are not known to occur in rocks earlier than the ,trias1 while indubitable remains of birds are not to be met with till much later4 ,hence it follows that natural science does not 'affirm' the statement that birds were made on the fifth day1 and 'everything that creepeth on the ground' on the sixth1 on which ,mr4 ,gladstone rests his order2 for1 as is shown by ,leviticus1 the ',mosaic writer' includes lizards among his creeping things4 #aec ,the crust of the earth is a book having for its pages strata that have1 fortunately1 been upturned for our perusal1 and the story it tells must be true4 ,the series of fossiliferous deposits which contain the remains of the animals which have lived on the earth in past ages of its history afford the evidence required concerning the order of appearance of the different species4 ,as ,professor ,huxley says elsewhere #aed3 ,when we consider these simple facts1 we see how absolutely futile are the attempts that have been made to draw a parallel between the story told by so much of the crust of the earth as is known to us and the story which ,milton tells4 ,still1 the story which ,milton tells is in accord with the story which the ,bible tells to those who are not given to playing conjuring tricks with the plain meaning of words4 ,finally1 we must remember that hundreds of thousands of animal species1 as distinct as those which now compose our water1 land1 and air populations1 have come into existence and died out again4 ,if the species of animals have all been separately created1 then it follows that hundreds of thousands of acts of creative energy have occurred1 at intervals throughout the whole time recorded by the fossiliferous rocks2 and1 during the greater part of that time1 the 'creation' of the members of the water1 land1 and air populations must have gone on contemporaneously4 #aee ,the common-sense view of the ,creation story1 and one that is now widely accepted even by orthodox ,christians1 is that it is a myth4 ,many of us will1 therefore1 agree with ,professor ,huxley when he says3 ,i suppose it to be an hypothesis respecting the origin of the universe which some ancient thinker found himself able to reconcile with his knowledge1 or what he thought was knowledge1 of the nature of things1 and therefore assumed to be true4 ,as such1 ,i hold it to be not merely an interesting1 but a venerable1 monument of a stage in the mental progress of mankind2 and ,i find it difficult to suppose that any one who is acquainted with the cosmogonies of other nations--and especially with those of the ,egyptians and the ,babylonians1 with whom the ,israelites were in such frequent and intimate communication--should consider it to possess either more or less scientific importance than may be allotted to these4 #aef ,it may not be inappropriate to conclude this section with ,milton's conception of the last act of creation1 so charmingly simple and so strictly according to the ,bible and what ,christ ,himself believed1 and yet so completely untrue3-- ,the sixth1 and of creation last1 arose ,with ev'ning harps and matin1 when ,god said1 ,let the earth bring forth soul living in her kind3 ,cattle and creeping things1 and beast of the earth1 ,each in their kind4 ,the earth obey'd1 and straight ,op'ning her fertile womb teem'd at a birth ,innumerous living creatures1 perfect forms1 ,limb'd and full grown4444 ,there waited yet the master-work1 the end ,of all yet done2 a creature who1 not prone ,and brute as other creatures1 but indu'd ,with sanctity of reason1 might erect ,his stature1 and upright with front serene ,govern the rest1 self knowing3444 444 ,therefore the omnipotent ,eternal ,father--for where is not he ,present8--thus to his ,son audibly spake3 ,let us make now man in our image1 man ,in our similitude1 and let them rule ,over the fish and fowl of sea and air1 ,beast of the field1 and over all the earth1 ,and every creeping thing that creeps the ground4 ,thus said1 he form'd thee1 ,adam1 thee1 ,o man1 ,dust of the ground1 and in thy nostrils breath'd ,the breath of life3 in his own image he ,created thee1 in the image of ,god ,express1 and thou becam'st a living soul4 --,paradise ,lost1 ,book ,,vii41 #ddi-def1 #eje-eaj1 #eaf-ebh4 #d4 ,proofs of ,our ,animal ,origin4 ,the third and last of the ,evolution stumbling-blocks is that connected with the dogma of the ,fall and ,atonement4 ,before considering this1 it will be better1 ,i think1 to summarise as briefly and simply as possible some of the chief proofs of our animal origin4 ,the well-informed can skip this section1 which is intended for the benefit of that vast majority--the ill-informed4 ,space will not permit me to do much more than allude to the proofs2 but anyone really desirous of convincing himself or herself of the truth of the doctrine1 and at the same time wishing to avoid details that might possibly prove wearisome1 will find it popularly treated in ,huxley's work on ,man's ,place in ,nature 7,macmillan72 in ,dennis ,hird's ,an ,easy ,outline of ,evolution 7,watts ,co42 #bs4 #f;d472 in ,edward ,clodd's ,the ,story of ,creation 7,watts ,co42 #f;d472 in ,s4 ,laing's ,modern ,science and ,modern ,thought 7,watts ,co42 #f;d472 in ,haeckel's ,riddle of the ,universe 7,watts ,co42 #f;d471 though this can hardly1 perhaps1 be described as popular2 and in ,metchnikoff's ,the ,nature of ,man 7,heinemann1 #aijc2 #abs4 #f;d474 ,the most complete work on the subject is ,haeckel's ,the ,evolution of ,man 7,watts ,co41 #aije2 #dbs42 abridged edition1 #bs474 ,this is in two volumes1 copiously illustrated1 of which the first is entirely devoted to human embryology or ontogeny1 a branch of science which furnishes the most overwhelming evidence4 ,the proofs may1 roughly speaking1 be grouped under three heads--the extraordinary affinity of bodily structure1 the revelations of embryology1 and the tale told by the useless rudimentary organs4 ,we will commence with ,,the ,,extraordinary ,,affinity ,,of ,,bodily ,,structure4 ,it is notorious that man is constructed on the same general type or model with other mammals4 ,all the bones in his skeleton can be compared with corresponding bones in a monkey1 bat1 or seal4 ,so it is with his muscles1 nerves1 blood-vessels1 and viscera4 ,the brain1 the most important of all the organs1 follows the same law1 as shown by ,huxley and other anatomists4 #aeg ,man's nearest animal relations are the tailless anthropoid or man-like apes--namely1 the gorilla1 the chimpanzee1 the orang1 and the gibbon4 ,now that all the details of the human organisation have been studied1 and the anatomical structures of man and large monkeys without tails have been compared1 bone with bone1 and muscle with muscle1 a truly astonishing analogy between these organisms is made manifest--an analogy apparent in every detail4 #aeh ,the following are some of the points more particularly calling for notice3-- ,dentition4--,in the natural history of mammals the teeth play an important part as a means of determining differences and relationships4 ,everyone knows the milk teeth and the permanent teeth of man4 ,the anthropoid apes bear in this respect an astonishing likeness to man4 ,the number 7thirty-two in the adult71 the form and general arrangement of the crown1 are identical in man and anthropoid apes4 ,the differences are to be found only in minor details4 #aei ,but the fact must not be lost sight of that all these differences are less pronounced than those which exist between the dentition of anthropoid apes and that of all other monkeys4 #afj ,the ,foot4--,anti-evolutionists have laid great stress on the difference between the foot of a man and that of an anthropoid ape4 ,but it is clearly shown by ,huxley that in all essential respects the hinder limb of the gorilla terminates in as true a foot as that of man1 #afa and that1 be the differences between the hand and foot of man and those of the gorilla what they may1 the differences between those of the gorilla and those of the lower apes are much greater4 #afb ,the ,sacrum4--,in monkeys1 as a whole1 the sacrum is composed of three1 or rarely four1 vertebr1 while in anthropoid apes it contains five--that is to say1 just as many as in man4 #afc ,the ,skull4--,here the differences are more marked2 but again we must remind ourselves that1 as regards the osteology1 ,professor ,huxley tells us that for the skull1 no less than for the skeleton in general1 the proposition holds good that the differences between man and the gorilla are of smaller value than those between the gorilla and some other apes4 #afd ,the ,brain4--,several distinguished zoologists at one time insisted on the absence in all monkeys of certain parts of the brain peculiarly characteristic of man1 but now it is unanimously accepted that the parts of the brain in question are precisely those structures which are the most marked cerebral characters common to man with the apes4 ,they are among the most distinctly simian peculiarities which the human organism exhibits4 #afe ,the difference between the brain of the orang and that of man is a mere difference of degree1 and not of kind2 and most students of comparative psychology now admit that the intellectual faculties of animals differ from those in man in degree only1 not in their essence4 ,replying to his opponents1 ,professor ,huxley compares the brain of man and that of ape with two watches1 one of which will1 and the other will not1 keep accurate time4 ,he exclaims3 ,a hair in the balance-wheel1 a little rust on a pinion1 a bend in a tooth of the escapement1 a something so slight that only the practised eye of the watchmaker can discover it1 may be the source of all the difference4 #aff ,the late ,sir ,charles ,lyell mentions in his ,antiquity of ,man how ,dr4 ,sumner1 the late ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 brought out in strong relief fifty years ago1 in his ,records of ,creation1 one essential character separating man from the brute4 ,as the same argument is still being brought out1 and is1 on the face of it1 exceedingly plausible1 and as the answer to it has to do with the brain1 it cannot be passed over4 ,dr4 ,sumner said3 ,it has been sometimes alleged1 and may be founded on fact1 that there is less difference between the highest brute animal and the lowest savage than between the savage and the most improved man4 ,but1 in order to warrant the pretended analogy1 it ought to be also true that this lowest savage is no more capable of improvement than the chimpanzee or orang-outang4 ,this objection is met by some such consideration as the following3--,when you examine the enormous difference in the formation of the skull in man and ape 7look1 for instance1 at plate xvii41 vol4 ii4 of ,haeckel's ,evolution of ,man71 and when you remember that this sets hard at an early date1 you surely have a good reason for limited improvability4 ,further1 the brain of even the lowest savage represents a development of some half a million years above the ape along the line of intelligence4 ,how1 then1 can we dream of making this up in one or a few generations by artificial training of the ape8 ,lastly1 we have the enormous leverage of language1 the inherited wealth of thousands of speaking generations1 and an incalculable aid to thought4 ,how much is the intelligence of the ,microcephal1 the clucking small heads lately on show at the ,hippodrome1 capable of rapid improvement8 ,our experiments do not show that the ape is not improvable1 but only that we cannot1 in a single generation1 lift it over a gulf representing #ejj1jjj years of human development4 ,how can we expect it8 ,the ,blood4--,in the last few years an astonishing confirmation of our relationship to the anthropoid ape has been discovered4 ,we are blood relations4 ,elie ,metchnikoff1 ,professor at the ,pasteur ,institute1 shows this clearly in his book1 ,the ,nature of ,man4 #afg ,until quite recently it was not known how to distinguish human blood from that of other mammals4 ,a method giving conclusive results has now been discovered1 and is used in forensic medicine4 ,the same method has been employed in comparing the blood of man and the anthropoid apes1 resulting in the discovery #afh that1 in their case1 there is practically no blood difference whatever6 ,,the ,,revelations ,,of ,,embryology4 ,the opponents of ,evolution used to appeal to the special features of human embryology1 which were supposed to distinguish man from all the other mammals2 but in #ahij ,emil ,selenka proved that the same features are found in anthropoid apes1 especially in the orang1 while the lower apes are without them4 ,when ,huxley wrote1 the embryological history of anthropoid apes was practically unknown4 ,darwin1 ,vogt1 and ,haeckel1 in their attempts to support the theory of the animal origin of man1 had not sufficient knowledge of the embryology of monkeys4 ,it is only recently that important work on this subject has been published4444 ,the placenta often gives information of great importance in the classification of mammals4 ,it is sufficient to glance at the zonary placenta of dogs and seals to be convinced of the relationship of these two species which at first sight seem so different4 ,now1 the placentas of all the anthropoid apes examined up to the present are of the same discoid type as that of man4 ,the arrangement of the umbilical cord of man1 which was formerly considered as quite peculiar to him1 is found in anthropoid apes1 as has been established by ,deniker and ,selenka4 ,it is striking that the anthropoids resemble man rather than the lower monkeys in the relation of the foetus to the foetal membranes4 ,with regard to the embryos themselves1 the similarity between those of monkeys and man is very great4444 ,the youngest stages of human development that have been obtained can hardly be distinguished from those of the lower monkeys either in position or shape4 ,more advanced stages exhibit greater differentiation1 and the later embryos of man resemble those of anthropoids much more closely than those of the lower monkeys4 ,the resemblance between the nearly mature foetus of anthropoids and human embryos of about the sixth month is evident enough4 #afi ,we are thus bound1 in all honesty1 to own up to our ape-like progenitors4 ,but this is only a small portion of the wonderful tale told by ,embryology4 ,man is developed from an ovule about #abeth of an inch in diameter1 which differs in no respect from the ovules of other animals1 #agj and1 marvellous to relate1 from that stage upwards the embryo is one continuous epitome of the history of man's evolution from lower forms of life4 #aga ,up to a certain point the germs1 not only of all mammals1 but of all vertebrate animals1 fishes1 reptiles1 and birds1 are scarcely distinguishable4 ,a sceptic may convince himself by studying the plates given in ,haeckel's ,the ,evolution of ,man1 and especially plates ix4 to xiv41 where the embryos of various animals are compared4 ,at the more advanced stage1 where the embryo has already passed the reptilian form1 we find that for a considerable time the line of development remains the same as that of other mammalia4 ,the resemblance1 for example1 after the first four weeks' growth1 between the embryo of a man and that of a dog is such that it is scarcely possible to distinguish the one from the other4 ,even at the age of eight weeks the embryo man is an animal with a tail1 hardly to be distinguished from an embryo puppy4 #agb ,after this period the embryo emerges from the general mammalian type into the special order of primates to which man belongs4 ,thus does the growth of the egg from which man springs compress into a few weeks the results of millions of years1 and set before us the history of his development from fish-like and reptilian forms 7which1 as we have seen1 p4 #baa1 ,mr4 ,gladstone deemed so contemptible and fallen from greatness71 and of his more immediate descent from a hairy1 tailed quadruped1 the extinct common ancestor of man and monkey4 ,as evolution proceeds the embryo rises up to man1 and the differences specialising the human infant at its birth1 such as the largeness and more complex convolutions of the brain1 become more and more accentuated as its growth proceeds4 ,regarding the question of gaps1 we have to bear in mind that it is part of the evolutionary theory that the active processes of evolution have very largely ceased1 that existing forms are but a surviving remnant with enormous gaps1 and that the survivors are so fitted at present to their surroundings that evolutionary forces are causative of equilibrium rather than change4 ,we have already seen1 too1 that in the struggle for existence it is among the closely-allied species that the contest is more strenuous1 and that the weakest1 or least fitted to survive1 has to go to the wall--to be wiped out4 ,thus it is that there is a tendency for species to become extinct1 and for the gaps to be widened4 ,the extraordinary thing is not that we have so little direct evidence of descent1 but that we have so much4 ,that there are not more links missing is due principally to the discovery of fossil remains4 ,when an animal dies1 the probabilities are1 of course1 enormously against geological preservation of its bones1 yet the gaps are continually being filled up by geological finds1 and1 though the remaining gaps may be great1 they are not unaccountable4 ,i must now pass on to the remaining set of proofs of our origin4 ,,the ,,tale ,,told ,,by ,,the ,,useless ,,rudimentary ,,organs4 ,perhaps nothing furnishes a more conclusive proof of our animal origin than the study of rudimentary structures--muscles1 sense-organs1 hair1 bones1 reproductive organs1 etc4 ,there are some which are either absolutely useless1 such as the mamm of the male quadrupeds or the incisor teeth of ruminants which never cut through the gums2 or they are of such slight service to their present possessors that we cannot suppose that they were developed under the conditions which now exist4 #agc ,of useless rudimentary organs1 or parts of organs1 there are not less than one hundred and seven in man4 #agd ,to this category belong the coccyx--the vestige of a tail--the muscles of the ear1 the vermiform appendage1 etc4 ,the os coccyx in man1 though functionless as a tail1 plainly represents this part in other vertebrate animals4 ,at an early embryonic period it is free1 and1 as we have seen1 projects beyond the lower extremities4 #age ,it sometimes happens that we find external relics of a tail4 ,professor ,haeckel1 in ,fig4 #aie1 vol4 i4 of ,the ,evolution of ,man 7library edition71 shows the tail of a six months' old boy1 which ,granville ,harrison removed by operation4 ,the anthropoid ape1 like man1 has only the rudiment of a tail4 ,the ear muscles are rudimentary in man4 ,it is well known how readily domestic animals--horses1 cows1 dogs1 hares1 etc4--point their ears and move them in different directions4 ,most of the apes do the same1 and our earlier ape ancestors were also able to do it4 ,but our later simian ancestors1 which we have in common with the anthropoid apes1 abandoned the use of these muscles1 and they gradually became rudimentary and useless4 ,however1 we possess them still4 ,in fact1 some men can still move their ears a little backward and forward by means of the drawing and withdrawing muscles2 and with practice this faculty can be much improved4 ,but no man can now lift up his ears by the raising muscle1 or change the shape of them by the small inner muscles4 ,these muscles were very useful to our ancestors1 but are of no consequence to us4 ,this applies to most of the anthropoid apes as well4 #agf ,the vermiform appendage of the coecum is not only practically useless1 but the source of that extremely dangerous complaint1 appendicitis4 ,it is remarkable that this organ is practically identical with the vermiform appendage of anthropoid apes1 yet none of the other monkeys present any such resemblance with men4 ,professor ,haeckel1 speaking of the vermiform appendage1 says3 ,the only significance of it in man is that not infrequently a cherry-stone or some other hard and indigestible matter penetrates into its narrow cavity1 and by setting up inflammation and suppuration causes the death of otherwise sound men4 ,teleology has great difficulty in giving a rational explanation of1 and attributing to a beneficent ,providence1 this dreaded appendicitis4 ,in our plant-eating ancestors this rudimentary organ was much larger1 and had a useful function4 #agg ,in order to understand the existence of rudimentary organs1 we have only to suppose that a former progenitor possessed the parts in question in a perfect state1 and that under changed habits of life they became greatly reduced1 either from simple disuse or through the natural selection of those individuals which were least encumbered with a superfluous part1 aided by the other means previously indicated4 #agh ,whatever the precise explanation may be1 can we bring ourselves to suppose that ,god created us with a number of useless organs1 or that ,he placed them there as a snare to entrap our judgment8 ,again1 rudimentary organs1 for the most part1 display a congenital lack of the power of resistance1 and1 as ,darwin suggested1 for this reason they are frequently the seats of disease4 #agi ,can anyone imagine his ,maker arranging all this on purpose8 ,i can not4 ,we are assured by pious apologists that ,god has instituted pain in order to save us from injuring ourselves2 how can ,he1 then1 have specially provided us with organs whose only function is to be a source of danger8 ,many other examples might be given bearing on this line of argument2 but enough has been said1 ,i hope1 to convince the reader that in these rudimentary organs there is overpowering evidence against separate acts of creation1 and in favour of an animal origin of the human race4 ,besides this1 we have also the evidence derived from the study of our bodily structure and embryonic development4 ,the bearing of these three great classes of fact is1 as ,charles ,darwin remarks1 unmistakeable4 ,it is only our natural prejudice1 and that arrogance which made our own forefathers declare that they were descended from demi-gods1 which lead us to demur to this conclusion4 #ahj #e4 ,the ,overthrow of the ,doctrines of the ,fall and ,original ,sin4 ,,the ,,importance ,,of ,,the ,,question4 ,no ,biblical standpoint is more directly opposed to modern evolutionary views than the doctrine of the ,fall and ,atonement4 ,we have seen1 in the chapters on the ,higher ,criticism and on ,comparative ,mythology1 that the ,bible story of ,creation is nothing but a borrowed legend2 and we have now seen that it could not in any case be true4 ,if it were1 ,evolution would be untrue4 ,now1 the account of the fall of man is an exceedingly important portion of the ,bible1 the whole fabric of the ,christian faith being constructed upon it2 and there is no doubt whatever that the average ,christian realises this1 and continues to believe in the ,fall4 ,he may accept the doctrine of the evolution of the physical nature of man2 but he flatly denies that his intellect and moral attributes were a part of the process1 although such authorities as ,darwin1 ,huxley1 and ,romanes clearly point out that man's intellect and moral sense have arisen from lower stages of the same faculties in his primate ancestors4 ,the conservative ,christian believes that man was originally endowed with a lofty moral nature2 that he succumbed to temptation2 that he became a degraded being2 that he has been working out his punishment ever since2 and that his hope of escape from the curse laid upon all mankind lies in the atonement made by ,jesus ,christ4 ,even if inclined to have views less strictly in accord with the ,christian teaching of the past eighteen hundred years1 he still believes that all this is true in some sort of allegorical sense which cannot be exactly defined4 ,lastly1 there is an ever-swelling host of perplexed ,christians who1 in their heart of hearts1 feel much as ,mr4 ,blatchford does when he says3 ,god is all-powerful4 ,he could have made ,adam strong enough to resist ,eve4 ,he could have made ,eve strong enough to resist the serpent4 ,he need not have made the serpent at all4 ,god is all-knowing4 ,therefore1 when ,he made ,adam and ,eve and the serpent ,he knew that ,adam and ,eve must fall4 ,and if ,god knew they must fall1 how could ,adam help falling1 and how could he justly be blamed for doing what he must do8 ,god made a bridge--built it ,himself1 of ,his own materials1 to ,his own design1 and knew what the bearing strain of the bridge was4 ,if1 then1 ,god put upon the bridge a weight equal to double the bearing strain1 how could ,god justly blame the bridge for falling8 #aha ,the average divine1 whatever his denomination1 is usually in no hurry to accept ,evolutionist theories of the ,fall1 or1 if he does1 he keeps it to himself4 ,dean ,wace thinks the tale of ,eden and the ,fall is partly historical1 partly allegorical1 and1 in any case1 true to ,christian experience2 and ,cardinal ,newman considered that the whole orthodox ,christian scheme stood or fell with a belief in some great aboriginal catastrophe4 ,progressive divines teach1 on the contrary1 that the narrative of the ,fall is not to be understood as literal history1 any more than the visions of the ,apocalypse are to be understood as a literal description of heaven4 ,for us1 they say1 the underlying truth1 and not the outward form in which that truth is clothed1 is the essential thing4 ,as our first parents are represented as being in a state of guileless simplicity1 and subsequently falling in with the tempting serpent1 who1 in obvious contrast with their untried innocence1 is described as a being of special subtilty1 the underlying truth appears to be that1 with ,god's cognisance1 man is continually being taken advantage of by a crafty spirit of evil2 or1 to keep more closely to the religious evolutionist's idea1 man's better nature1 implanted by ,god1 is being continually got the better of by animal instincts implanted by ----8 ,these enlightened clerics are in a somewhat delicate position1 and none probably recognise this more than they do themselves1 as testified lately by the fact of over a hundred of their number distributing a manifesto to all the clergy of the ,church of ,england1 in which they express a desire to receive authoritative encouragement to face critical problems with entire candour4 #ahb ,,an ,,instructive ,,criticism4 ,the gravity of the situation and the divergence of the new from the old teaching are summed up by the ,church ,times in the following pertinent remarks3--,it is impossible for ,christians to affect nonchalance as to the result of the controversy between anthropologists like ,lubbock1 ,lyell1 ,huxley1 ,haeckel1 and ,fiske1 who assert the human race to have continuously 7with whatever relapses7 progressed out of brutish and squalid barbarism1 and those who1 like the late ,duke of ,argyll1 ,lang1 ,tylor1 ,hartmann1 #ahc ,renouf1 and most missionaries1 maintain that savagery is a declension from higher things1 and that 'man's natural state is civilisation'--not1 of course1 the civilisation of ,paris and ,london1 of trousers and half-penny papers1 nor yet ,rousseau's anarchic golden age1 but creation in ,god's image after ,his likeness4 ,it is said that we need believe no more about our first parents than that they were innocent--i4e41 had not yet made trial of good and evil2 that the 'former ,adam1' even after he had ceased to be a pithecoid hanging by his tail from boughs1 and long after his mollusc #ahd stage of existence1 was still as primus homo1 a demi-witted creature1 burrowing in holes1 gnawing roots1 grunting1 grimacing1 snarling1 shuddering2 not even a noble savage1 but bestial and grovelling4 ,as moral consciousness slowly woke in him1 he misused his powers2 but such a 'fall' was really an advance4 ,such is the latest version of ,paradise lost--of that great disinheritance1 that moral and spiritual catastrophe1 which1 ,st4 ,paul avers1 was the entrance of death into the world by one man1 and which1 he seems to say1 dragged down the lower creation when the son of ,god1 'paragon of animals1 noble in reason1 infinite in faculty1' fell in ,eden4 ,we do not urge that the two teachings cannot be reconciled2 but it is clear that the immense difficulty is not to be dismissed by saying that the ,bible is a mosaic1 not ,mosaic1 or that it does not profess to instruct us in anthropology4 #ahe ,there is a downrightness and lucidity about this criticism of advanced theology which one cannot but admire1 although one may not be able to share its optimism as to the chance of the two teachings ever becoming reconciled4 ,how can they8 ,consider the unsatisfactory nature of the following speculations by means of which the clerical evolutionist hopes to surmount the stumbling-block of the ,fall4 ,,the ,,bishop ,,of ,,worcester',s ,,theory4 ,dr4 ,gore1 ,bishop of ,worcester1 now of ,birmingham1 who is an adherent of ,evolution1 speaks mysteriously of a fall from without4 #ahf ,as the question is of enormous importance to the truth of ,christianity1 ,i propose to examine ,dr4 ,gore's thesis at some length4 ,he grants that the idea of special creation is inconceivable1 and that our race has an animal ancestry1 and then gives us the following description of primeval man1 which 7shades of our forefathers67 he assures us is according to the ,bible and the enlightened ideas of early ,christianity3 ,man began at the bottom1 immature1 in the fullest sense of immaturity1 totally undeveloped1 but with a capacity for development4 ,a correspondent of ,dr4 ,gore's1 anxious possibly to be let down gently in the matter of his ancestor1 suggested immature1 but not deformed4 ,this ,dr4 ,gore accepted as a good phrase4 ,most of us would think that when our ancestor was at the stage1 say1 of the ape-like man he would be deformed according to existing notions of the human form divine1 while1 if only at the protoplasm stage1 the question of form would hardly matter4 ,it has been explained to me by a clerical biologist that the ,bishop meant that the ,fall was not a fall from a completely developed form to one less developed1 but that there was perversion of the development1 so that a rudimentary life which might have been developed one way has developed along a less favourable path--a common occurrence in ontogeny4 ,however that may be1 and whatever the physical or mental state of this creature at the time he fell1 was his previous state one of beautiful innocence and purity8 ,what about those inherited animal instincts8 ,dr4 ,gore goes on to say that humanity might have1 with infinitely more rapidity1 developed upward2 it has been delayed1 retarded by sin4 ,granted2 but at what stage of development did this poor wretch ever get a proper chance8 ,the ,christian faith inculcates that there is no chance for him without belief4 ,what belief did this immature man have to guide him8 ,however1 let us see what more ,dr4 ,gore may have to tell us on the ,fall and ,atonement4 ,the words already quoted are from his second lecture to the ,birmingham working men4 ,in his third and last lecture he says3 ,he 7,god7 appointed that man alone of creatures should have a twofold nature--that he should have fellowship with physical nature1 but also that he should have fellowship with ,god4 ,he 7man7 fell through a suggestion from without1 and preferred wilfulness to obedience2 he thus fell into sin1 and sin1 when it is finished1 bringeth forth death4 ,note that1 if sin is said to have caused death1 ,christ is said to have abolished death4 ',he that believeth on ,me shall never die4' ,it is death as men have known it1 the end of their hopes1 that sin introduced and ,christ abolished4 ,here1 then1 is the ,bishop's answer regarding the ,fall question4 ,there has been a fall through a suggestion from without1 whatever that may happen to mean4 ,i should have thought that1 if there was a fall at all1 it was through a suggestion from within1 much as ,canon ,wilson puts it4 #ahg ,bishop ,gore1 however1 probably feels that it has to be from without to agree with the ,bible story of the temptation4 ,we are told nothing further about this mysterious without1 and ,i ask3 ,could anything be more vague and unsatisfactory than this explanation of the ,fall8 ,assuming that determinists are wrong1 and that the ,creator is not responsible for the shortcomings of ,his creatures1 the only fault for which primeval man could possibly be held to be answerable is that of not controlling his animal instincts so soon as he commenced to be conscious and could no longer claim the excuse of innocence4 ,probably he did his best1 and began to improve himself ever so little4 ,in that case1 as the ,church ,times sapiently remarks1 there was no ,fall1 but an advance4 ,or1 adopting a compromise suggested by an ,american divine1 he fell upward6 ,if he did not strive as much as he might have done1 there was1 at all events1 no sudden leap over a precipice2 for the gift of increased consciousness1 such as the human being now possesses1 must have evolved very gradually4 ,however1 the creation of the world and all that therein is was also exceedingly gradual1 and yet the pious find themselves able to consider the ,bible account to be an accurate though allegorical representation of the process2 so there is really nothing to prevent them from considering the account of a remarkable incident in a certain garden during a hot summer's day1 shortly after man put in his appearance on this globe1 to be a true representation of the perverse conduct of their ancestors through countless ages4 ,for this so-called ,fall we are to be visited with a death which will be the end of our hopes if we do not believe in ,christ4 ,this1 then1 is the new threat held over the unbeliever3 he will forfeit his right to immortality4 ,as it is in place of the old-fashioned consignment to hell1 we may hope1 for the sake of the human race as a whole1 past and present1 that the new ,christian dogma is nearer the truth than the old4 ,most of us1 however1 will1 ,i think1 come to the conclusion that there has never been a ,fall at all in any sense4 ,dr4 ,gore in one breath asks us to think man so much above the ape that his spiritual powers cannot have been evolved2 yet1 when science points out that they were evolved--that man rose so much above his relations--he still speaks of a fall6 ,it is an outrage to our common sense4 ,and1 if there were a ,fall1 may we not say with the ,persian poet8-- ,oh ,thou who didst with ,pitfall and with ,gin ,beset the ,path ,i was to travel in1 ,thou wilt not with ,predestined ,evil round ,enmesh me1 and impute my ,fall to ,sin4 ,,the ,,archdeacon ,,of ,,manchester',s ,,theory4 ,archdeacon ,j4 ,m4 ,wilson tells us #ahh that ,we are taking our part in the long struggle of good against evil4 ,this has been often pictured to us as the struggle of ,god against some ,personal ,power of ,evil which we call ,satan1 the fact of struggle suggesting two rival powers4 ,but the evolutionary way of regarding it presents the struggle as one of the divine element in man struggling to overcome the purely animal inheritance of lust and passion inherited from a far by-gone stage4 ,dr4 ,wilson1 therefore1 believes1 as every thorough evolutionist must believe1 that we have to look to an animal and not a human ancestor for the ultimate origin of what we call sin4 ,but we want to know where the ,fall comes in1 and this he has explained elsewhere1 #ahi in what seems to me to be the only possible way open to an evolutionist4 ,he says3 ,man fell1 according to science1 when he first became conscious of the conflict of freedom and conscience2 and each individual man falls as his ancestor fell4 ,dr4 ,wilson does not attempt to make out that there was any particular fall at any particular period in man's history1 such as ,dr4 ,gore apparently still clings to2 but he plainly tells us3 ,i do not mean to say that there is a particular moment at which men fell3 it is not so4 ,it is a continuous struggle of good and evil4 ,he continues3 ,i see in this nothing to conflict with a legitimate interpretation of the story of the ,fall in the third chapter of ,genesis4 ,such a narrative is not an illusion1 still less a mere fiction2 it is1 as all teaching of spiritual truth must be1 a temporary and figurative mode of expression4 ,in other words1 ,dr4 ,wilson considers these early chapters of ,genesis1 and probably a great deal more of the ,old ,testament and some of the ,new1 to be only an allegory4 ,with regard to the ,atonement difficulty1 ,dr4 ,wilson's argument is simply that ,we need only to look at the world as it is to see the struggle of the two-fold nature in man2 to see that it has need of a ,redemption1 of a ,saviour4 ,few1 ,i fear1 will accept this latest explanation by a learned and earnest believer4 ,theologians1 in ,dr4 ,wilson's opinion1 have made a grievous mistake when they say3 ,if the story of the ,fall is not literally true1 then it is literally false1 and with it goes the need of a ,redemption1 of a ,saviour4 ,yet most people--and these will include the whole body both of the old-fashioned orthodox and of the unbelievers--will certainly side with those grievously mistaken theologians4 ,,the ,,rationalist',s ,,theory4 ,to many of us there seems no need whatever to have recourse to the supernatural in order to account for the origin of sin4 ,it is not one of the mysteries of life4 ,when we know who our ancestors were1 and hence why we possess certain instincts1 it is quite unnecessary to predicate a ,fall4 ,details of the ,rationalist's view of sin 7and of the reasons for morality7 will be found in the last chapter of this book4 ,,conclusions4 ,these1 then1 are the difficulties created by the doctrine of ,evolution4 ,they are difficulties which appear completely to impugn the very nature of ,god1 the veracity of the ,bible1 and the dogmas of sin and its atonement4 ,we have already seen1 by our study of ,bible criticism and comparative mythology1 how grave are the grounds for distrusting the ,faith1 and ,evolution seems to be just the finishing stroke that was required for confirming our suspicions4 ,we must now see whether there are any other arguments for belief of sufficient weight to warrant us in over-stepping the boundaries of reason by an act of faith4 ,,theism ,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,failure ,,of ,,theistic ,,arguments #a4 ,preliminary ,remarks4 ,our next task is to study the arguments for theism4 ,under these may be ranged--the cosmological argument1 which concludes that there must be one eternal1 unconditioned1 self-existent cause2 the teleological #aij argument1 which concludes that nature's first cause must be an intelligence2 and the ethical argument--the proof from the moral order and conscience--which concludes that the supreme intelligence must be a moral1 a beneficent being4 ,to these may be added the argument from religious experience4 ,,theism1 ,,and ,,who ,,are ,,theists4 ,first a word about theism4 ,theism is belief in the existence of a ,god as the creator and ruler of the universe4 ,it assumes a living relation of ,god to his creatures1 but does not define it4 ,although ,theos and ,deus are equivalent1 theism has come to be distinguished from deism4 ,the latter1 according to some theologians1 while equally opposed to atheism1 denies or ignores the personality of ,god1 and therefore denies #aia ,christianity4 ,theism1 on the contrary1 underlies ,christianity4 ,accordingly1 in considering the truth or untruth of ,christianity1 we are concerned only with theism4 ,however1 it should be borne in mind that1 although a man cannot be a ,christian without being a ,theist1 he may be1 and very often is in these days1 a ,theist without being a ,christian4 ,of the cultured men who think they can still lay claim to the name of ,christian1 the bulk are1 in point of fact1 non-,christian ,theists4 ,some of these quiet their conscience by the thought that they are still preserving a reverent agnosticism with regard to ,christian dogmas2 while certain anti-,haeckelites of the type of ,professor ,e4 ,armitage 7who urges scientific men to remember that we only know appearances1 and that whenever we affirm anything about what lies behind appearances we are making hazardous inferences #aib7 do not seem to be aware that they are adherents of one of the fundamental principles of agnosticism4 ,theism in its modern ,unitarian form is the creed of many of the most cultured and most religious minds of our time1 alike in ,europe and ,america2 and it has also signally shown its power in contemporary ,india4 ,before ,i left the latter country a few years ago1 ,i had an interesting discussion with one of the leading spirits of the ,brahmo ,samaj movement1 and1 in answer to my queries1 he replied that it was with the ,unitarians that he and his fellow thinkers were most in sympathy1 and that they were never likely to turn ,christians4 ,this ,unitarian theism1 it may be remarked1 is often seen to approximate to1 or become absorbed into1 pantheism or agnosticism4 ,but it is not of ,unitarians that ,i would speak so much as of the man who calls and often thinks himself a ,christian proper1 notwithstanding the admission that the ,christian dogmas may be partially or wholly false4 ,this misconception of ,what it is to be a ,christian #aic is one of the many that tend to confuse and delay a straight reply to the question1 ,is ,christianity true8 ,having digested these prefatory remarks1 let us now proceed to consider the ,theistic arguments4 #b4 ,the ,existence of a ,first ,cause--,an ,uncaused ,cause4 #aid ,the hypothesis of modern science is that everything as it now exists in the universe is the result of an infinite series of causes and effects2 everything that happens is the result of something else that happened previously1 and so on backwards to all eternity4 ,the agnostic scientist says that we know nothing about this ,infinite ,cause1 and that the idea of a ,first ,cause is absurd4 ,the ,theist affirms that there is an ,eternal ,infinite ,being who is the ,first ,cause4 ,he says that it is absurd not to believe in a ,first ,cause1 that materialistic theories are so absurd compared with his that for this reason alone he would remain a ,theist4 ,he appears entirely to lose sight of the fact that by predicating a ,first ,cause he only removes the mystery a stage further back4 ,he tells us nothing about the origin of the ,first ,cause or the state of things that preceded it4 ,the appearance of a ,first ,cause upon the scene only increases the great mystery4 ,certainly it does not solve it4 ,we are no forwarder4 ,the creation of a mystery to explain a mystery is a very ancient custom1 but it is a custom that has not met with the approbation of science4 ,the ,theist apparently thinks1 however1 that he has science on his side4 ,thus1 in the ,baird ,lectures of #ahgf1 ,dr4 ,flint stated that the progress of science has not more convincingly and completely dispersed the once prevalent notion that the universe was created about #f1jjj years ago than it has convincingly and completely established that everything of which our senses inform us has had a commencement in time4 #aie ,this opinion is still proclaimed by the ,church to be the opinion of science4 ,but modern science does not point to a beginning of the scheme of things4 ,the consensus of opinion is entirely the other way4 ,so far as we know1 the ultimate cause recedes for ever and ever beyond the time when there was no distinction of earth and sea and atmosphere1 all being mingled together in nebulous matter4 ,where would the ,theist fix the commencement8 ,the gaps on which theology at one time relied are rapidly disappearing4 ,the apparent chasm between the organic and inorganic1 between the lifeless and that which lives1 according to the latest conceptions of science1 no longer exists4 ,man may even succeed in manufacturing life1 so that yet another teleological argument may collapse4 #c4 ,the ,first ,cause an ,intelligence4 ,,design ,,and ,,directivity4 ,the argument from design is one which appeals perhaps more than any other to the average man4 ,as he looks around and reflects1 he feels that there must be design1 and1 therefore1 a ,designer4 ,he feels also that ,god must be constantly present directing the carrying out of ,his design4 ,he is in accord with the ,theist who maintains that purpose and plan are manifest throughout the cosmos1 and that1 although it might be conceded that every step of the process has been achieved by the forces of ,evolution1 it is impossible to exclude the presiding activity of a mind which has planned the whole and predetermined the movements of every portion4 ,we are to believe1 then1 that the ,designer ,himself put the forces in motion for the first time1 that ,he knew exactly what would be the product of those forces down to the minutest detail and for all time1 and yet1 in face of the undeviating law-regulated cosmos which ,he has created1 ,he in some way continues to guide these forces4 ,from the very first step1 the making of the electron and thence the atom1 to the last1 the making of man's brain1 the ,theist sees the finger of ,god4 ,the mystery of life is thus taken to be explained or diminished by asserting that it is produced and controlled by some other mystery4 ,the only alternative to this belief1 so he maintains1 is a universe of random chance and capricious disorder4 ,but ,haeckel and his colleagues hold that the direction which the evolutionary agencies take is not 'fortuitous'2 that they never could take but the one direction which they have actually taken4 #aif ,while the ,theist says the ultimate object must have been foreseen and the forces must have been guided1 or they would never have worked steadily in this definite direction1 the ,monist says that these forces no more needed guiding than does a tramcar2 there was only one direction possible for them4 #aig ,to refute this the apologist gravely replies that1 if you cast to the ground an infinite 7or a finite7 number of letters1 they might after infinite gyrations make a word here and there2 but we should think the man an enthusiast who expected even a short sentence1 and a fool if he ever expected them to make a poem4 ,we are expected1 it seems1 to regard it as a miracle that natural forces should not lose their uniform character1 and act miraculously6 ,evidently1 either the question is begged or the analogy is absurd4 ,an argument of this kind is worse than useless1 for it only serves to demonstrate the hopelessness of the teleologist's position4 ,spinoza's position is more reasonable2 for he conceives that all is the outcome of inexorable necessity--that neither chance nor purpose governs the eternal and the infinite4 ,,directivity4 ,directivity has hitherto been insisted upon by ,theists4 ,it would not conform with our ideas of ,god that ,he should remain a passive observer so soon as ,he had invented a machine that would never stop1 and had started it going4 ,yet interference with the machinery is inconceivable1 the universe being ruled by eternal1 immutable1 and irrefragable laws4 ,the only possible conception of telic purposeful action on a cosmic scale is that1 from the start1 the matter-force reality was of such a nature that it would infallibly evolve into the cosmos we form part of to-day4 ,any other conception of 'guidance' and 'control' is totally unthinkable4 ,and1 as a fact1 ,theists are settling down to formulate their position in that way4 ,the interference1 as ,ward says1 took place before the process began4 #aih ,a ,law ,maker can be postulated1 but there is not a particle of evidence that ,he is also a ,law ,breaker4 ,attempts are still made1 however1 by clerical scientists to prove that there is directivity4 ,the ,rev4 ,professor ,george ,henslow1 in his book1 ,present-,day ,rationalism ,critically ,examined1 argues that the tendency which living organisms show to develop in one direction rather than another1 and their capacity to respond to environment1 betoken a directing ,mind4 ,granting1 for the moment1 that the doctrine of ,natural ,selection is false or inadequate1 it seems to me that the acknowledged facts of the struggle for existence and survival of the fittest sufficiently dispose of this new apology4 ,organisms do not all adapt themselves to environment1 and their fate1 in consequence1 is first one of increasing misery1 and finally of extinction4 ,only those that do adapt themselves survive4 ,it appears that a scientist when he turns apologist is conveniently able to forget all but the more fortunate organisms4 ,,design4 ,if the evidence for a directing ,mind has to be given up1 the difficulties of a ,theist are certainly increased4 ,there would be difficulties1 for instance1 regarding the utility of prayer4 ,still1 he could think with ,father ,waggett that the interaction of forces inherent in the whole produces the infinite variety of living beauty which we see4 #aii ,and he can still join with ,dr4 ,flint in exclaiming3 ,every atom1 every molecule1 must1 even in what is ultimate in it1 bear the impress of a ,supernatural ,power and ,wisdom2 must reflect the glory of ,god1 and proclaim its dependence upon ,him4 #bjj ,to remain a ,theist1 however1 one must have not only evidence of design1 but of the benevolent intention of the ,designer4 ,before considering the latter question1 ,i venture to offer a few further remarks about the former4 ,is there consistent evidence of design8 ,beauty4--,as a proof of design we are asked by the ,theist to contemplate the beauty and sublimity which the universe exhibits4 ,let us contemplate1 then1 the beauty of the ,bay of ,naples4 ,is it not purely accidental1 purely the outcome of natural agencies1 of effects produced by position1 distance1 etc48 ,again1 the beauty of the diatoms that are brought from the lowest depths of the ocean1 the beauty of the radiolaria that swarm about the coast1 and the beauty of a thousand minute animal structures1 are obviously not designed and purposed beauties4 ,they were unknown until the microscope was invented2 the polariscope reveals yet further beauties2 the telescope yet more4 ,the idea of these being designed for our1 or for ,god's1 entertainment belongs1 as ,mr4 ,mallock says1 'to a pre-scientific age4' #bja ,it is sometimes urged that the tendency of evolution is towards greater beauty4 ,is it8 ,that all depends upon what your idea of beauty may be--whether you will consider the structure best suited to its environment beautiful or otherwise4 ,we are told that there are signs that the human race will one day be toothless4 ,at present we admire pretty teeth2 perhaps our descendants will go into raptures over a toothless gum4 ,that their sense of beauty may not be outraged1 let us hope it may be so4 ,the hideous pigmies of ,central ,africa probably think themselves beautiful1 and in the distant future1 when the conditions of existence on this globe have radically changed1 and when its inhabitants have adapted themselves to those conditions1 the new beauties may possibly be quite as ugly as missing links4 ,after all1 beauty is a matter of taste4 ,the sufficient objection to the beauty argument is1 to my mind1 contained in a very few words3 ,look at the ugliness6 ,who designed that8 ,harmony4--,but1 it will be urged1 if beauty is a poor argument1 at least you must grant that the general harmony in ,nature still remains to be accounted for4 ,beauty is only one of its countless harmonies4 ,the objection to this argument is a very simple one4 ,nature is full of discords4 ,ugliness is by no means the only discord4 ,it is because this is so little realised that ,m4 ,elie ,metchnikoff has devoted nearly the whole of his book1 ,the ,nature of ,man1 to the discussion of the disharmonies in man's nature alone4 ,there are disharmonies in the organisation of the digestive system1 in the organisation and activities of the reproductive apparatus1 in the family and social instincts1 and in the instinct of self-preservation1 etc4 ,for instance1 in the human body there are disharmonies of the wisdom teeth1 the bte-noire of dentistry2 of the useless vermiform appendage1 the seat of the disease appendicitis2 of the large intestine1 which could very well be dispensed with1 and is the seat of many grave diseases1 such as dysentery1 and so on4 ,the perversions of instinct among human beings 7another disharmony7 are likely to be attributed by the conservative ,theist to the ,devil1 and by the liberal to ,dr4 ,gore's ,fall from ,without1 so it will be better to take an example from the animal world4 ,darwin informs us that the female of one of the emus 7,dromoeus irroratus71 as soon as she catches sight of her progeny1 becomes violently agitated1 and1 notwithstanding the resistance of the father1 appears to use her utmost endeavours to destroy them 7,descent of ,man1 vol4 ii41 chap1 xvi41 pp4 #bjd-bje74 ,to those who still hold by this argument ,i can only recommend a perusal of ,professor ,metchnikoff's book of disharmonies1 and would beg them to remember that it has been written by a man whose profession and attainments entitle his opinions on such a subject to the highest consideration4 ,the cruelty attending the process by which harmony is attained has already been commented upon by me in #b of the previous chapter4 ,,differences ,,of ,,opinion ,,among ,,theistic ,,apologists4 ,i have finally to call attention to the fact that even among the apologists themselves there is considerable difference of opinion as to the value of these arguments for ,theism4 ,dr4 ,flint exclaims3 ,strange as it may seem1 there are many ,theists at the present day who represent it revelation of ,god in the whole of nature external to us as insufficient1 or even worthless1 and who join the ,atheists in denying that ,god's existence can be proved1 and in affirming that all the arguments for ,his existence are inconclusive and sophistical4 ,such ,theists seem to me not only the best allies of ,atheists1 but even more effective labourers in the cause of unbelief than ,atheists themselves4 #bjb ,since ,dr4 ,flint wrote these words the number of such ,theists has vastly increased4 ,it is owned on all sides by the advanced school of apologists that ,god's existence cannot be proved by an appeal to the reasoning faculties2 and1 among other arguments1 that from design is gradually being discarded4 ,father ,waggett offers us interesting information regarding this argument in his little book1 ,religion and ,science4 #bjc ,he considers that ,paley and others of the old teleologists were wrong in leaning upon a narrow argument from design4 ,it need not here be repeated1 he says1 that the evidence of such workmanship cannot prove ,god in the true sense of an infinite and all-wise ,cause2 but only a cause possessed of immense wisdom and immense though limited power1 a ,demiurgus of the greatest force and the most minute care1 but not a ,creator in the sense of theology4 #bjd ,father ,waggett1 who is a biologist1 and1 therefore1 necessarily an ,evolutionist1 would not be disconcerted if living things were manufactured in the laboratory to-morrow4 ,in his opinion1 ,if anywhere we catch nature in the making1 if we surprise the sequence by which even man himself gained his difference from other things1 we shall not by this find reverence lowered4444 ,it is a theological readjustment which is required1 and not one in 'natural science4' #bje ,the position here taken up is wise1 and one that all who remain ,theists will eventually have to adopt4 ,but for most of us these theological readjustments are no easy matter4 ,we reason that ,paley's ,evidences have in their time assisted men to be ,theists1 and now his arguments are condemned by the better informed4 ,how do we know that the same fate may not await the new arguments of the ,christian evolutionist8 ,how is it that ,god allowed earnest and learned divines to commit themselves to arguments in proof of ,his existence1 the subsequent overthrow of which has been a potent cause for unbelief8 #d4 ,the ,first ,cause a ,beneficent ,intelligence4 ,a ,,personal ,,god4 ,as ages roll on1 ,god's attributes--or rather1 we should say1 the attributes given ,him by man--are continually altering4 ,all that the early gods demanded was fear and worship4 ,even the ,jehovah of the ,jews asked at first little else than this4 ,anthropomorphic conceptions of ,god are now admitted by the cultured to be a thing of the past4 ,do they not1 however1 still survive when human emotions1 such as love and anger1 happiness and sorrow1 are attributed to the ,deity8 ,we acknowledge ,god to be infinite1 and1 consequently1 incomprehensible by finite minds2 yet we imagine and attempt to argue that ,he possesses the same qualities--those we most admire--as ourselves6 ,how can we believe in a personal ,god8 asks the ,rationalist4 ,a person must have limitations1 or he ceases to be a person4 ,however1 we must not forget that in philosophy and theology the word person simply implies a nature endowed with consciousness1 and does not involve limits4 ,demurring to this definition1 there still remains another difficulty4 ,in all our experience and knowledge1 emotions and intelligence are connected with nerve structures2 how1 then1 can we attribute these qualities to a ,being who is described to us as devoid of any nerve structure8 ,i know of no answer that could be called satisfactory from a ,theistic standpoint4 ,in the previous section we considered the doctrine of final causes4 ,this doctrine1 as ,spinoza points out1 #bjf does away with the perfection of ,god2 for1 if ,god acts for an object1 ,he necessarily desires something which ,he lacks4 ,the ,theist goes a step further than the mere teleologist1 and insists on a benevolent purpose throughout nature4 ,is he1 then1 oblivious to ,spinoza's objection8 ,no1 he is not2 and therefore it is that he struggles to save his personal ,god by an infinite extension of the limits of ,his personality4 ,in fine1 ,theism1 in the hands of its modern advocates1 and in spite of the seeming orthodoxy of the phrase1 ,divine ,immanence1 is often nothing less than another form of ,pantheism4 ,,divine ,,immanence ,,in ,,nature4 ,the ,church's great philosopher to-day1 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,r4 ,illingworth1 ,d4,d41 argues #bjg that ,divine ,immanence in ,nature excludes ,pantheism--the belief that ,god is merely immanent in nature--as well as ,deism and ,monism1 while it harmonises with ,trinitarianism4 ,we are to conceive of ,god as at once transcending and immanent in nature4 #bjh ,he admits that this relationship may be incomprehensible1 #bji but states that we know it in our own case to be a fact4 #baj ,afterwards he puts the question1 ,is the universe ,his body or ,his work8 #baa and proceeds to explain that the ,trinitarian conception of ,god furnishes1 or helps to furnish1 an answer to this question4 ,it is1 he maintains1 intellectually the most satisfactory4 #bab ,it apparently is so to certain subtle and biassed intellects2 but the question is1 ,is it so1 will it ever be so1 to the average mortal8 ,a ,,fact ,,in ,,history4 ,in another place1 #bac when speaking again of the doctrine of the ,trinity1 he says3 ,men forget that it supports and is supported by the whole weight of a fact in history1 with which nothing else in the wide world can even for a moment be compared4 ,that fact is the age-long empire of ,jesus ,christ over the hearts of men4 ,this1 then1 is the final argument in support of the ,christian dogmas1 including this the most incomprehensible of them all4 ,why should not the ,buddhist claim the same authority for the dogmas of his faith8 ,the evidential value is precisely the same4 ,turn to any well-known work bearing on this phase of the question4 ,read1 we will say1 ,edwin ,arnold's poem1 ,the ,light of ,asia2 or1 better still1 read ,mr4 ,fielding's books1 ,the ,soul of a ,people and ,the ,hearts of ,men1 and hear the words of one who has lived for years among ,buddhists and studied their hearts4 ,that an ideal should reign over the hearts of men is no new thing2 much less is this a cause for marvel when ,one has come1 claiming to be ,god made manifest--manifest in order to attract our love4 #bad ,christian apologists urge that ,he has not only attracted the hearts of men in the past1 but still retains ,his hold upon their affections1 and that therein lies an essential difference between ,christianity and all other religions4 ,christianity1 say they1 in this respect at least1 stands pre-eminently alone4 ,is not ,buddhism1 then1 one of the great living religions of the present day8 ,has it not existed during twenty-four centuries8 ,does it not at the present time surpass1 in the number of its followers and the area of its prevalence1 any other form of creed8 ,is not ,gautama ,buddha worthy of men's love1 if we are to credit the best authenticated records of his life8 ,discordant in frequent particulars1 writes #bae ,sir ,edwin ,arnold1 and sorely overlaid by corruptions1 inventions1 and misconceptions1 the ,buddhistical books yet agree in the one point of recording nothing--no single act or word--which mars the perfect purity and tenderness of this ,indian teacher1 who united the truest princely qualities with the intellect of a sage and the passionate devotion of a martyr4 ,loving disciples1 living in an age of ignorance and superstition1 piously ascribed to him divine powers1 and1 disobeying his mandate1 gave him fervent worship4 ,that worship1 that adoration1 still persists4 ,so likewise the adoration of ,jesus ,christ still persists4 ,this is certainly a fact in history2 but can we safely build upon it the metaphysical theories of the ,christian ,faith8 ,,the ,,past ,,and ,,present ,,position ,,of ,,the ,,ethical ,,argument4 ,in my comments upon ,dr4 ,illingworth's views regarding ,divine ,immanence ,i fear ,i have digressed somewhat from the subject at present under consideration--the ,theistic argument from a ,beneficent ,intelligence4 ,the ethical argument held a very subordinate place in the estimation of writers on natural theology until ,kant rested on it almost the whole weight of ,theism4 ,it has ever since been prominent1 and has been the argument most relied upon to produce practical conviction4 #baf ,what was once the weakest argument has now become the strongest4 ,why8 ,not1 ,i take it1 because anything has occurred to make the weaker any stronger1 but because what was thought to be the strongest is now found to be weaker than the weakest6 ,how can the ethical argument be maintained in face of objections which continue to become ever graver as our knowledge increases8 ,theists contend #bag that there must be a future life if only because the glaring wrongs of this world have to be righted4 ,what is this but a nave admission that the proofs of the ,deity's benevolence are sadly wanting8 ,,evil ,,for ,,which ,,man ,,is ,,not ,,held ,,responsible4 ,the problem of pain1 and of evil generally1 has been partially discussed in the chapter on ,evolution4 ,the importance of this problem is very great1 for1 by the universal consent of ,christendom 7not of mankind1 as we shall see later on71 the very name of ,god carries with it the sense of goodness1 the highest and best that we know of or can imagine4 ,for this reason it is customary for the pious to regard every calamity reverently as a punishment from ,god1 or as serving some good purpose4 ,thus the ,german ,emperor1 imbued from childhood with this pious theory1 warned his people that the ,japanese had been sent as a scourge from ,god1 and ,father ,bernard ,vaughan 7preaching at ,lancaster on ,august #bfth1 #aijf7 declared that ,god had uttered warnings to ,england by the eruption of ,vesuvius and the ,san ,franciscan and ,chilian earthquakes4 ,can this supposition be maintained when the catastrophe occurs in the wrong place1 when tornadoes and earthquakes destroy ,god's own temples1 and when the innocent suffer for the guilty8 ,with the opinion of the scientist we are1 or ought to be by now1 familiar4 ,the fundamental axiom of scientific thought is that there is not1 never has been1 and never will be1 any disorder in ,nature4 ,the admission of the occurrence of any event which was not the logical consequence of the immediately antecedent events1 according to those definite1 ascertained1 or unascertained rules which we call the 'laws of ,nature1' would be an act of self-destruction on the part of science 7,huxley on ,catastrophes1 p4 #bdg of his ,essays on ,controverted ,questions74 ,i remember1 at the time of the terrible catastrophe in ,martinique1 due to the eruption of ,mont ,pele1 asking a lady3 ,do you think this wholesale slaughter and awful suffering has any connection with the wickedness of the afflicted people8 ,certainly1 she replied2 they must have been very wicked people4 ,it just so happened that the only man who escaped scatheless was a murderer who had been imprisoned in a cell below ground4 ,so the theory she and ,i had been brought up to believe in would not work1 whichever way you looked at it4 ,the apologist has usually a number of strings to his bow2 and1 as the ,old ,testament teaching concerning bad men descending quick into the pit would not suit1 he might argue that the criminal was given an opportunity for repentance4 ,in that case1 we must suppose that all the others who perished had no need of repentance4 ,again1 with regard to the terrible tortures that many endured1 it could be argued that those whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth2 but what possible object could there be in this chastening during the last moments of their life upon earth8 ,the agony of the death-struggle1 suffered by the good and the bad alike1 has yet to be shown to be in accord with the theory of a benevolent ,deity4 ,the old-fashioned idea that catastrophes1 plagues1 famines1 etc41 were sent as punishments for our misdoings is gradually being modified4 ,dr4 ,flint says distinctly3 ,i cannot agree with those who think there is no mystery in mere pain--that it is sufficiently accounted for by moral evil4 #bah ,it seems a pity that his advocacy for benevolence in the ,deity should lead him afterwards to qualify this sensible statement by an amazing assertion which begs the whole question4 ,the character of pain itself1 he says1 is such as to indicate that its author must be a benevolent being--one who does not afflict for his own pleasure1 but for his creatures' profit4 #bai ,the profit consists1 we are told1 in the fact that we are prevented through fear of pain from running into danger4 ,how peculiarly appropriate and consolatory such a view of pain must be to1 let us say1 a person crippled with rheumatoid arthritis6 ,man's highly sensitive and delicate organisation inevitably entails pain when no useful purpose of this kind can possibly be served2 yet we are to suppose that an ,omnipotent ,being devised this crude and cruel method for teaching us to avoid the perils with which ,he ,himself has surrounded us6 ,one of our greatest living surgeons1 ,sir ,frederick ,treves1 assures us #bbj that the symptoms of disease are marked by purpose1 and the purpose is beneficent4 ,the processes of disease1 he goes on to explain1 aim not at the destruction of life1 but at the saving of it4 ,here1 indeed1 is more grist for the mill of the apologist4 ,but what does this special pleading amount to8 ,to this3 ,because through suffering we may survive a dangerous disease1 we should be grateful to the ,supreme ,intelligence who created the preservative as well as the destructive microbes2 we should be grateful to the ,almighty who has fashioned friend and foe1 and who1 much to our discomfort1 has selected our interior economy for the battlefield6 ,surely1 if the surmise of benevolence is to be entertained at all1 it must be at the sacrifice of the surmise of omnipotence4 ,the ,supreme ,intelligence cannot be an ,almighty ,god if ,he be the ,father of all mercies4 ,there are ,theists who candidly admit the perplexities of the situation4 ,on the horns of a dilemma they have no option but to fall back upon the primitive theory3 ,all unaccountable evil is the work of a hostile and evil power which seeks continually to frustrate the benevolent intentions of the ,creator4 ,speaking for myself1 says the author of ,pro ,fide1 #bba ,i am unable to believe that hideous and excruciating diseases1 such as cancer1 which affect both men and animals1 and which cannot1 in the case of animals at least1 be explained as a moral discipline1 are the work of a good and benevolent ,god4 ,i endorse absolutely the words of ,dr4 ,e4 ,a4 ,abbott4 ',i cannot think1' he says1 'of diseases and pain1 and the conflict in the animal world for life and death1 as being1 so to speak1 part of ,god's first intention4' ,disease1 suffering1 the struggle for existence1 and the law of prey are then1 after all1 the ,devil's handiwork1 and so is also1 presumably1 the law of the survival of the fittest4 7,christian evolutionists1 take note6 ,in exonerating and extolling the evolutionary processes1 you are exonerating and extolling the works of the ,devil67 ,the ,zoroastrian view1 he continues1 must be rejected because it postulates two first principles1 which is a plain metaphysical impossibility4 ,the view which is not open to this or any other objection1 and which he calls the ,theistic view1 supposes that a large share of the government of the material universe was committed1 at the creation1 to a personal spirit1 of great1 but not unlimited1 power and intelligence1 who1 having been originally created good1 subsequently fell1 and introduced evil and disorder into the world4444 ,this hypothesis of a personal devil has many advantages4 ,it explains the whole of the facts2 it avoids the postulation of two first causes2 it vindicates the moral perfection of the ,deity2 and it allows the optimistic hope to be entertained that in the end good will triumph over evil4 ,all this is highly instructive4 ,for it means that1 in the opinion of an erudite apologist of the ,church of ,england1 flourishing a4d4 #aijf1 the moral perfection of the ,deity can only be vindicated on the hypothesis of a personal devil6 ,doubtless this hypothesis--and1 remember1 it is nothing more than a hypothesis1 and one that is now generally discredited--fits in admirably2 but the question is1 ,are we to accept it1 however imaginary and opposed to the facts of science1 just because it is so suitable8 ,there remains the usual retort of the religionist when closely cornered3 ,the finite mind cannot expect to understand the ,infinite4 ,he appears to forget entirely that when he advances proofs of the ,god of his heart he himself is using his finite mind1 and that his opponents therefore have an equal right to use theirs when criticising his proofs4 ,this by the way4 ,the particular point we have to notice is that the appeal to this negative argument amounts to an admission that the proofs do indeed appear all the other way4 ,thus in the question now before us1 ,is the ,first ,cause a beneficent intelligence8 we find that a statement confidently proclaimed by the pious is not only unsupported by evidence1 but in spite of it--a mere assertion suggested by the emotions4 ,with more modesty and 7may ,i add87 with more common sense1 the agnostic disclaims any knowledge of ,god1 holding that human knowledge is limited to experience1 and that1 since the absolute and unconditioned1 if it exists at all1 cannot fall within experience1 we have no right to assert anything whatever with regard to it4 ,,evil ,,for ,,which ,,man ,,is ,,held ,,responsible4 ,the very existence of the ,god of our hearts depends upon the proof of ,his morality4 ,the argument from moral order seems at first sight a strong one4 ,morality1 even adopting the naturalist's explanation that it is only a social instinct1 can be regarded as the result of a divine spark4 ,its beneficial influence on the happiness of the individual and the well-being of the race cannot be too strongly insisted upon as a well-ascertained fact4 ,virtue is self-rewarding1 and vice is self-punishing4 #bbb ,but the ,rationalist asks3 ,why design man's nature so that he is more likely to go wrong1 when he gets the chance1 than to go right2 and this in despite of the moral or social instinct8 ,the usual answer of the religionist is that1 if we could not do wrong1 we should be mere machines4 ,no doubt1 says the author of ,pro ,fide1 if ,god had made us what ,mr4 ,huxley says we are1 conscious automata1 we should have been incapable of sin2 but it is better to be men1 with all the glorious possibilities of freedom and virtue1 than to be machines1 however excellent4 ,now1 do we allow our children to choose for themselves when we know they will choose wrongly8 ,do we not guard them against the inglorious possibilities--the slavery of vice8 ,if we fail in our duty to them and they fall1 should we add to our guilt by perpetrating on them unimaginable cruelties8 ,again1 do we not prefer the fellowship of the good-natured8 ,yet these1 according to the religionist1 are the veriest automata compared with those who have inherited vicious or disagreeable characteristics1 and do their best to fight against them4 ,be this as it may1 the fact remains that the less fortunately endowed are seldom able to raise themselves up to the level of the more fortunately endowed--environment may1 of course1 elevate the one1 as it may also degrade the other--and there is no doubt whose society we prefer4 ,why should it be better for men to be capable of--or1 rather1 may we not say prone to--sin8 ,why should their ,maker grant them glorious possibilities which ,he has denied to ,himself8 ,why should ,he alone be a machine that cannot go wrong8 ,surely there is something amiss in an argument that furnishes such inadequate excuses in order to explain why the ,designer gave us natures infinitely inferior to ,his own4 ,oh1 ,thou who man from basest clay didst make1 ,and e'en for ,paradise devised the snake1 ,for all the sin wherewith the face of man ,is blackened1 man's forgiveness give--and take6 ,some of ,nature's plans would appear to be specially designed to bring out the worst side of the diverse nature implanted in man4 ,the plan of the struggle for existence is a palpable instance4 ,take another--take the plan for the reproduction of life4 ,could any ,omnipotent ,being be proud of it8 ,let alone the unfair division of pain1 which the discredited ,eden story can now no longer account for1 is it helpful to man in his struggle to improve his nature8 ,the plan being ,god's plan1 it is enjoined upon us that the procreation of children is a sacred duty2 but it is also plainly intimated that to abstain from marriage altogether is yet more meritorious4 ,similarly in ,mithraism1 ,buddhism1 the religions of ancient ,america and other pre-,christian cults1 the sanctity of the celibate life is upheld4 ,if man is not doing his best in obeying the behests of his ,maker1 how can he do right8 ,has he been given a fair chance when an instinct so hurtful is implanted in him that even its natural gratification in the divinely appointed manner is likely to hinder him in the cultivation of his spiritual nature2 this although matrimony was ordained--so our prayer-book tells us--for a remedy against sin8 ,the truth is that this necessary instinct1 quite apart from its responsibility for much sorrow and strife and quite apart from its terrible tendency to perversion1 is innately prejudicial to our moral elevation1 and1 in order to preserve a healthy1 happy mind1 the less we allow our thoughts to dwell upon its fulfilment the better4 ,again1 a very little disorder in the organisation of the brain suffices to cause hallucinations of the senses1 to shake the intellect from its throne1 to paralyse the will1 and to corrupt the sentiments and affections4 #bbc ,how precise and skilful1 remarks ,dr4 ,flint1 lost in admiration of the ,designer1 must be the adjustment between the sound brain and the sane mind6 ,how fiend-like1 says the horrified ,rationalist1 would be the ,intellect which could have exercised its ingenuity to devise a mechanism inherently liable to get out of order1 and thereby to transform its unhappy possessor into a fool or villain4 ,in the event of the latter result1 moreover1 man1 according to ,christ's teaching 7if honestly interpreted71 is to suffer eternal torment6 ,,conscience4 ,regarding theories of the origin of conscience such as those of ,j4 ,s4 ,mill1 ,bain1 ,darwin1 and ,spencer1 ,dr4 ,flint remarks3 ,it does not matter whether conscience be primary or derivative2 it exists4 #bbd ,that it does matter is shown by the fact that the bulk of the apologists still stoutly maintain that conscience is a special attribute of man--a divine instinct--and is not derived from the lower animals4 ,we have1 ,i think1 gone into this sufficiently in the previous chapter1 and ,i shall confine my remarks to another aspect of the question--the fallibility of the moral consciousness4 ,the existence1 it is urged1 of a moral principle within us1 of a conscience which witnesses against sin and on behalf of holiness1 is of itself evidence that ,god must be a moral being1 one who hates sin and loves holiness4 #bbe ,given the existence of a personal ,god1 this argument is plausible enough till we examine it more closely4 ,the liability of conscience to err is1 or should be1 a platitude4 ,its two components--the reason and the emotions--both being fallible1 it necessarily follows that conscience must have the same quality4 ,we have only to think for a moment to discover innumerable examples in proof of this4 ,an illustration which occurs to me1 and which will hurt no one's susceptibilities1 is that of the ,wa ,daruma4 ,this is an ,east ,african tribe practising a strict morality which is all the more remarkable on account of the gross immorality of the neighbouring tribes4 ,nevertheless1 the conscience of the ,wa ,daruma bids them kill their twin offspring4 ,if conscience1 then1 be fallible1 how is it a ,theistic proof8 ,because1 though it may make a mistake through an untutored reason1 or through a reason clouded by deceptive emotions1 the consciousness that there is a right or wrong at all is sufficient proof of a moral intelligence8 ,so be it2 but it is passing strange that ,god should allow conscience to deceive us4 ,john ,locke well said1 many years ago3 ,children are travellers newly arrived in a strange country3 we should therefore make conscience not to deceive them4 ,are we not children of ,god in a strange country8 ,we would not deceive our children4 ,the acquittal of conscience gives pleasure1 as the condemnation gives pain--remorse--and every man must obey his conscience if he would be happy4 ,what a thousand pities it seems that it should ever lead him into error6 ,should it not be a divine intuition of the right both in our religious beliefs and in our conduct8 ,it is an intuition of the right1 the believer will say1 when it tells you to believe in ,christ and ,god4 ,i would gladly think so2 but every believer of every creed on the face of the earth says the same about his belief1 and hence the amazing persistence of erroneous beliefs4 ,when the voice of conscience is composed of a blind reliance on intuition 7i4e41 on the emotions7 and a distrust of reason1 how can the result be otherwise8 ,the whole question of the truth of beliefs hinges upon whether intuition can or cannot be relied upon4 ,we know that mistakes do occur through trusting to intuition1 especially in the matter of beliefs2 how1 then1 can we assume that it is infallible8 ,strange as the freaks of faith among cultured persons may appear1 they are perfectly intelligible4 ,they are the result of reliance on intuition rather than on reason4 ,i will give an example4 ,who more logical1 apparently1 than ,john ,henry ,newman1 the coadjutor of ,whately in his popular work on logic8 ,his illogical conduct is1 therefore1 particularly instructive4 ,in #ahcb1 after a visit to ,rome1 he wrote describing the ,roman ,catholic religion as polytheistic1 degrading1 and idolatrous1 #bbf and then1 after all1 entered the ,roman ,catholic ,church in #ahde4 ,he did so because he found that the difficulties of the creed and of the canon of ,scripture were insurmountable unless over-ridden by the authority of the ,church4 ,to escape becoming an agnostic he elected to join a ,church calling herself infallible4 ,he was able to come to this decision although1 to his own knowledge1 her infallibility was belied by her conduct6 ,further1 so eloquent was his reasoning on the subject1 so apparently logical1 that some hundreds of clergymen joined him in making their submission to the ,church of ,rome4 ,underlying all this apparent inconsistency is the assertion1 so eloquently pleaded by ,cardinal ,newman1 of the supremacy of conscience and the correctness of intuition4 ,so also have asserted the followers of every religion from all time1 and to what have their consciences and intuitions led them--to truth1 or to a pot-pourri of absurd and conflicting beliefs8 ,we have the testimony of all history to prove the extreme fallibility of conscience4 ,conscience possesses no divine spark to keep a man from acting wrongly through ignorance4 ,even when knowledge is present we see1 as in ,cardinal ,newman's case1 that the voice of conscience may still speak incorrectly2 for reason is swamped when emotion's flood-gate is left ajar4 ,cardinal ,newman's opinions have a special interest for us at the present time4 ,he held that1 apart from an interior and unreasoned conviction1 there is no cogent proof of the existence of ,god2 that the man who has not this interior conviction has no choice but to remain an agnostic1 while the man who has it is bound sooner or later to become a ,roman ,catholic4 #bbg ,so inexplicable did his motives appear that ,charles ,kingsley accused him of saying that truth for its own sake need not be1 and1 on the whole1 ought not to be1 a virtue of the ,roman clergy4 ,newman's ,apologia pro ,vita ,sua1 however1 leaves no doubt of the author's own personal rectitude4 ,his premises--the infallibility of conscience and intuition--were false4 ,but that is not an unusual feature of ,christian apologetics4 ,the keen intellects of the two pious brothers1 ,john ,henry and ,francis ,william1 were really buried beneath a mass of preconceptions4 ,that of the latter1 however1 being less submissive1 proceeded to a slow and sure upheaval1 and finally ,francis ,newman rejected ,christianity altogether4 #bbh ,in the ,apologia pro ,vita ,sua we find1 ,i think1 the key to ,cardinal ,newman's convictions4 ,he was intensely superstitious1 and inclined also to be timid4 ,on the opening page1 where he gives the recollections of his boyhood1 we read3 ,i used to wish the ,arabian tales were true4 ,and again3 ,i was very superstitious1 and for some time previous to my conversion 7when ,i was fifteen7 used constantly to cross myself on going into the dark4 ,,freewill4 ,in my remarks on the evil for which man is held responsible1 ,i have alluded to the ,rationalist's contention that man cannot be justly blamed for his actions1 and that1 if there be a ,god1 ,he alone is to blame4 ,this opens up the question of ,freewill v4 ,determinism--a thorny question1 which ,i should prefer1 if only for considerations of space and my readers' patience1 to leave severely alone4 ,a whole volume would be necessary to present the case for ,determinism adequately1 and ,i am fully aware that a few brief words will fail to convince2 but1 if ,i can remove a single iota of the misconceptions on this subject1 ,i shall feel rewarded4 ,kant defines an act of volition as an act which is determined by the anticipatory idea of the result of the act4 ,although he maintains that there must be a moral ,god1 he fully admits that the forecast or anticipatory idea is the inevitable effect of precedent conditions1 such as temperament 7heredity71 education 7environment71 and the like2 and in a well-known passage he says that1 if the whole history of the subject could be known1 the voluntary acts of a man might be predicted with the same certainty as an eclipse4 ,the tendency of modern psychology is in the same direction4 ,all voluntary acts1 we are told1 depend on the memory of involuntary acts of the same sort previously performed4 ,it is true that a few ,christian psychologists leave room for a sheer heave of the will by means of which an idea naturally feeble is fortified and held in place2 but when they speak in this wise they speak as metaphysicians4 ,no metaphysical argument1 it seems to me1 can reconcile this inflexible causality with true freedom of will4 ,how can the will be at one and the same time fettered and free8 ,there is1 ,i grant1 every appearance of freewill2 but it belongs to the category of appearances which deceive4 ,if we accept the ,christian contention1 we have to believe that a benevolent ,god gives us a free will1 the power to choose between ,him and the ,devil1 knowing1 as in ,his omniscience ,he must1 that the vast majority will make a sad use of their gift6 ,the modern ,christian admits that heredity and environment have their say also4 ,thus there are1 in all1 four forces struggling for the mastery--,god1 the ,devil1 heredity and environment2 and it is the duty of the divinely-implanted free will to choose between them4 ,rather1 is it not that there are two forces1 and two forces only--heredity and environment--acting upon our brain1 and our choice is the resultant of them8 ,undoubtedly man1 as a self-conscious and reflecting animal1 has what may be called the power of choice2 but the way this power will be used would be a foregone conclusion did we know the sum-total of the effect of heredity and environment up to the moment of its use4 ,but1 it may be objected1 surely there is such a thing as will-power4 ,we can overcome our heredity and environment by the exercise of our will4 ,temptations to which the weak-willed succumb do not affect the strong-willed4 ,here1 at least1 we have a distinct instance in which heredity and environment are overcome4 ,yes1 it is true1 of course1 that heredity and environment are continually being overcome by the happy possessor of sufficient will-power2 but what we have to bear in mind is that it is not a portion1 but the whole1 of a man's heredity and environment which must be taken into consideration4 ,in the case of the man with the strong will1 it is still his heredity and environment which have in the first instance settled the line of conduct to which1 once resolved upon1 he adheres so tenaciously4 ,and1 again1 this particular quality of the mind which enables him to keep to his resolution is1 like all other qualities of the mind1 itself the product of heredity and environment4 ,the ,determinism of science and the ,freewill of metaphysics are essentially antagonistic4 ,determinism is completely subversive of ,christian teaching4 ,it is directly opposed to the ,thirty-nine ,articles of religion4 ,not only does it imply that man is not to blame for his actions1 but that1 if there be a ,god1 ,he1 and ,he alone1 is to blame4 ,christian theologists are therefore its strenuous opponents4 ,in their apologetic efforts one finds the strangest misconceptions of what is meant in a broad sense by heredity and environment4 ,the best apology ,i have seen so far is by the ,rev4 ,p4 ,n4 ,waggett1 in a tractate called ,science and ,conduct4 #bbi ,father ,waggett seems to realise better than most of his fellow-clerics the enormous influence of heredity and environment4 ,still he comes to the conclusion that when1 under given circumstances1 a man does what1 under those circumstances1 and with his given constitution1 he usually does not do1 he is exercising some inward spring4 ,the fallacy in this argument is the common one4 ,the effect of environment up to the moment of action has not been considered4 ,the obscurity of the expression given constitution is doubtless unintentional1 but it is none the less misleading4 ,father ,waggett would be the first to admit that something must have occurred meanwhile to account for the new frame of mind4 ,it is for him to show that an alteration in environment is not all that has occurred1 and that there is room for this inward spring4 ,will not the acceptance of this doctrine have a paralysing effect upon us8 ,on the contrary4 ,we shall be better able to discern where our salvation lies4 ,we shall pay far more attention to the real forces which determine conduct4 ,we shall devote our energies to combating bad heredity with good environment2 and we shall do this with the knowledge that not only ourselves and our associates1 but our descendants also1 will reap the benefit4 ,we shall fly from unhealthy thoughts1 and avoid the surroundings likely to give rise to them4 ,we shall welcome healthy thoughts and seek helpful surroundings4 ,the doctrine of determinism is thought likely to corrupt our moral character1 but1 in reality1 it compares favourably with religious doctrines4 ,the belief in ,god's omniscience leads the ,mohammedan to fatalism1 and the ,christian to the doctrine of predestination4 ,if a ,christian really believed as he professes1 if he could honestly subscribe to the seventeenth article of his ,creed--in which it is stated that before the foundations of the world were laid ,god hath constantly decreed by ,his counsel secret to us1 to deliver from curse and damnation those whom ,he hath chosen the italics are mine1 of course in ,christ out of mankind--,god's ,predestination would indeed be a dangerous downfall1 thrusting men into desperation4 ,the doctrine of predestination1 therefore1 appears1 without doubt1 to be ethically mischievous4 ,the doctrine of ,determinism1 on the other hand1 teaches a man to fight pernicious hereditary instincts with the weapon of environment1 and to keep a tender place in his heart for unfortunates who succumb4 #bcj ,tout comprendre c'est tout pardonner4 #e4 ,religious ,experience4 ,,mysticism ,,and ,,conversion4 ,of late1 the argument from ,religious ,experience has been much to the front1 and nothing written on the subject has created a deeper impression1 or been more cordially welcomed by the supernaturalist1 than ,professor ,w4 ,james's book1 ,the ,varieties of ,religious ,experience4 ,professor ,james is a prominent member of the ,society for ,psychical ,research1 and no one is better able than he to give descriptions of psychic phenomena2 but the conclusions he comes to as to the spiritual signification of some of them will strike the normal man as too absurd to be taken seriously4 ,more than this4 ,indirectly he furnishes one of the very best weapons for attacking supernaturalism that has ever yet been put in the hands of the naturalist4 ,i have already given some examples of so-called religious experiences 7in ,chap4 ,,ii41 pp4 #ei-fa74 ,these are still regarded by the superstitious as spiritual manifestations2 but ,professor ,james discovers a spiritual interpretation in still more palpable hallucinations4 ,unwittingly he spoils the case for religious experience by trying to prove too much4 ,i will give an instance4 ,he describes how an intimate friend of his kept experiencing a horrible sensation of the presence of something1 which he did not recognise as any individual being or person4 ,professor ,james admits that such an experience as this does not connect itself with the religious sphere4 ,why not8 ,it might have been the ,devil that time4 ,later on his friend had a pleasanter experience4 ,there was not a mere consciousness of something there1 but1 fused in the central happiness of it1 a startling awareness of some ineffable good4 ,not vague either--not like the emotional effect of some poem or scent or blossom or music1 but the sure knowledge of the close presence of a sort of mighty person2 and1 after it went1 the memory persisted as the one perception of reality4 ,everything else might be a dream1 but not that4 ,professor ,james then remarks3 ,my friend1 as it oddly happens1 does not interpret these later experiences theistically1 as signifying the presence of ,god4 ,why oddly8 ,the explanation seems simple enough4 ,it was just because his friend was not odd1 but a normal individual of modern times4 ,perhaps1 after all1 the secret lay in the well-known reply to the question1 ,is life worth living8--,it all depends on the liver4 ,one may also recall the words of the celebrated clerical wit who said3 ,they think they are pious when they are only bilious4 ,professor ,james then relates various experiences of other persons who1 unlike his friend1 were positive they had felt the presence of ,god4 ,and he tells us3 ,nothing is more common in the pages of religious biography than the way in which seasons of lively and of difficult faith are described as alternating4 ,probably every religious person has the recollection of particular crises in which a direct vision of the truth1 a direct perception1 perhaps1 of a living ,god's existence1 swept in and overwhelmed the languor of the more ordinary belief4 ,if this sort of thing accounts for the faith of every religious person1 the mystery 7in these days7 of the great faith of the few and the little faith of the many is completely solved4 ,so few1 relatively speaking1 have this experience2 so few are by nature mystics4 ,also it helps to explain the prevalence of supernatural belief in bygone ages4 ,thoughtful unbelievers have long ago come to the conclusion that some such psychical experiences largely account for religious superstitions1 and now an eminent psychologist and religious apologist confirms their theories4 ,professor ,james argues that the neurotic temperament naturally introduces one to regions of religious truth which are hidden from the robust ,philistine type of nervous system1 that thanks heaven it hasn't a single morbid fibre in its composition4 ,this kind of robust ,philistine is1 one is glad to think1 a very common type4 ,i hope ,i am a fairly robust ,philistine myself4 ,the ,rationalist may1 or may not1 be emotional1 but he certainly prefers to be without morbid fibres4 ,why1 of all the most undesirable states of mind1 should morbidity assist the human being to have faith in ,god8 ,why should spirituality and strong faith be possible only for a person of nervous instability whose intellectual canon 7unacknowledged no doubt7 is ,credo quia impossibile8 ,why1 in the name of all that is reasonable1 should spiritual experiences be the prerogative of exceptional temperaments only8 ,why1 in all fairness1 if there be any spiritual meaning in hallucinations1 should not the ,agnostic be at least vouchsafed the consciousness of the ,devil's presence to cure him of his unbelief8 ,professor ,james thinks there can be no doubt that as a matter of fact a religious life1 exclusively pursued1 does tend to make the person exceptional and eccentric4 ,he refers to geniuses in the religious line1 who1 like many other geniuses 444 have often shown symptoms of nervous instability4 ,even more perhaps1 he says1 than other kinds of genius1 religious leaders have been subject to abnormal psychical visitations 444 often1 moreover1 these pathological features in their career have helped to give them their religious authority and influence4 ,all this is exceedingly instructive1 coming as it does from the mouth of an earnest champion of religion #bca specially suited1 by his researches in psychical phenomena1 to speak with authority on the psychology of religion4 ,his belief in the interference in human life of spiritual agencies1 and the whole tenour of his book1 render it certain that he is not consciously bringing any arguments to bear against supernaturalism1 but1 on the contrary1 intends to adduce new arguments in its favour4 ,have we not here a satisfactory and perfectly natural explanation of the phenomena of conversion8 ,the religionist is apt1 ,i think1 to lose sight of the fact that conversion is not confined to any one particular creed2 that it cannot witness to the truth of the one and not of the other4 ,the mystical feeling1 remarks ,professor ,james 7pp4 #dbe-f71 of enlargement1 union1 and emancipation 444 is capable of forming matrimonial alliances with material furnished by the most diverse philosophies and theologies1 provided only they can find a place in their framework for its peculiar emotional mood4 ,the most striking examples of conversion are those of the instantaneous kind1 of which ,st4 ,paul's is held out to us as the most eminent4 ,i have already outlined the probable explanation in ,st4 ,paul's case1 and other cases may be similarly explained4 ,the supernaturalist's interpretation of conversion cannot be considered seriously until proofs are forthcoming of an instance in which nothing was known previously of the truth alleged to have been revealed4 ,like ,mr4 ,lowes ,dickinson1 ,i have never1 for example1 discovered a case in which a ,mohammedan or a ,hindoo1 without having heard of ,christianity1 has had a revelation of ,christian truth4 ,of all visions1 those of the death-bed especially invite our attention1 for they are looked upon by many pious persons as sure evidence in favour of the truth of their ,faith4 ,will this argument bear analysis8 ,we know that good men and women have had heavenly visions during their last moments4 ,we know also that others of equally blameless lives have been terrified at the last by the sight of some supreme horror4 ,how can any argument be based upon the phantasms of a disordered brain8 ,do not these visions1 too1 usually take their form from the teaching with which the mind has been imbued8 ,the ,mohammedan sees a heaven peopled with houris2 do we on that account accept the ,koran as our guide8 ,a dying ,hindoo may have a vision of a heathen deity of questionable character1 and derive comfort from it4 ,i have myself stood by the bedside of a dying ,mahratta whose ravings during the delirium of fever indicated such a vision4 ,there are1 it is true1 cases where the visions of the dying may seem utterly unlike those we should expect4 ,but the brain retains impressions of things of which the conscious memory has long ago passed away1 and1 if the early history of the ecstatic could be fully known1 we should1 as ,proctor points out1 #bcb find nearly every circumstance of his vision explained1 or at least an explanation suggested4 ,it may be said again of death-bed visions1 as of visions generally1 that there has never yet been a case of a ,mohammedan or a ,hindoo or any other non-,christian who has had a revelation of ,christian truth4 ,professor ,james is not the only person having the curious notion that an abnormal state of mind admits the nearer presence of ,god4 ,to take a people possessing a marvellous self-control over their emotions1 and1 therefore1 the last among whom you would expect to find such ideas1 ,i may mention that the more ignorant and superstitious among the ,japanese throw themselves into hypnotic trances1 and then fondly imagine that a god is present in their body1 and is making use of them as a mouthpiece4 #bcc ,again1 no superstition is commoner among the ignorant natives of ,india1 ,mohammedan and ,hindoo alike1 than that people of unsound mind have some sort of special means of communication with ,god2 but that educated persons1 having fairly normal minds themselves1 should hold such an opinion is yet another example of the hallucinations to which religious enthusiasts are liable4 ,the folly of attributing any spiritual significance to these experiences will be better understood if we compare them with cases where there is no religious element whatsoever4 ,a lady1 a friend of mine1 is continually subject to a curious experience1 which may serve to illustrate this point4 ,i give the account of it in her own words3-- ,as a child ,i was always a bad sleeper1 and got into the habit of making up stories to amuse myself when lying awake in bed4 ,this habit continued as ,i grew older2 but1 after a time1 the stories ceased to be connected in any way with myself4 ,years ago ,i began a story which has grown gradually through three generations1 and there are signs of the coming of a fourth4 ,the old house has remained as the centre of the story for years2 most of the characters are men1 and no one of either sex bears any possible relationship to me4 ,they have all become far more real to me than my own relations2 at bed-time1 on long railway journeys 7sometimes71 or when ,i am walking or doing needlework1 they are there4 ,if ,i get to the house at bed-time1 ,i sleep well4 ,if ,i am there when travelling1 ,i don't get tired1 and the characters grow and develop quite naturally4 ,it is my inner life1 and1 if ,i were given that way1 it might become a series of visions4 ,i can quite understand men having ecstasies in which the ideals they have always before them become apparently materialised4 ,,the ,,psychology ,,of ,,prayer4 ,i cannot too strongly insist that all this is extremely instructive4 ,it explains so many things that still have to be explained1 if religion be untrue4 ,the new science of psychology has already accounted for many abnormal phenomena that were formerly considered miraculous--faith cures1 #bcd for instance4 ,does it not account for the effects of prayer8 ,we know nothing of the efficacy of prayer in securing material benefits--there is no proof either way2 but we do know that it has often an ethical value1 and is also a means of strengthening faith4 ,does it necessarily follow that a ,supernatural ,being hears and answers the suppliant's prayers8 ,i think not4 ,suggestion1 it is now known1 exercises an extraordinary influence over the subjective mind4 ,in prayer auto-suggestion undoubtedly plays its subtle rle4 ,let me give an example of the benign results that may be effected by suggestion without any appeal to the supernatural4 ,often a moral change for the worse in a most estimable person is distinctly traceable to causes over which he or she had no control1 and the physician or surgeon1 having diagnosed the case1 proceeds to do his best to bring about a cure4 ,where it is some nervous malady1 mental therapeutics or psychic healing is sometimes extremely efficacious4 #bce ,vices and weaknesses are now looked upon by many in the light of diseases and ailments--curable1 ameliorable1 or incurable1 as the case may be4 ,disease or ,devil1 the fact remains that medical treatment may effect a cure even where the patient's disorder has been brought on by1 as we say1 his own fault4 ,dipsomania1 morphinomania1 kleptomania1 nymphomania1 satyriasis1 and various moral perversions may yield to a purely natural treatment1 whether it be the method of a ,milne ,bramwell 7by suggestion7 or of ,keeley4 ,when denouncing ,mariolatry 7in his sermon at the opening of the ,church ,congress1 ,october1 #aije71 the ,bishop of ,london said3 ,it is not revealed that the cry to any saint or to the ,virgin ,mary ever reaches them at all4 ,apparently1 therefore1 the ,bishop admits that appeals to the supernatural may be wasted1 and this in spite of the suppliant being very much in earnest4 ,yet who would be prepared to say that the ,roman ,catholic who prays to the ,virgin ,mary and to innumerable saints does not derive quite as much benefit from the process as the ,protestant who directs his worship solely to the ,holy ,trinity1 or the ,shintoist who invokes the benign spirits of his ancestors8 #bcf ,the effect of the suggestion is the same in each case1 and has all the appearance of an answer to prayer4 ,again1 putting aside abnormal phases of the mind1 is it not1 as ,ralph ,waldo ,trine puts it 7in his little book1 ,character ,building3 ,thought ,power71 a simple psychological law that any type of thought1 if entertained for a sufficient length of time1 will1 by and by1 reach the motor tracts of the brain1 and finally burst forth into action8 ,there seems no need for the introduction of a supernatural hypothesis to explain the moral effect of prayer4 ,so1 also1 with regard to faith1 it is only natural that the believer1 racked with doubt1 should find reassurance in prayer4 ,the ,theist who lays store by the evidence from religious experience will do well to ponder over the following words of one of ,professor ,james's critics3 ,instead of producing anything that would strengthen the belief in extra-human spirit agents influencing human destinies1 psychology has made intelligible1 conformably to the rest of our organised knowledge1 most1 if not all1 of the striking phenomena which have been the empirical props of the popular faith in spiritism1 whether ,christian or not4 ,we refer to ansthesias1 analgesias1 hallucinations1 monitions1 trances1 the sense of illumination in ecstasy1 etc41 including the facts considered in ,professor ,james' lectures4 ,in making this statement1 ,i do not forget the work of the ,society for ,psychical ,research4 ,its achievements may be declared to have been so far1 and without prejudice of the future1 absolutely inconclusive with regard to spiritism4 #bcg ,in other words1 psychical research1 if conducted by the experimental method and without bias1 may be pregnant with consequences hardly in accord with the hopes of either the spiritist or spiritualist 7in its religious sense74 ,for1 should abnormal phenomena of all kinds admit of a natural explanation1 their present obscurity will no longer furnish grounds for supernatural speculation4 ,,the ,,religious 787 ,,experiences ,,of ,,intoxication4 ,according to ,professor ,james's theory1 it is the person who chances to have a well-developed subliminal life who is predestined to be saved1 for then ,god will be able to reach him4 ,as ,professor ,james informs us that nitrous oxide and ether1 especially nitrous oxide1 when sufficiently diluted with air1 stimulate the mystical consciousness in an extraordinary degree1 so that depth beyond depth of truth seems revealed to the inhaler1 the unbelieving ,philistine ought to be recommended to inhale this truth-revealing1 and therefore faith-producing1 gas4 ,like music1 it must be meant as an aid to worship4 ,the new beatitude will then be1 as ,mr4 ,leuba remarks1 ,blessed are the intoxicated1 for to them the kingdom of spirits is revealed6 ,i can quite understand the interest aroused by ,professor ,james's remarkable book2 but that ,theists and would-be ,theists should take its chief conclusion seriously is beyond me--or1 rather1 ,i should say it is one more proof to me that the inherited capacity for superstition is still strong within us4 ,we can understand why supernatural beliefs die hard4 ,,music ,,and ,,the ,,emotions4 #bch ,are our emotions reliable guides1 or are they not8 ,though the motive-power in our nature1 though they go to make up that heart upon which ,mr4 ,fielding so eloquently discourses in his ,hearts of ,men1 do they not need to be carefully controlled by reason8 ,are they not the very same emotions which1 in all but religious matters1 are admittedly a fruitful source of self-deception8 ,take the emotion excited by music4 ,i know many good people who think they possess considerable religious feeling1 and have had a religious experience1 because they are peculiarly affected by music1 and especially by fine sacred music4 #bci ,similarly1 ,dr4 ,torrey's ,glory ,song appeals to the untrained ear of his emotional audiences1 and the ,salvation band1 all out of tune1 elevates the soul of the ,salvationist4 ,yet lower down the scale of musical culture we find a clash of discordant sounds exciting the religious emotions of the savage4 ,is it too much to say that these experiences differ only in degree from those of the dog who howls as certain notes affect him8 ,granted that music1 suited to the taste of the worshipper1 is an aid to worship1 we have to remember that there are those whose temperaments are so constituted that they are more or less unaffected by music--good1 bad1 or indifferent--and1 if the religious feeling evoked be from ,god1 may we not ask in all reverence3 ,why should the unmusical be debarred from this means of feeling ,his presence8 ,why should the man without a note of music in his composition have this much less chance of eternal salvation8 ,surely we are not to take seriously and literally the words of our great philosopher-poet when he says3 ,let no such man be trusted8 ,,sexual ,,love4 ,again1 there is the religious feeling evoked by that strongest emotion of all--sexual love2 the one excites the other1 and the effect produced may be beneficial or may be mischievous4 ,but sexual love appears to me a strange aid to the worship of ,god2 and persons who really imagine they are nearer ,him when in this state of emotion most certainly deceive themselves4 ,the ascetic who is debarred from this particular religious experience should agree with me4 ,,revivalism4 ,an examination of religious experiences1 however brief1 cannot well omit all mention of the question of revivalism4 ,has it an ethical value8 ,has it a spiritual meaning8 ,to the latter question the answer of the ,church is for the most part in the affirmative4 ,in his ,pentecostal message for ,whitsuntide1 #aije1 the ,archbishop of ,canterbury refers1 without directly naming them1 to the extraordinary movement of which the young ,evan ,roberts has been the leader1 and to the preaching of ,messrs4 ,torrey and ,alexander in ,london4 ,to whatever cause or combination of causes we may attribute it1 he says1 the fact appears to be certain that expression has this year been given in an unusual degree to a desire for increased spiritual earnestness in the ,christian life4 ,i shall not embark upon the question of the spiritual signification of revivalism4 ,my remarks on other religious experiences may be taken to apply here also4 ,regarding its ethical value1 ,i fancy most thoughtful onlookers will be with me when ,i say that it is unadvisable to stir up hysteria in hysterical people just for the sake of effects1 the usefulness of which is extremely problematical--effects which1 if they benefit a few1 are harmful to the majority1 and1 in any case1 are unlikely to be of a permanent nature4 ,we have it on excellent authority that emotional appeals and revivals do not destroy carnal sin in schools1 and it is well known how often they seem to stimulate1 to increase1 immorality4 #bdj #f4 ,the ,inevitable ,conclusion4 ,a candid and unbiassed examination of the so-called theistic proofs can but lead to the one conclusion3 they are worthless4 ,even if the cosmological and teleological arguments were satisfactory1 and even if religious experiences proved the existence of a spirit world1 the ethical argument undoubtedly breaks down1 carrying along with it all that fragile structure of which the theist's theories are composed4 ,yes1 the problem of evil is insoluble4 ,we have not1 says ,john ,stuart ,mill1 #bda to attempt the impossible problem of reconciling infinite benevolence and justice with infinite power in the ,creator of such a world as this4 ,to attempt to do so not only involves absolute contradiction in an intellectual point of view1 but exhibits to excess the revolting spectacle of a ,jesuitical defence of moral enormities4 ,the latest defence by an approved apologist of the ,church of ,england will be found in chap4 xiv4 of ,pro ,fide4 ,it has been conducted with conspicuous candour1 and such harsh terms as ,jesuitical and revolting are no longer applicable4 ,whether1 however1 this is likely to prove any more successful than previous attempts1 and to serve as an antidote to scepticism1 may be seen by a glance at the following summary of the line of argument4 ,the author relies1 to begin with1 upon the theological assumption that moral evil arises from the abuse of ,god's gift to man of a free will4 ,he also argues that the transmission of a tendency to sin is not unjust1 because a remedy for it has been provided4 ,as for physical evil1 this1 he maintains1 subserves important moral purposes in the case of man1 and in the case of animals it is more than compensated for by physical good4 ,in the end1 however1 he is forced1 as we have seen1 to fall back upon the hypothesis of a personal devil4 ,in other words1 he presents us with those sophistical arguments of theistic apologists which we have been investigating1 and then1 finding1 as a perfectly honest mind must find1 that these are inadequate1 he has1 after all1 to rely upon those ancient theological dogmas which owe their origin to the insolubility of the problem4 ,let those accept his special pleading who can4 ,there are many who read an apologetic work with minds already made up to be persuaded by it1 and where there is this bias there cannot be straight thinking4 ,for those who keep an open mind the conclusion is inevitable3 apart from the revelation which has been called in question there is no proof1 there never can be any proof1 of the existence of the ,god of the ,christian4 ,if there be a ,first ,cause1 if there be a ,supreme ,intelligence1 if there be a ,deity at all1 we know nothing of ,his nature and nothing of ,his intentions with regard to us4 ,,note ,,on ,,religion ,,and ,,philosophy4 ,an examination of the development of philosophy leads to conclusions of considerable import4 ,our present inquiry can be only an exceedingly rapid one2 but anyone wishing to study the subject a little more fully will find it concisely treated in a book called ,science and ,faith1 by ,dr4 ,paul ,topinard1 late ,general ,secretary of the ,anthropological ,society of ,paris4 ,from ,chapter ,,viii4 ,i cull the following3-- ,animals1 in the presence of phenomena which they do not understand1 retire confounded4 ,savage man does the same4 ,but he1 at least1 hazards the attempt of an explanation by investing the objects or phenomena in question with life and sentiments similar to his own4 ,later this same savage1 discovering or believing to discover in himself a double being1 the one corporeal and the other spiritual1 transfers the new notions regarding himself to objects without himself1 to stones1 plants1 animals1 or stars4444 ,religions1 at first more or less elementary1 with their founders and priests1 do not appear until later4444 ,for a long time the sorcerer--that is to say1 a man less credulous than the rest1 and adroit in the sense of knowing how to reap personal advantage from the beliefs of his fellows--stood alone in his class4 ,sorcerer and medicine man at once1 he distributed amulets1 drove out spirits from the bodies of the deceased1 and caused the rains to fall4444 ,the sacerdotal caste arose1 at times recruiting itself from the outside and at times hereditary4 ,more intelligent than the others1 more disposed to reflect1 the priests were naturally inclined to seek more satisfactory explanations from the phenomena of nature1 to distinguish general causes from particular causes1 to reduce the number of the spirits1 to champion the most important of these1 and even to symbolise many of them4 ,the cult of heroes1 of personages in the tribe who had rendered it valuable services1 and of ancestors1 was mingled with the preceding beliefs4 ,having to speak to simple people1 for whom it was necessary to materialise things1 they were obliged to recast their ideas and to expound them by the help of fables and myths1 which soon essayed to explain in a tangible form the origin of things1 the existing phenomena of nature1 and often to guide the conduct of men4 ,these were the first attempts of philosophy1 already as utilitarian as they were mystical4 ,religions consecrated a multitude of usages and ceremonies from which the sacerdotal class lived1 and which greatly augmented its power2 and they also exerted a strong political influence4 ,again1 they led up to genuine moral codes1 such as those of ,brahma and ,buddha in ,india1 and ,confucius in ,china4444 ,the utilitarian idea appears to have dominated among the ,phoenician and ,canaanite peoples4 ,it gave rise to the doctrine of a personal national ,god1 who had created man and the people whom he had chosen and whose destinies he directed4 ,he exacted from them blind and exclusive worship and obedience to the laws which he promulgated4 ,in return he protected them1 reserving his right of terrestrial punishment4444 ,the ,egyptians are related to the ,hindus by their belief in metempsychosis1 or the transmigration of souls from animal to animal4444 ,the conception of a judgment after death passed through these peoples the ,egyptians to the polytheism of ,greece and ,rome4444 ,greek philosophy rose audaciously to the loftiest and boldest conceptions1 not conceptions crowning an intellectual edifice1 but conceptions which dominate it in imaginary realms of space4 ,aristotle belongs apart4 ,he is at once scientist and philosopher4 ,he observes nature4 ,he is the founder of natural history1 of anthropology1 of political science1 and of political economy4 ,according to ,graef1 he is also the founder of political philosophy1 because he was the first to introduce positive facts into philosophy4444 ,in the general run1 they the ,greek philosophers were dialecticians1 sophists1 and intellectual gymnasts only4 ,but1 such as they were1 they founded free inquiry1 disintegrated the national polytheistic beliefs1 and prepared the way for the revolution which was on the verge of accomplishment4 ,in an unknown 8 corner of ,juda1 on the banks of a lake1 the glad tidings burst forth of a coming regeneration1 and a voice was heard pleading the cause of the feeble1 the humble1 and the oppressed1 and saying3 ',love ye one another6' ,the doctrine1 at first local and inculcated by a small number of apostles1 soon extended with ,st4 ,paul to the ,gentiles1 and thenceforward its progress was rapid 84 ,philosophy was not indifferent to it4444 ,christianity1 in effect1 instead of conquering the pagan world1 was conquered by it1 as ,huxley has remarked4444 ,during the ,middle ,ages science had disappeared from the ,west4 ,philosophy1 hemmed in between metaphysics and theology1 became scholasticism1 which sought to reconcile ,plato1 ,plotinus1 and ,aristotle with the needs of orthodoxy1 and split hairs over subtle essences and entities4444 ,then a concourse of circumstances occurred which1 as fifteen centuries before1 was to transform the ,western world1 although differently1 and which inaugurated modern times1 to wit3 ,the return to the ,west of the knowledge that had taken refuge among the ,arabs2 the discovery of printing1 which spread everywhere trustworthy texts2 the discovery of the ,new ,world1 which quadrupled the surface of the earth to be observed and studied2 the awakening of science1 with ,copernicus1 ,galileo1 ,kepler1 ,rondelet1 ,vesalius1 ,harvey2 and1 finally1 the ,reformation4 ,on the downfall of scholasticism the first care of philosophy was not the renouncing of what had been its essence1 the search for the absolute by intuition italics are mine and reason1 but the overhauling of its methods1 which it sought to render more precise4444 ,the subsequent divergencies were rooted less in the varying intellectual and logical make-up of each philosopher and in their method of applying their faculties than in their individual ways of feeling and conceiving4 ,philosophy in effect is simply a struggle between these elements4444 ,nevertheless1 the conquests of science began to make themselves felt4 ,there was now less insistence on ,god and more on the world1 man1 morals1 and the conditions of social life4 ,the over-hanging metaphysical cloud is still more or less heavy1 but at spots it suffers the light to pass through4 ,there are two streams3 the one continues ,descartes--in ,france with ,pascal1 ,bossuet1 ,fnlon1 and ,malebranche1 in ,germany with ,spinoza and ,leibnitz2 the other1 in ,england1 is represented by ,bacon1 ,hobbes1 and ,locke4444 ,bacon1 ,hobbes1 and ,locke are the inaugurators of a school which is characterised by its practical spirit1 its observation and analysis of psychological facts1 and by its disposition to refer the conduct of man to the advantages which he draws therefrom4 ,it led to ,adam ,smith1 who discovers the sanction of morality in the public approbation of what is right2 to ,bentham1 who sees it in interest rationally understood2 to ,hume and the ,scottish school2 and finally to the existing school of ,john ,stuart ,mill1 ,darwin1 and ,herbert ,spencer4 ,locke1 on the other hand1 is also the starting-point of the ,french school of the eighteenth century1 which is characterised by a tendency at once anti-clerical1 altruistic1 and sentimental4 ,we shall say nothing of the philosophy of the nineteenth century of the ,german school1 which represents speculative philosophy1 and the ,english1 which is physiological in bent1 and of which we have the highest opinion4 ,in ,france the most notable achievement is the attempt which was made by ,auguste ,comte4 ,for ,comte metaphysics must be entirely eliminated4 ,the day of intuitions1 priori conceptions1 entities1 innate ideas1 is past4 ,if a problem cannot be solved1 it is to be let alone4 ,psychology is only a branch of physiology1 and the latter a division of biology4 ,morals rest not upon any imperative obligation1 but upon the altruism which education developes4 ,there are no rights besides those which society confers4 ,human knowledge has passed through three stages3 one of faith or theology1 one of conceptions or metaphysics1 and one of observation or science4 ,these1 in turn1 are the basal principles of science1 and would be perfect if the positivist school were faithful to them4 ,but in its own bosom even there are refractory spirits who suffer themselves unconsciously to be ruled by their sentiments rather than by observation1 and who are constantly lapsing back into the old methods4444 ,for me there is but one method of knowing what is1 and of inducing therefrom what has been and what will be--and that is observation2 all suggestions which transgress this method are void4 ,from his examination of the evolution of philosophy ,dr4 ,topinard draws1 by way of rsum1 the following conclusions3-- a4 ,philosophy1 like religion1 is the outcome of the belief in the supernatural held by man in his more or less primitive state4 b4 ,the philosophic spirit and the spirit which created the arts and letters have as common characters their subjectivity1 their need of imagining and of constructing1 and their firm belief in the reality of their conceptions4 c4 ,philosophy is opposed to science4 ,it answers to the impatient need of man to explain at once things which elude his comprehension4 d4 ,at the present day philosophy still lives1 but is losing its initial character and sees itself obliged more and more to reckon with science and practice4 e4 ,we are obliged to admit that the group of human faculties which has given birth to philosophy has a less prolonged future than the group which has given rise to science4 f4 ,philosophy1 although on the wane1 and apparently in disaccord with the end of the nineteenth century1 has nevertheless a beautiful domain to exploit4 ,these conclusions concerning the past and present of philosophy cannot be disseminated too widely4 ,so many refuse point-blank to inquire into their belief1 because they have been led to think that this will entail their wading through a mass of philosophical writings1 and because they expect to find these either incomprehensible or unconvincing4 ,properly speaking1 ,christians should be the first to admit that apologists who attempt to defend their ,faith by abstruse arguments are sadly inconsistent4 ,for it is written1 ,jesus rejoiced in spirit1 and said1 ,i thank thee1 ,o ,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent1 and hast revealed them unto babes4 ,let the humble truth-seeker take heart4 ,whatever the value or present tendency of philosophy may or may not be1 the truth about the ,christian religion can be ascertained without a knowledge of metaphysics4 ,metaphysics does not1 and never will1 appeal to the average man4 ,he agrees with the scoffer1 who says3 ,when the man who is speaking no longer knows what he is talking about1 and the man who is listening never knew what he was talking about1 that is metaphysics6 ,the obscurity inherent in profound and abstract philosophy may well be objected to1 not only as painful and fatiguing1 but as the inevitable source of uncertainty and error4 ,here1 indeed1 exclaims ,hume1 in his essay on ,the ,different ,species of ,philosophy1 lies the justest and most plausible objection against a considerable part of metaphysics1 that they are not properly a science1 but arise either from the fruitless efforts of human vanity1 which would penetrate into subjects utterly inaccessible to the understanding1 or from the craft of popular superstitions1 which1 being unable to defend themselves on fair ground1 raise these intangling brambles to cover and protect their weakness4 ,it is accurate and just reasoning like that of ,hume1 in his ,inquiry ,concerning ,human ,understanding1 which1 to quote his words again1 is the only catholic remedy1 fitted for all persons and all dispositions2 and is alone able to subvert that abstruse philosophy and metaphysical jargon which1 being mixed up with popular superstition1 renders it in a manner impenetrable to careless reasoners1 and gives it the air of science and wisdom4 ,it may be urged that the famous ,scottish philosopher and historian has been unduly severe in his sceptical views concerning speculative philosophy1 or that he would have been less severe upon the later metaphysical thinking which was affected by his criticisms4 ,there still remains1 in any case1 one feature common to all philosophies3 their difficulty4 ,philosophy is only studied1 and1 indeed1 can only be thoroughly understood1 by the few4 ,take1 for example1 that intellectual phenomenon1 ,hegelianism1 the spirit and method of which have leavened the whole mass of philosophical thought in ,germany4 ,it is confessedly one of the most difficult of all philosophies4 ,one has heard what ,hegel himself is supposed to have said3 ,only one man ever understood me1 and even he couldn't4 ,this difficulty of comprehension has an important bearing on the argument for ,agnosticism4 ,granting that there is such a ,god as ,hegel would have us accept1 how can anyone suppose for a moment that a ,deity wrapping ,himself up in such obscurity would be unreasonable enough to expect all mankind to believe in ,him8 ,he must not only pardon1 but approve of1 ,agnosticism4 ,a ,god1 whose existence can only be proved1 if it can be proved at all1 by the abstruse arguments of a ,hegel1 is not a ,god anxious to reveal ,himself to ,his creatures4 ,,popular ,,arguments ,chapter ,,vii4 ,,fallacies ,,in ,,popular ,,arguments #a4 ,preliminary ,remarks4 ,the ,power of ,christianity for ,good4 ,finally we have to consider some arguments that have often quite as much weight with the believer as ,bible apologetics or ,theistic proofs4 ,they are3 7#a7 ,the power of ,christianity for good2 7#b7 the marvellous spread of ,christianity2 7#c7 the witness of the ,christian martyrs2 and 7#d7 the universality of the religious instinct4 ,the first of these--the power of ,christianity for good--opens up a large question1 and ,i have thought it advisable1 therefore1 to select for special investigation two popular beliefs springing from this source--namely1 the belief that woman owes her present position to ,christianity1 and the belief that the overthrow of ,christianity would endanger society and the nation4 ,the point now under consideration is not whether ,christianity ought to have been1 but whether it has been1 a power for good4 ,although the apologist1 when hard pressed as to this or that evidence of failure1 attributes it to the fault of man1 he nevertheless continues stoutly to maintain that ,christianity has indeed worked wonders for mankind4 ,this we should certainly expect of it1 if it be a true belief1 and it is a claim therefore which cannot be too closely investigated4 ,it would be a comparatively easy1 though lengthy1 task to make out an exceedingly strong case against ,christianity by enlarging upon the inhumanity and immorality of the ,dark ,ages1 and comparing this with the far more humane and moral conduct of men in pre-,christian civilisations4 ,one could point to the rock-graven edicts of ,king ,asoka 7#bfc-bbf ,b4,c471 and show that in the matter of discountenancing slavery1 of humanity to prisoners1 of denouncing war1 of founding hospitals1 of abolishing blood sacrifices1 of inculcating religious toleration1 and of teaching purity of life1 all that is now so complacently claimed for ,christianity was anticipated4 ,or again1 one might dwell on the dark side of ,christendom1 even in this year of grace #aijg1 and draw some very odious comparisons1 especially as we have so recently been presented with the object-lesson of a heathen race which excels many1 and equals any1 of the ,christian races in nearly all those virtues we prize and call ,christian4 ,but ,i have no intention of embarking upon such a wide sea of controversy4 ,one controversial subject1 however1 ,i feel bound to notice1 because the disputed point is at the root of the whole matter4 ,we are so accustomed to hear every humane or unselfish deed1 and every moral act1 described as ,christian that good and ,christian have almost become synonymous terms4 ,it never occurs to us to ask1 or we never give a second thought to the question1 how much the humane principles now accepted among civilised nations may be due to education1 experience1 and evolution1 and how much to ,christian influence4 ,the ,rationalist attributes the improvement chiefly to the former1 and1 in any case1 to the working of natural forces2 the ,christian chiefly to the latter1 and1 in any case1 to the working of supernatural forces4 ,all that is beneficial in civilisation1 both on its material and on what is called its spiritual side1 is placed by the ,christian to the credit of ,christianity1 and the hand of ,god is traced with becoming reverence in every discovery which ameliorates our lot4 ,this1 although the promoters and discoverers are often non-,christians1 and although it is well known that it is the ,church that has chiefly delayed the advance of science4 ,whatever may be the case now1 the education of the masses never concerned her in olden times4 ,rather her concern was then that the people should not be educated1 much as it is in ,russia at the present time4 ,such education as she did encourage was of the type imparted in the ,mohammedan ,university at ,cairo to-day--the three ,r's and the ,koran--and for similar reasons4 ,as late as #ahdf ,cobden writes to a friend on the subject of national education3 ,i took the repeal of the ,corn ,laws as light amusement compared with the difficult task of inducing the priests of all denominations to agree to suffer the people to be educated4 ,again1 ,lord ,macaulay1 speaking of the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 in the first chapter of his ,history of ,england1 says that during the last three centuries to stunt the growth of the human mind has been her chief object4 ,throughout ,christendom1 whatever advance has been made in knowledge1 in freedom1 in wealth1 and in the arts of life1 has been made in spite of her1 and has everywhere been in inverse proportion to her power4 ,the loveliest and most fertile provinces of ,europe have1 under her rule1 been sunk in poverty1 in political servitude1 and in intellectual torpor4 ,so long as organisms are adapted to their environment1 neither progressive nor retrogressive development will occur4 ,because1 after the ,dark ,ages1 ,europe progressed while ,asia stagnated and ,africa retrogressed1 is modern civilisation to be placed to the credit of the ,christian religion8 ,as rationally might any one of the ancient civilisations be credited to the popular superstition of the country then in the van of progress4 ,to such absurd lengths are these pretensions carried that we find persons ignorant enough and fanatical enough to attribute the present predominance of ,christian nations to their religion4 ,for a reply to such ,i cannot better that given by a learned ,buddhist monk to a missionary who had told him that nations of the ,west had become powerful because of their ,christianity4 ,the fact is1 retorted the monk1 that nations have become powerful in the degree to which they have rejected the precepts of ,christianity1 in the extent to which they have substituted for the ,christian maxim of ',love thy neighbour as thyself' that other maxim which shoots #cjj bullets a minute4 ,returning to the only contention really worth considering1 let us assume that there has been moral progress in ,christendom1 and let us assume also that this has nothing to do with the advance of ,humanitarianism in the present1 or with pre-,christian 7,buddhist1 for instance7 teaching in the past4 ,are we to conclude that this is a proof of the divine origin of ,christianity8 ,i must confess ,i fail to see how any improvement which there may be in the matter of coarse vice among the proletariat1 of dishonesty among the commercial classes1 of corruptness among the professional1 and of sensuality among the leisured classes1 can be any proof that ,jesus1 one of the world's reformers1 was ,god ,incarnate4 ,christian teaching embodies precepts of the greatest ethical value1 borrowed1 as we now know1 from the doctrines of ancient moralists and religious teachers4 ,would it not indeed be strange if this teaching had done no good whatever--if the leaven had had no elevating influences at all1 whereas the teachings of ,confucius and ,buddha have produced those admirable results which even ,christians are at last prepared to admit8 ,dr4 ,warschauer explains in ,anti-,nunquam1 p4 #gb1 that ,agnostics are good men1 because1 willingly or unwillingly1 they have taken in ,christian ideas through every pore4 ,how1 then1 does he explain the virtues of the ,japanese8 ,let us now leave generalisation1 and investigate in some detail an important ,christian argument which has the contention of ,christianity's power for good as its source4 ,it forms a striking illustration of the way fallacies may arise from a hard-and-fast adhesion to convictions that are justified rather by the heart than by history4 #b4 ,christianity ,woman's ,best ,friend4 #bdb ,the majority of women still remain true believers4 ,there appear to be numerous reasons1 psychological and educational1 for their attitude4 ,woman is more imaginative1 more emotional1 and more sensitive to external suggestion than man4 ,as to her education1 men1 even those who have no religious belief whatever1 prefer to keep her in ignorance of their views1 partly under a vague notion that unbelief would undermine her virtue and lessen her amiability1 and partly because they deem her religious influence an essential element in the upbringing of their children4 ,in addition to all this1 woman is taught by the ,church that ,christianity is her best friend4 ,prominent prelates of the ,church proclaim that the ,gospel has given woman the position she holds to-day4 #bdc ,nothing could very well be more contrary to fact4 ,one can only suppose that these expounders of the truth are speaking according to the dictates of their hearts1 and without having really studied the question1 or else that they believe their cause is served by deliberately closing their eyes to inconvenient facts4 ,the question is one of supreme importance1 as it is chiefly women who are now the mainstay of the ,faith4 ,people with little or no knowledge of those portions of history that specially bear upon the question are easily deceived4 ,the average woman's ideas concerning the pre-,christian civilisations are decidedly vague4 ,her ideas may also be further confused by lurid accounts from the pulpit of the licentiousness prevalent among the upper classes during the earlier and also the last years of the ,roman ,empire2 while nothing is told her about the unrestrained licence of the aristocracy during the ,middle ,ages1 and the degraded condition of the masses during1 say1 the eighteenth century1 when1 says ,sir ,walter ,besant1 for drunkenness1 brutality1 and ignorance1 the ,englishman of the baser kind reached the lowest depth ever reached by civilised man4 ,clerics who unconsciously mislead their congregations with this argument cannot be aware of those hard facts of history which render it untenable4 ,for their benefit1 and for the benefit of their dupes1 let us glance at a few of these facts4 ,the status of women among the barbarians is vouched for by the ,romans1 their enemies1 and therefore unexceptionable witnesses4 ,nothing impressed the ,romans more than the equality of the sexes among the northern nations1 the man's reverence for womanhood1 the woman's sympathy with manhood1 and the high code of morality that was the natural outcome of this well-balanced state of society4 ,at a time when the men of the ,chosen ,people were insulting and unjust to their women1 heathen women enjoyed a position which their ,christian1 not to mention their ,mohammedan1 descendants might well envy4 ,polygamy only began to disappear among the ,jews in the fifth century ,b4,c41 and so curious was the influence of the ,old ,testament on the early ,christian ,church that several of the ,fathers could not bring themselves to condemn it1 and it was not officially suppressed by the ,church until ,a4,d4 #ajfj4 ,luther and the ,reformers allowed it even later4 ,yet polygamy was one of the surest signs of a contempt of woman1 and it had been rejected by ,greeks1 ,romans1 and barbarians long before the ,hebrews began to perceive its enormity4 #bdd ,the part women played in old ,japan1 writes the founder of the first university for women in ,japan1 #bde was very remarkable1 especially before the arrival of ,buddhism and ,confucianism4 ,men and women were almost equal in their social position4 ,there was then no shadow of the barbarous idea that men were everything and women nothing4 ,women's power even in politics was great1 and history tells us that there were nine women who ascended the throne in olden times4 ,women in general were not inferior to men physically1 mentally1 or morally4 ,they were noted for their bravery1 and distinguished themselves on the field of battle4 ,in the literary world they were not less noted for their brilliant productions4 ,their moral conduct was most blameless1 and commanded universal respect4 ,their natural temperament was cheerful and optimistic1 and charmed the sterner sex4 ,such being the attainments and characteristics of women in olden times1 we can fairly believe that they were as well educated as men were1 although there were not existing any institutions of instruction for women4 ,this was the springtime of ,japanese womanhood1 when it blossomed undisturbed1 and exerted a strong and beneficial influence on the life of old ,japan4 ,the introduction of ,buddhism and ,confucianism1 however1 began to create great changes in the position of women4 ,and yet so powerful were women in society when these two religions came to ,japan that their rapid spread in our country was due to the earnest endeavours of women4 ,speaking of the feudal age1 he remarks3 ,the social environment of the age and the prevalence of ,buddhism and ,confucianism worked hand in hand to bring about the subjection of women4 ,the analogy between the experiences of the ,japanese lady and her ,european sister is a striking one4 7,there is an analogy1 too1 between the conduct of the ,buddhist priests and that of the ,roman ,catholic priests in the ,middle ,ages1 or even in ,southern ,italy to-day4 ,the sins of the present generation of priests1 said ,count ,okuma in the course of an interview1 are many1 and the hells about which they preach are prepared for the like of them4 #bdf ,the majority of the priests are utterly degenerate and hopelessly ignorant4 #bdg7 ,look on these pictures1 one of #bjjj ,b4,c4 and the other of ,a4,d4 #ahej3-- ,picture ,i4--,two thousand years before the ,christian era woman was more free and more honoured in ,egypt than she is in any country of the world to-day4 ,she was the mistress of the house4 #bdh444 ,she inherited equally with her brothers1 and had full control of her property4 ,she could go where she liked1 or speak with whom she liked4 ,she was 'juridically the equal of man1' says ,m4 ,paturet1 'having the same rights and being treated in the same fashion'2 and the same authority observes that it was not as mother1 but as woman1 as a being equal in dignity1 that she was thus honoured4 ,there was polygamy in theory1 but the first wife was generally able to exact conditions in her marriage contract which effectually prevented it4 ,the inscriptions show1 says ,maspro1 that she remained to the end of her life 'the beloved of her husband and the mistress of the house4' #bdi ,picture ,,ii4--,in enlightened ,boston1 about #ahej 7under the ,english ,common ,law71 woman could not hold any property1 either inherited or earned4 ,a woman1 either married or unmarried1 could hold no office of trust or power4 ,she was not recognised as a citizen4 ,the status of a married woman was little better than that of a domestic servant4 ,by the ,english ,common ,law her husband was her lord and master4 ,he had the sole custody of her person1 and of her children while minors4 ,he could punish her with a stick no thicker than his thumb1 and she could not complain against him4 ,he was the owner of all her real estate and of her earnings4 ,she had no personal rights1 and could hardly call her soul her own4 ,her husband could steal her children1 rob her of her clothing1 neglect to support the family3 she had no legal redress4 #bej ,not until near the middle of the nineteenth century did that movement commence which has radically improved1 and will continue to improve1 the position of women4 ,and who took the chief1 and1 in the initial stage1 the only1 part in this reform movement8 ,freethinkers4 ,who were silent when they were not active opponents8 ,the clergy4 ,it was just those who most radically abandoned ,christianity--,owen1 ,holyoake1 and ,mill--that were the most logical and ungrudging in their plea for woman4 ,it was the ,mary ,wollstonecrafts1 ,harriet ,martineaus1 ,frances ,wrights1 ,george ,eliots1 ,helen ,taylors1 and ,annie ,besants that distinguished themselves by fearlessness and unselfishness444 ,the clergy never discovered any injustice to woman2 and only one in a thousand could see it when it was pointed out4444 ,all honour to the memory of those clergymen who1 like ,kingsley and ,farrar1 protested against the injustice to the full extent of their idea of womanhood4444 ,on the ,continent there has been the same story of general clerical opposition and general heterodox support4 #bea ,mr4 ,pinchwife1 #beb too1 has undoubtedly had a hand in the subjection of woman2 but we are investigating the grounds for the contention that ,christianity has laid on woman a burden of gratitude1 and that1 if ,christianity were overthrown1 women would sink into unknown depths of degradation4 ,do the above-stated facts bear out that contention8 ,the question arises3 ,why has ,christianity stood in the way of woman's cause8 ,the answer is simple enough3 ,christianity1 in adopting the ,old ,testament1 adopted with it the ,hebrew conception of woman4 ,her inferiority to man was established by her origin from his rib and the leading part she took in his fall4 ,the ,vicar of ,crantock tabulates #bec the reasons why a ,christian woman should cover her head in church1 as follows3-- 7#a7 ,man's priority of creation4 ,adam was first formed1 then ,eve4 7#b7 ,the manner of creation4 ,the man is not of the woman1 but the woman of the man4 7#c7 ,the purport of creation4 ,the man was not created for the woman1 but the woman for the man4 7#d7 ,results in creation4 ,the man is the image of the ,glory of ,god1 but woman is the glory of man4 7#e7 ,woman's priority in the ,fall4 ,adam was not deceived2 but the woman1 being deceived1 was in the transgression4 7#f7 ,the marriage relation4 ,as the ,church is subject to ,christ1 so let the wives be to their husbands4 7#g7 ,the headship of man and woman4 ,the head of every man is ,christ1 but the head of the woman is man4 ,the ,jews' idea of a woman was sanctioned by no less an authority than ,jehovah2 nor did the ,christ of the ,gospels give one word of clear guidance on this or any other social problem1 or enter one word of explicit protest against the injustice of the ,judaic treatment of women4 ,again1 the teaching of ,st4 ,paul was based on the ,old ,testament1 and the teaching of the ,fathers was based on the ,old ,testament and ,st4 ,paul4 ,a few quotations from the sayings of some of these ,fathers1 whose contempt of marriage became one of the great errors of the ,church1 may prove instructive3-- ,fornication is a lapse from one marriage into many4--,clement of ,alexandria4 ,digamists 7widowers who re-marry7 are saved in the name of ,christ1 but are by no means crowned by him4--,origen4 ,second marriage is a decent sort of adultery4--,athenagoras4 ,it was no part of ,god's primitive design that the race should be continued by sexual union4 ,marriage is the outcome of sin4--,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa 7a married bishop74 ,blessed is the one who leads a celibate life1 and soils not the divine image within him with the filth of concupiscence4 ,fierce is the dragon1 and cunning the asp2 ,but woman has the malice of both4 --,st4 ,gregory of ,nazianzum4 ,why was woman created at all8--,st4 ,augustine4 ,thou art the devil's gate1 the betrayer of the tree1 the first deserter of the divine law6 ,marriage is not far removed from fornication4--,tertullian4 ,she is more fitted for bodily work4444 ,remember that ,god took a rib out of ,adam's body1 not a part of his soul1 to make her4 ,she was not made to the image of ,god1 like man4--,st4 ,ambrose4 ,woman is the root of all evil4--,st4 ,jerome4 ,at the ,council of ,auxerre1 in #egh1 the bishops forbade women1 on account of their impurity1 to take the sacrament in their hands as men did4 ,if women only knew of these sayings1 would they approve of the appeal to the first six centuries8 ,bad as the position of woman was under the influence of the early ,church teaching1 it was1 in many respects1 still worse during the ,middle ,ages4 ,life-long seclusion in the inner apartments of the house of a man she has not chosen1 or internment in a nunnery--that is1 either degraded or unnatural--is the choice 7within limits7 of the daughter of the wealthy4 ,life-long drudgery1 with few and coarse pleasures1 with a long vista of sticks and whips1 and scold's bridles1 and ducking stools--with1 perhaps1 the brutal 'ordeal' on the slightest suspicion1 or the ghastly death of the witch1 is the prospect of the daughter of the poor4 #bed ,even the ,reformation altered more than it improved the condition of woman4 ,how could it be otherwise when the ,reformers were nothing if not ,bibliolaters8 ,of the movement for the betterment of woman's position that eventually took place1 not by the aid1 but in spite1 of the ,church1 ,i have already spoken4 ,all the evidence we possess regarding the history of ,heathendom and ,christendom conclusively shows that ,christianity has done much to lower1 and but little to elevate1 the position of women4 ,should ,i have succeeded in arousing the interest of my gentle readers1 or should they wish to verify my statements1 ,i implore them to read well-known works of competent authorities on this subject4 ,the astounding but apparently prevalent idea1 that woman is only secured by ,christianity from the brutal assaults of man1 will appear in the next argument we are about to consider4 #c4 ,the ,overthrow of ,christianity would ,endanger ,society and the ,nation4 ,i have elsewhere commented on the opinion prevalent in ,england 7and in some other1 but not all other1 ,christian countries7 that1 to quote ,canon ,henson1 the real elements of the ,christian ,faith are those that have made ,european nations the most powerful in the world1 #bee and that the overthrow of ,christianity would endanger the nation4 ,many go still farther1 and prophesy absolute chaos4 ,people who have been imbued with the ,church's teaching1 and who have spent their lives in ,christian surroundings1 are naturally convinced that belief and morality are indissoluble partners--that ,christianity is a power for good in this respect above all others4 ,therefore1 when ,professor ,flint says1 ,it the ,christian ,faith could not be displaced without shaking society from top to bottom1 #bef he expresses a very popular opinion among believers and semi-believers4 ,even among ,agnostics there are many who1 while recognising the fallacy so far as they themselves are concerned1 still seem to consider that society would be insufficiently protected from criminals by its own instinct of self-preservation1 and that1 to maintain order among the masses1 the hand of the law must1 for the present1 be strengthened by appeals to a supernatural sanction of conduct4 ,both ,herbert ,spencer and ,matthew ,arnold1 for example1 thought the world at large stood in peril of a moral collapse1 while1 as the latter puts it1 the old 7theologically-derived7 sanction of conduct is out of date1 and the new is not yet born4 ,few things can happen more disastrous1 writes ,herbert ,spencer1 than the decay and death of a regulative system no longer fit1 before another and fitter regulative system has grown up to replace it 7see ,preface1 dated ,july1 #ahgi1 to ,the ,data of ,ethics74 ,it is for reasons such as these that so many ,agnostics still lend their moral support to the ,churches2 for men rightly uphold what they deem essential to the common weal1 whether it be ,christ-worship in ,england or ancestor-worship in ,japan4 ,this deeply-rooted conviction regarding belief and conduct has been partially considered in the first section of this chapter1 and1 the subject being one of the greatest importance1 ,i am also devoting to its consideration a portion of the concluding chapter of this book4 ,i shall confine myself here to the warning given to us by the ,church and the pious laity--that we must expect nothing less than chaos should the ,resurrection1 and along with it1 of course1 the whole fabric of ,christianity1 be ultimately disproved4 ,this view has been illustrated in ,mr4 ,guy ,thorne's book1 ,when it was ,dark4 ,the book may be seen on every bookstall1 has had an extraordinary sale1 #beg and has been much appreciated by many pious-minded persons 7especially by those of the ,high ,church persuasion1 the book being written by a partisan of that cult74 ,the anti-,christian propagandist is here represented as knowing that ,christ is ,god2 but1 for some unexplained and exceedingly mysterious reason1 utilising a huge fortune and a powerful intellect in unscrupulous endeavours to spread disbelief4 ,he is a deceiver of mankind1 a genuine ,satan in human shape4 ,he leads the life of an ascetic1 so the usual grounds given for disbelief are removed4 ,with the assistance of another man 7a real villain1 this time1 of the lowest type71 one of the greatest savants of the day1 a gigantic fraud is perpetrated1 and the ,resurrection thereby definitely disproved4 ,immediately an epidemic of crime breaks out among quondam ,christians1 which nothing can quell4 ,the restraints of order are paralysed1 and the criminal element is rampant4 ,the violence and viciousness of men were1 please to note1 specially directed against the weaker sex1 who had to keep at home and bar the door4 ,not only ,agnostics1 but any who happened to differ in their views from this champion of ,christianity1 come in for a share of ,mr4 ,thorne's invective4 ,the wonder is how an author of his ability could be capable of penning such an effusion2 and that it can be read and appreciated1 as it undoubtedly has been by many excellent persons of his way of thinking1 only shows how easily bias may cloud the intellect4 ,it requires an effort1 too1 to understand how this book can appeal to one of the chief dignitaries of the ,church2 but there1 conspicuously printed on the cover1 we are treated to an extract from his sermon in praise of the book4 ,i submit that there is not a ,rationalist in the world1 however militant1 who would descend to forgery to promote his cause4 ,he would not hold the pious opinion that the end justifies the means4 ,on the contrary1 the curtain has but now fallen upon a scene where a ,christian ,church ranged herself on the side of forgers while freethinkers like ,zola and ,clmenceau fought the battle of truth4 ,according to ,mr4 ,guy ,thorne and the admirers of his book1 the ,christian races are innately far worse than ,jews1 ,turks1 infidels1 and heretics--far worse1 indeed1 than savages and animals--for they are only held in check from the commission of the vilest excesses by their belief in the ,resurrection4 ,chaos and crime are rife in certain cities in ,russia and ,poland to-day4 ,what is the cause8 ,unbelief8 ,is it not rather the result of the cruel laws and despicable methods of a ,christian government1 aided by ,christian butchers1 calling themselves soldiers1 and by a ,christian hooligan element such as it would be hard to find outside a ,christian city8 ,this chaos occurs1 mind you1 under a powerful ,christian theocratic government2 and the head of the ,holy ,synod1 ,pobiedonostseff1 was1 before his removal1 one of the prime movers4 ,the terrible atrocities of which the unfortunate ,jews have been the victims were undoubtedly connived at by the authorities1 and inhuman crimes have been perpetrated by ,christians that would be impossible in humane ,japan4 ,the policy of keeping the masses steeped in the grossest superstitions of the orthodox ,church is now bearing fruit1 adding to the chaos and bloodshed and hindering the work of reform4 ,it is belief1 not unbelief1 that has played a leading part in creating this chaos1 and in stirring up man's cruellest passions4 ,as to the safety of women 7in the event of the ,resurrection being discredited71 where in civilised ,christendom1 may ,i ask1 could a lady be left for days and nights alone in a tent or open house8 ,she can be1 in the ,indian jungle or in the ,australian bush4 ,for such protection as may there be necessary 7and the open house testifies how little it is required7 she relies upon her heathen servants4 ,almost the only danger in ,india is from religious fanatics1 and in ,australia from ,christian criminals4 ,in what ,christian country would it be safe to have paper windows and walls1 as in ,japan8 ,my wife and ,i slept in strange1 out-of-the-way native hotels in ,japan in perfect security1 though a would-be criminal had only to tear through a thin piece of paper6 ,belief in the ,resurrection is rapidly decaying in ,france to-day4 ,are cases of assault on women any the more prevalent on that account8 ,if belief in the ,resurrection is so essential1 how comes it that we have allied ourselves to a heathen nation1 and made friends with another that is fast giving up this belief8 ,how comes it that in our own ,government two of the most responsible posts are now occupied by declared ,agnostics8 #d4 ,the ,spread of ,christianity a ,proof of its ,truth4 ,what1 then1 asks the ,rev4 ,prebendary ,w4 ,a4 ,whitworth1 #beh was the original gospel of power which overran the world with such astonishing success8 ,the spread of ,christianity is thought by nearly all good ,christians to have been marvellous4 ,was it8 ,that is the question we have next to consider4 ,in the first place1 let us see what we are told on this point by recognised theologians4 ,in his book1 ,the ,bible in the ,church1 we are reminded by the learned ,dr4 ,westcott1 the late ,bishop of ,durham1 that the dispersion of the ,jews exercised a great influence upon the spread of ,christianity4 ,the pagans got the idea of monotheism1 while the ,jews themselves dropped the idea of a 'kingdom' and substituted a 'faith4' ,he also reminds us of the broad unity of the ,roman ,empire1 and of the dispersion of the ,jews being co-extensive with its limits1 and concludes that during the lifetime of ,st4 ,paul every condition was realised for proclaiming the ,gospel to the world4 ,without such preparation1 he says1 the spread of ,christianity would be historically inconceivable1 and it is a remarkable example of ,divine ,providence4 ,here1 then1 we have an admission of purely natural causes1 and1 although the believer may be able to look upon them with reverence1 as ,providential1 he can hardly claim them to be at the same time a witness to the power of the ,gospel4 ,also1 we shall see that there were many other natural causes at work1 and that among them were some which the pious would be the last to connect with a ,divine ,providence4 ,historians find that the rapidity of the spread has been much exaggerated1 and that it was not until the ,emperor ,constantine convened the ,council of ,nica in ,a4,d4 #cbe that the spread commenced to emerge from insignificance4 ,even then the adhesion to the new ,faith was for a long period of a purely nominal character1 the unwilling converts remaining1 to all intents1 pagans after they were baptised4 ,the spread of ,christianity was for a long time confined to cosmopolitan trading towns only1 the villagers remaining pagans--hence the name4 7,mutatis mutandis1 it is the villagers who are now the last to be touched by the spread of paganism47 ,what were the ,providential methods of conversion8 ,the prevailing ignorance and superstition were taken advantage of by the propagators of the ,gospel and frauds freely perpetrated1 while edicts of toleration removed the temporal disadvantages which had hitherto retarded the progress of ,christianity4 #bei ,after the ,emperor ,constantine had been converted1 the cities which signalised a forward zeal1 by the voluntary destruction of their temples1 were distinguished by municipal privileges1 and rewarded with popular donations4 #bfj ,when these measures failed1 ,church and ,state had recourse to persecution1 quite as cruel as1 and on a scale that far exceeded1 the persecution of the early ,christians by the heathen4 ,for instance1 the ,emperor ,theodosius1 at the suggestion of the ecclesiastics who governed his conscience1 promulgated1 in the space of fifteen years 7,a4,d4 #chj-cid71 at least fifteen severe edicts against the heretics1 more especially against those who rejected the doctrine of the ,trinity4 #bfa ,buddhism1 on the contrary1 unlike ,christianity and ,mohammedanism1 was promulgated without persecution or religious wars1 and spread far more rapidly than ,christianity4 ,in his apologetic work1 ,anti-,theistic ,theories1 ,dr4 ,flint refers to ,buddhism thus3 ,the very marvellous system of thought called ,buddhism1 which originated in ,india about #ejj years ,b4,c41 has spread over a greater area of the earth and gained more adherents than even ,christianity1 and by peaceful means--by the power of persuasion--not by the force of arms1 not by persecution4 ,why did the ,emperor ,constantine embrace ,christianity8 ,was it not mainly because he believed that it had a power to wipe away his own heinous crimes8 #bfb ,even his old age was disgraced by the opposite1 yet reconcilable1 vices of rapaciousness and prodigality4 #bfc ,although he acknowledged the ,faith1 he put off his baptism till he was on his death-bed1 in order that he might continue to lead a wicked life as long as possible4 #bfd ,as an instrument for spreading ,god's word he is even worse than that royal adulterer and murderer whom we are asked to look upon as a prototype of ,christ and ,his prime ancestor4 ,on all these matters of history the learned ,bishop ,westcott is silent1 although1 as examples of ,divine ,providence1 they would appear sufficiently remarkable4 ,lest ,gibbon's testimony be deemed untrustworthy on account of his anti-,christian bias1 the following extract from a prize essay in ,christian apologetics may be noted4 ,not only does it bear out some of the historian's statements concerning the causes of the spread of ,christianity1 but it discloses the significant fact that the clergy increased their power and influence by working upon the emotions of wealthy women1 and that 4s4d4 and its female contributors were then1 as now1 a sine qua non4 #bfe--,nine years after the conversion of ,constantine to the ,christian faith he promulgated that great edict which1 more than any other enactment1 may be said to have lain at the foundation of clerical power during the ensuing centuries1 and relieved the ,christian ,church from that restriction under which1 in common with the ,jews1 they had so long laboured--the incapacity of profiting by the testamentary liberality of their wealthy proselytes4 ,to convince us of the abundance in which the stream of wealth flowed into the newly opened channel1 and of the influence obtained by the clergy1 in those days as in the present1 over the piety and pliability of the weaker sex1 more especially at ,rome1 we possess not only the testimony of a ,pagan historian1 #bff but the less suspicious evidence of an edict published by the ,emperor ,valentinian #bfg fifty years after that of ,constantine1 addressed to ,damasus1 ,bishop of that city1 and imposing a limit to the extravagant donations of females4 ,the clergy1 moreover1 might look for an increase of worldly substance not only from the prosperity of their friends1 but from the downfall of their enemies2 for the ,theodosian code contains a series of stringent enactments by the ,emperor ,honorius1 #bfh in terms of which not only the deserted temples of ,paganism1 but even the meeting-houses and possessions of ,donatists1 ,manichan1 and other heretical corporations1 were made over to the ,catholic ,church4 #bfi ,there was yet another1 and possibly the chief1 cause for the ultimate spread of ,christianity4 ,in the chapter on comparative mythology ,i have described and commented upon the various rationalistic theories concerning the origins of ,christian beliefs and ceremonies4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,mithraism spread just as much1 or more1 until ,christianity obtained the necessary political power to suppress it4 ,not only from these anti-,christian theories1 but also from the admissions of apologists concerning them1 it appears that ,christianity gained ground1 not so much because there was something new either in its dogma or in its promise1 but rather because these were so closely paralleled in many pagan cults4 ,let us take1 for example1 the spread of ,christianity in ,egypt4 ,the ,egyptians who embraced ,christianity found that the moral system of the old cult and that of the new religion were so similar1 and the promises of resurrection and immortality in each so alike1 that they transferred their allegiance from ,osiris to ,jesus of ,nazareth without difficulty4 ,moreover1 ,isis and the child ,horus were straightway identified with ,mary the ,virgin and her ,son4 #bgj ,the knowledge of the ancient ,egyptian religion which we now possess fully justifies the assertion that the rapid growth and progress of ,christianity in ,egypt were due mainly to the fact that the new religion1 which was preached there by ,st4 ,mark and his immediate followers1 in all its essentials so closely resembled that which was the outcome of ,osiris1 ,isis1 and ,horus that popular opposition was entirely disarmed4 #bga ,we have1 then1 here one of the main factors in the growth of ,christianity4 ,i cannot find that ,bishop ,westcott recognises this as a part of the preparation in which the hand of ,god can be traced2 but advanced apologists very largely do so now1 and hence the precious theory of progressive revelation4 ,we may now pass on to another very popular argument4 #e4 ,the ,noble ,army of ,martyrs4 ,my allusions to religious persecutions may remind some of my readers of the experiences of the early ,christians1 and of the witness to the truth of ,christianity furnished by the noble army of martyrs2 and they may say3 ,admitting that there be nothing extraordinary in the mere fact of ,christianity's spread1 you must allow that its power over men's minds is little1 if at all1 short of miraculous4 ,men could not have given their lives for a falsehood4 ,this argument will not bear the slightest scrutiny4 ,steadfastness under persecution says much for the sincerity1 and still more for the tenacity1 of the believer1 but very little for the objective truth of that which he believes4 #bgb ,supposing the noble army were a historical fact1 the argument based upon it would be adequately met by pointing to the last ,ghazi who ran amok in the hope of a speedy delivery from a dirty and ugly spouse on earth1 and of reaping the reward of a clean and lovely houri in heaven4 ,but the noble army is not altogether a historical fact4 ,the truth is that martyr-making became an ecclesiastical industry4 ,the historian ,gibbon estimates that at most about two thousand ,christians fell in the ,diocletian persecution--which was the only general persecution--and this estimate is now commonly accepted4 ,since1 says ,gibbon1 it cannot be doubted that the ,christians were more numerous1 and their enemies more exasperated1 in the time of ,diocletian than they had ever been in any former persecution1 this probable and moderate computation may teach us to estimate the number of primitive saints and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the important purpose of introducing ,christianity into the world4 #bgc ,compare these figures with the numbers who have suffered death in modern times for the sake of introducing a non-,christian faith4 ,the ,bab ,abbas ,effendi suffered martyrdom for his zeal in #ahej1 and between that date and now the most conservative opinion on the ,babi martyrdoms puts them at ten thousand4 7,n4,b4--,no hopes of wealth and honours1 no imperial edicts1 have assisted the really remarkable spread of ,babism47 ,as a matter of fact1 a considerable portion of the history of man is a history of his martyrdom4 ,our own prosperity is founded on the agonies of the past4 #bgd ,if religious ladies could spare the time 7from the absorbing occupation of reading the very latest works of fiction or the lives of the grandes amoureuses7 to read ,winwood ,reade's ,martyrdom of ,man1 a book none the less interesting because it treats of historical facts1 they would begin to realise that martyrs are not a ,christian monopoly4 #f4 ,the ,universality of the ,religious ,instinct4 ,,the ,,hypothesis ,,stated4 ,the fact that a large proportion of the human race1 including some of the greatest #bge in thought and action1 continue1 or appear to continue1 to believe in ,god and immortality1 is considered by many to furnish the best proof for the truth of the belief4 ,the ,church naturally encourages this opinion1 and proceeds to strengthen it further by asserting that the religious instinct is1 and always has been1 universal4 ,this assertion must now be examined1 and1 to avoid any misconceptions1 it will be advisable in the first place to have some specimens of it before us4 ,canon ,liddon informs us that man is ever feeling after ,god1 and that the thought of ,god is always latent in the mind of man4 ,cicero's statement that there is no nation so barbarous and wild as not to have believed in some divinity is still1 notwithstanding certain apparent exceptions1 true4 ,a nation of pure ,atheists has yet to be discovered4 #bgf ,dr4 ,flint devotes the seventh of his ,lectures on ,anti-,theistic theories to the discussion of the question1 ,are there tribes of ,atheists8 and he comes to the conclusion that an impartial examination of the relevant facts shows that religion is virtually universal4 #bgg ,the ,bishop of ,london is of opinion that man is a praying animal4 ,he always has prayed throughout his history4 ,it is a human instinct4 ,this instinct of prayer points to the existence of ,god4 #bgh ,dr4 ,warschauer affirms that the spiritual faculty--a consciousness of the existence of spiritual realities1 of a world beyond the senses--constitutes a universal human endowment4 #bgi ,bishop ,diggle bids us remember that human nature is ineradicably religious4 #bhj ,,the ,,rationalist',s ,,contention4 ,the ,rationalist asks3 ,what grounds have we for assuming that the existence of religious belief points to the existence of a religious instinct8 ,is not a man's religion determined by the geographical accident of his birth8 ,has not his religion to be diligently instilled into him from the cradle8 ,how1 then1 can it be said that man is by nature religious8 ,how can it be said that the craving for a deity is instinctive8 ,to this the ,christian apologist may reply that1 however much the precise form of the religious belief may be due to education1 no belief of any kind could be engendered without a predisposition to accept it4 ,have we not seen1 however1 that primitive beliefs were the natural offspring of fear and wonder8 ,inability to account for phenomena1 ignorance of the laws of nature1 and those abnormal psychical experiences concerning which science has but now commenced to furnish natural explanations1 all combined to turn primitive men into staunch supernaturalists4 ,for the same reasons1 children in years as well as children in knowledge have always been predisposed to belief in the supernatural4 ,this predisposition 7it can hardly be called an instinct7 may be universal1 but it does not lead necessarily to belief in a deity4 ,for that there must be education4 ,if it be an instinct1 it is not a religious instinct1 although a soil eminently suitable for the sowing of supernatural dogmas4 ,admitting1 for the sake of argument1 that the origin of religious beliefs and the process by which ancestral beliefs have been assimilated can be left out of consideration--in other words1 that the ethnologist's theories of the evolution of the idea of ,god and the educational factor may be disregarded--the supposition that there is a universal religious instinct must be relinquished if1 as the ,rationalist contends1 religious belief itself is not universal4 ,is such a contention warranted by acknowledged facts8 ,into this we shall now inquire4 ,,the ,,apologist',s ,,views ,,concerning ,,superstition ,,and ,,the ,,religious ,,instinct4 ,at the outset of the inquiry we at once experience a difficulty4 ,it is not at all clear what the apologist includes under the category of religious beliefs4 ,if it be taken as an axiom that the grossest superstition1 the mere belief in the supernatural1 is the germ of a religious belief1 and therefore that all ignorant or superstitious persons have the religious instinct1 then the proposition will be true for practically the whole of mankind in the remote past1 and for a very large proportion in the present4 ,whether it be primeval man who frequently believed only in magic1 usually in devils1 and rarely in divinities1 or whether it be the twentieth-century lady of fashion who wears a white elephant amulet to bring her luck at ,bridge1 both are imbued with the religious instinct4 ,the absurdity of the supposition is fully apparent if we only carry it far enough4 ,it is by no means easy to understand where the apologist draws the line4 ,he may not say so1 but his contention really does seem to point to the absurdity that almost any crude superstition springs from a divine spark4 ,the neo-apologist1 however1 will do well to reflect that the establishment of any connection between superstition and religion only plays into the hands of the ,rationalist1 who maintains that there is certainly the closest connection between the two4 ,i am compelled to enter into these details1 for1 among the facts which ,i am about to bring forward in contradiction of the assertion of universality1 some relate to instances of pure superstitions which might nevertheless be construed into signs of the religious instinct4 ,if the apologist does not go quite so far as this1 my task will be rendered much easier4 ,perhaps1 as ,dr4 ,flint is recognised as one of the most eminent of the ,christian apologists1 the conclusions to which he comes will represent the unspoken opinion of others4 ,he says that1 if savage tribes have some sort of superstitious belief1 it would only be in accord with modern theories regarding the evolution of the idea of ,god4444 ,the presence of false religion is as good evidence of the existence of religion as the presence of true religion4444 ,perhaps1 if we may say that religion is man's belief in a being or beings mightier than himself and inaccessible to his senses1 but not indifferent to his sentiment and actions1 with the feelings and practices which flow from such belief1 we have a definition of the kind required1 one excluding nothing which can be called religion1 and including nothing which is only partially present in religion4 #bha ,this definition would not1 one may presume1 include mere belief in magic1 but might be taken to include a man's belief in devils4 ,as there are many who would not agree that devil-worship and the like can have any connection with god-worship1 ,i shall follow the ethnologist in citing examples of the absence of god-worship as evidence of the absence of the religious instinct2 but ,i shall also give examples in which there is no appearance of worship either of god or devil4 ,these will chiefly be drawn from present-day beliefs and customs1 because now1 if ever1 the contention of the religionist should hold good1 and also because it has been incidentally examined with reference to ancient beliefs in a previous chapter4 ,,beliefs ,,of ,,savage ,,man4 ,among the concluding remarks of ,darwin's ,descent of ,man we read3 ,the belief in ,god has often been advanced as not only the greatest1 but the most complete1 of all the distinctions between man and the lower animals4 ,it is1 however1 impossible1 as we have seen1 to maintain that this belief is innate or instinctive in man4 ,on the other hand1 a belief in all-pervading spiritual agencies seems to be universal1 and apparently follows from a considerable advance in the reasoning powers of man1 and from a still greater advance in his faculties of imagination1 curiosity1 and wonder4 ,i am aware that the assumed instinctive belief in ,god has been used by many persons as an argument for ,his existence2 but this is a rash argument1 as we should thus be compelled to believe in the existence of many cruel and malignant spirits1 possessing only a little more power than man2 for the belief in them is far more general than the belief in a beneficent ,deity4 #bhb ,again1 in ,huxley's essay on ,the ,evolution of ,theology we read3 ,in its simplest condition1 such as may be met with among the ,australian savages1 theology is a mere belief in the existence1 powers1 and disposition 7usually malignant7 of ghost-like entities who may be propitiated or scared away2 but no cult can properly be said to exist4 ,and in this stage theology is wholly independent of ethics4 ,sir ,john ,lubbock1 now ,lord ,avebury1 states the argument against the universality of religion in his ,prehistoric ,times4 ,he asks3 ,how can a people who are unable to count their own fingers possibly raise their minds so far as to admit even the rudiments of religion8 ,and he sums up his observations on various tribes by saying3 ,indeed1 the first idea of ,god is almost always an evil spirit4 #bhc ,the idea that the northern tribes of ,america venerated one supreme and all-powerful 'great spirit1' by whom man and the world were created1 is based on erroneous interpretation2 ,wakanda of the ,dakotas1 and ,manito of the ,algonquins1 in no wise coming under such a designation4 #bhd ,these terms1 writes ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,mc,gee1 cannot justly be rendered into ,spirit1 much less into ,great ,spirit4 #bhe ,their religion1 writes another well-known ethnologist1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,mooney1 is zootheism1 or animal-worship1 with the survival of a still earlier stage1 which included the worship of all tangible objects1 combined with the beginnings of a higher system in which the elements and the great powers of nature are deified4 #bhf ,zootheism1 the religion that has survived1 does not embrace a belief in a ,mightier ,being1 nor does this deterioration in religion suit the theory of a progressive revelation4 ,we may also note that the belief of the ,north ,american in witchcraft has led to terrible slaughter1 human life being sacrificed on an enormous and frightful scale4 ,andrew ,lang 7in the third chapter of his book1 ,magic and ,religion7 instances ,australian tribes1 and says3 ,nobody dreams of propitiating gods or spirits by prayer compare ,bishop ,ingram's statement that man is a praying animal6 while magic is universally practised4 ,there is1 as ,mr4 ,lang observes1 no room for a ,god1 nor for an idea of a future life1 except the life of successive re-incarnations4 ,i do not think1 writes #bhg ,professor ,baldwin ,spencer1 that there is really any direct evidence of any ,australian native belief in a ',supreme ,being' in our sense of the term4 ,similarly among the ,fuegians 7another of the lowest races of mankind7 almost every old man is a magician1 who is supposed to have the power of life and death1 and to be able to control the weather4 ,but the members of the ,french scientific expedition to ,cape ,horn could detect nothing worthy of the name of religion among these savages4 #bhh ,here1 then1 even if we adopt ,dr4 ,flint's broad definition1 we surely have examples of the absence of the religious instinct4 ,there is a fundamental distinction1 and even opposition of principle1 between magic and religion1 as we shall see by a study of the opinions of those best qualified to offer them4 ,,magic ,,and ,,religion4 ,wherever sympathetic magic occurs1 says ,dr4 ,frazer1 in its pure unadulterated form1 it assumes that in nature one event follows another necessarily and invariably without the intervention of any spiritual or personal agency #bhi 7the italics are mine74 ,the magician supplicates no higher power2 he sues the favour of no fickle and wayward being2 he abases himself before no awful deity4 #bij ,i have1 says ,dr4 ,frazer1 #bia come to agree with ,sir ,a4 ,c4 ,lyall and ,mr4 ,f4 ,b4 ,jevons in recognising a fundamental distinction1 and even opposition1 of principle between magic and religion4 ,this opinion must be shared by every unbiassed mind1 and it is curious1 and not without importance1 to observe1 with ,dr4 ,frazer1 that the fundamental conception of sympathetic magic is identical with that of modern science4 #bib ,underlying the whole system is a faith--implicit1 but real and firm--in the order and uniformity of nature4 #bic ,the belief in the efficacy of magic1 it should be remembered1 is exceedingly widespread1 even at the present time4 ,according to ,mr4 ,haddon #bid 7citing ,dr4 ,jevons71 four-fifths of mankind1 probably1 believe in sympathetic magic4 ,dr4 ,frazer1 too1 reminds us that among the ignorant and superstitious classes of modern ,europe it is very much what it was thousands of years ago in ,egypt and ,india1 and what it now is among the lowest savages surviving in the remotest corners of the world4 ,if the test of truth1 exclaims ,dr4 ,frazer1 lay in a show of hands or a counting of heads1 the system of magic might appeal1 with far more reason than the ,catholic ,church1 to the proud motto1 ',quod semper1 quod ubique1 quod ab omnibus1' as the sure and certain credential of its own infallibility4 #bie ,not only is there an opposition of principle between magic and religion1 not only is belief in the former a universal faith1 a truly catholic creed1 but it is now generally recognised by ethnologists that in the evolution of thought1 magic1 as representing a lower intellectual stratum1 has as 'has been plainly suggested1 if not definitely formulated1 by ,professor ,h4 ,oldenberg in his able book1 ,die ,religion des ,veda' probably everywhere preceded religion4 #bif ,the popular notion that the religious instinct is universal is perhaps natural enough1 but it is not borne out by these significant facts and conclusions4 ,indeed1 it would be far more correct to say that an instinct1 the very antithesis of what the ,church would mean by the religious instinct1 was at one time1 and even now is1 well-nigh universal4 ,,religion ,,in ,,modern ,,china4 ,so far we have seen that the opponents of the ,universal theory presume in their argument that devil-worship has no relation to true god-worship1 and we may note that it never even entered the heads of such men as ,darwin and ,lubbock that it would ever be held that these are essentially identical4 ,nor is this peculiar opinion held by clerics who have studied devil-worship on the spot4 ,thus the ,rev4 ,arthur ,h4 ,smith1 ,d4,d41 twenty-two years a missionary in ,china1 describes #big the fear of goblins and devils which figures so largely in ,taoism2 but1 far from suggesting the presence of the religious instinct1 he laments its total absence4 ,among his many pertinent observations ,i commend the following to the serious consideration of those who believe in a universal religious instinct and in a progressive revelation3 ,if the ,chinese ever did recognise the true ,god1 that knowledge has certainly been most effectually lost1 like an inscription on an ancient coin now covered with the accumulated rust of millenniums4 #bih444 ,sir ,thomas ,wade1 whose long familiarity with ,china and the ,chinese might be supposed to entitle him to speak with authority on so plain a question as whether the ,chinese have or have not a religion1 has recently published his opinion as follows3 ',if religion is held to mean more than mere ethics1 ,i deny that the ,chinese have a religion4' #bii ,speaking of ,chinese nature-worship1 ,dr4 ,smith says3 ,no prayer is uttered4444 ,what is it that at such times the people worship8 ,sometimes they affirm that the object of worship is heaven and earth4 ,sometimes they say that it is heaven1 and again they call it 'the old man of the sky4' ,the latter term often leads to an impression that the ,chinese do have a real perception of a personal ,deity4 ,but when it is ascertained that this supposed person is frequently matched by another called 'grandmother earth1' the value of the inference is open to serious question4 #cjj ,as to there being no such thing as an atheistic people1 are we to take no account of the cultured classes8 ,mark the following3 ,the polytheism and pantheism of the lower classes of ,chinese are matched in the upper classes by what appears to be pure atheism4444 ,there never was on this earth a body of educated and cultured men so thoroughly agnostic and atheistic as the mass of ,confucian scholars4 #cja444 ,its absolute indifference to the profoundest spiritual truths in the nature of man is the most melancholy characteristic of the ,chinese mind--its ready acceptance of a body without a soul1 of a soul without a spirit1 of a spirit without life1 of a cosmos without a cause1 a universe without a ,god4 #cjb ,alluding to the mixture of ,confucianism with ,taoism and ,buddhism1 he remarks3 ,any kind of a divinity which seems adapted to exert a favourable influence in any given direction will be patronised1 just as a man who happens to need a new umbrella goes to some shop where they keep such goods for sale4 ,to inquire into the antecedents of the divinity who is thus worshipped no more occurs to a ,chinese than it would occur to an ,englishman who wanted the umbrella to satisfy himself as to the origin of umbrellas1 and when they first came into general use4444 ,the ,chinaman has carried 'intellectual hospitality' to the point of logical suicide1 but he does not know it1 and cannot be made to understand it when he is told4 #cjc ,three questions suggest themselves4 ,if the pious lady who contributes towards mission work in ,china only knew of this1 would she be pleased8 #cjd ,are there not many ,english people strangely like the ,chinese in an umbrella-patronage of ,christianity8 ,finally1 does not the modern apologist 7with his theory of ,progressive ,revelation and his idea that ,christianity has yet much to learn from1 and will be improved by contact with1 the faiths of the ,east7 carry intellectual hospitality to the point of logical suicide8 ,the advice of ,confucius was to reverence the gods as if they existed1 #cje but in any case to keep them at a distance1 and have as little to do with them as possible2 and his advice has been followed4 ,dr4 ,smith tells us that the popular instinct has taken at its true value the uncertainty conveyed in the words as if1 and has embodied them in current sayings which accurately express the state of mind of the mass of the people4 ,thus3-- ,call on the gods as if they came2 ,but1 if you don't1 it's all the same4 ,and again3-- ,worship the gods as if the gods were there2 ,but1 if you worship not1 the gods don't care4 #cjf ,the absence of the instinct of reverence may be judged by the following episode related by ,dr4 ,smith3 ,a ,district ,magistrate tried a case which involved a priest1 and1 by implication1 the ,buddha which was the occupant of the temple4 ,this god was summoned to appear before the magistrate and told to kneel1 which he failed to do1 whereupon the magistrate ordered him to be given five hundred blows1 by which time the god was reduced to a heap of dust1 and judgment was pronounced against him by default4 #cjg 7,of their manner of treating devils ,i had1 not long ago1 a personal experience4 ,standing on the quay at ,shanghai1 ,i was deafened by the bang1 bang1 bang of ear-splitting bombs exploded by a crowd of ,chinamen4 ,however crude their method1 their intentions were excellent4 ,they wished to scare away the devils who might have elected to accompany their friends on the voyage to ,england47 ,finally1 as a commentary on the oft-repeated assertion that the great difference between the sacred books of the ,east and of the ,bible is the low plane of morality in the former1 the following words quoted by ,dr4 ,smith are of considerable interest3 ,no people1 says ,mr4 ,meadows1 whether of ancient or modern times1 has possessed a sacred literature so completely exempt as the ,chinese from licentious descriptions1 and from every offensive expression4 ,there is not a single sentence in the whole of the ,sacred ,books and their annotations that may not be read aloud in any family circle in ,england4 #cjh ,can this be said of our ,bible8 ,,apostates ,,in ,,christendom4 ,if ,i have given the religious attitude of the modern ,chinese the largest share of attention1 it must be remembered that they far outnumber any other nation in the world4 ,also ,i think the fallacies regarding the religious instinct will perhaps stand out more clearly if we consider the present twentieth century1 instead of millenniums ,b4,c4 ,i have said nothing as yet of the apostates in ,christendom--the ,darwins1 the ,huxleys1 and the ,spencers--who declare that they are without the religious instinct4 ,we must consider them ruled out of court1 for are we not told #cji that there are men with faculties of insight amounting to genius in other regions of mental activity who have never developed the spiritual faculty1 and are thus debarred the privileges of spiritual geniuses--geniuses in the region in which man holds communion with ,god8 ,lately much capital has been made out of the following statement appearing in ,darwin's ,autobiography3 ,up to the age of thirty or beyond it1 poetry such as ,milton1 ,byron1 ,wordsworth1 etc41 gave me great delight4 ,but now for many years ,i cannot endure to read a line of poetry4 ,i have lost my taste for pictures and music4 ,my mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts4 ,this loss of certain tastes indicated--so the pulpit would have the pew suppose--that that portion of ,darwin's mind which was competent to understand spiritual things had atrophied4 ,does ,god reveal ,himself1 then1 only or especially to the sthetic8 ,the artist--and here ,i include the poet1 painter1 sculptor1 musician1 artistic novelist1 and also the man who has created nothing1 but who has the artistic temperament--will1 if he has a religion1 have one of a sort harmonising with his artist soul4 ,it must be a religion which allows scope for the cultivation of the beautiful1 without being necessarily too closely associated with a rigid code of ethics4 ,is the sthetic mind always perfectly balanced8 ,how does it compare on an average with that of the moral philosopher guiding his life by the light of reason and living up to the standard of his professions8 ,darwin has assisted in establishing a great truth concerning the development of the world4 ,he has been1 according to the ,christian evolutionist1 the chosen instrument for a fresh revelation of ,god's majesty4 ,yet1 in spiritual endowments1 every pious ,christian1 however ignorant and unintellectual1 ranks before him6 ,strange1 passing strange4 ,the very qualifications necessary for accomplishing ,god's purpose debarred ,darwin from fellowship with ,him6 ,for such an argument to be worth a moment's consideration it should at least apply generally4 ,this it most distinctly does not4 ,preachers1 who find ,darwin's candid remark about himself a convenient one upon which to base a homily1 have neglected to acquaint themselves with the statements of other agnostic scientists--of ,huxley1 for instance4 ,i have yet1 he declared1 to meet with any form of art in which it has not been possible for me to take as acute a pleasure as1 ,i believe1 it is possible for men to take4 #caj ,,religion ,,in ,,modern ,,japan4 ,at the risk of increasing the citation of examples ad nauseam1 ,i cannot omit a passing reference to the ,japanese4 ,i shall reserve for the last chapter my remarks on the phenomenon of their non-theological moral training1 and confine myself to the present condition of their faith as given by a clergyman1 the ,rev4 ,herbert ,moore1 who was for some years a missionary in ,japan4 ,mr4 ,moore tells us3 ,we are all ,shintoists to a certain extent1 for ,shinto is the non-,christian version of the ,communion of ,saints4 ,and we recognise the truth that ,buddhism contains when we read ,ecclesiastes in church4444 ,but these old faiths are fast perishing from the hearts of the ,japanese1 leaving behind them blank godlessness1 indifference1 and materialism4444 ,out of #idb students in ,tokyo who recently gave an account of their religious position1 #eee declared themselves unbelievers in any religion1 #fh were ,christians1 #ah ,shintoists1 and most of the remaining #cai ,buddhists4 #caa ,mr4 ,moore1 in chapter xiv4 of his book1 quotes a summary of the situation by the ,japan ,times1 which all who are interested in the question whether ,japan is likely to adopt ,christianity would do well to read4 ,as bearing on the particular point we are now discussing1 the following may be noted3 ,we cannot believe that it ,christianity will ever succeed in getting a firm hold upon the minds of the educated classes4 ,men of these classes have for centuries lived and died under a system of morality which inculcates virtue for virtue's sake1 and entirely dispenses with supernatural sanctions of any sort4444 ,we cannot agree with those who1 like ,mr4 ,toyama and ,mr4 ,fukuzawa1 recommend it to their countrymen1 while they themselves refuse to believe in it1 except as a collection of useful superstitions4 #cab ,how many ,toyamas and ,fukuzawas are there not in modern ,christendom8 ,,classical ,,history4 ,it matters not where you direct your searchlight1 you cannot fail to discover instance upon instance confuting the pious assertion of a universal religious instinct4 ,take the case of the great ,roman poet and philosopher1 ,lucretius1 whose unique poem1 ,de ,rerum ,natura1 has acquired a new interest in the present day4 ,he set before himself the task of finally crushing that fear of the gods1 and that fear of death resulting from it1 which he regarded as the source of all human ills4 ,he denied the two bases of all religion 7as we understand it7--the doctrines of a supernatural ,governor of the world1 and of a future life4 ,i will not continue to multiply examples4 ,it is surely clear that the religious instinct is not universal4 ,,note ,,on ,,human ,,sentiment ,,as ,,to ,a ,,future ,,life4 ,what is the ,rationalistic explanation of that essence of the religious instinct1 belief in an after life8 ,it may1 ,i think1 be summed up briefly in some such words as these3 ,the conception of non-existence is an effort beyond the power of human intellect4 ,as long as man thinks1 his ego is fully conscious of its existence1 and not able to grasp the idea of non-existence4 ,thus religion is a functional weakness4 #cac ,the instinct of self-preservation does the rest2 it transforms the speculation into an ardent desire4 ,the theory of a continued existence after death is nothing more than a certain manifestation of the impulse for self-preservation1 as the instinct for self-preservation itself is nothing more than the form under which our vital energies1 that have their seat in every cell of our organism1 manifest themselves to our consciousness4 #cad ,is not this a perfectly natural explanation of the craving for immortality8 ,this craving1 as we have seen1 is not universal2 while1 in ,buddhism1 it is assumed that man ought to strive for extinction4 ,even among ,western nations the craving is not so common as it is generally supposed to be1 and as the ,church confidently takes for granted4 ,in support of this conclusion1 ,i should mention that my readers will find a startling confirmation in an article on ,human ,sentiment with regard to a ,future ,life1 which appears in the ,proceedings of the ,society for ,psychical ,research for ,october1 #aijd4 ,the article is written by a well-known psychologist1 ,mr4 ,f4 ,c4 ,s4 ,schiller1 ,fellow and tutor of ,corpus ,christi ,college1 ,oxford1 and author of various well-known works on the mind 7,riddles of the ,sphinx1 #ahia2 ,humanism1 #aijc1 etc474 ,he reviews the results of a laborious inquiry by the ,american branch of the ,s4 ,p4 ,r41 and comes to the conclusion that the returns show a hitherto hardly suspected weakness of the desire for knowledge of a future life1 #cae and that1 amid all the various phenomena of human psychology1 distress due to uncertainty about one's fate after death seems to be one of the rarest4 #caf ,mr4 ,schiller1 the apostle of ,professor ,w4 ,james in this country1 shows that he himself possesses the craving for an after life in no ordinary degree1 and this adds all the more force to his statement that the instinct is in nowise universal4 ,i1 too1 once had a craving so intense that hell itself seemed less awful than total annihilation4 ,to those who have built up high hopes their destruction must come as a terrible shock--a shock eventually relieved by a feeling of resignation to the inevitable4 ,what we1 as anxious parents1 have to ask ourselves is3 ,do we not agree with ,st4 ,paul when he says1 ,if ,christ be not risen1 then is our preaching vain1 and your faith is also vain2 and are we not aware that1 with the advance of knowledge1 the present widespread disbelief in the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ will become more and more general8 ,even now how many disbelieve or preserve an agnosticism regarding the chief dogmas of the ,christian creed8 ,how many are sceptical concerning the continuance of consciousness after death8 ,does either science or common sense support a belief in the survival of personality8 ,are we right1 then1 in permitting our children's minds to be imbued with a sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life8 ,is it a kind act to expose our children to the pain of a rude awakening by instilling hopes that are destined to be ultimately shattered8 ,is it a wise act to allow their morality to be based upon foundations that are doomed to destruction8 ,it is not as if we were forced into telling fairy stories because we shrink from negative teaching4 ,it is not as if there were no natural incentives to right conduct1 no positive teaching possible1 without an admixture of theological speculations4 ,non-theological moral instruction is not only possible1 but is urgently wanted and will be extremely beneficial4 ,this will appear more fully in the following chapter4 ,chapter ,,viii4 ,,conclusion #a4 ,a ,summary4 ,the hostile evidence appears to be overwhelming4 ,christianity cannot be true4 ,provided that we see things as they really are1 and not as we wish them to be1 we cannot but come to this conclusion4 ,let me recall to the reader's mind the more salient points4 ,chapter ,i43 ,the ,situation4--,all over ,christendom a great conflict has commenced between naturalists and supernaturalists4 ,the real attitude of the laity1 and especially of the cultured portion of it1 is far more sceptical than the clergy imagine1 or1 at any rate1 are prepared to admit4 ,they do not realise that agnostics and semi-believers have1 not deliberately perhaps1 but none the less really1 joined in a conspiracy of silence1 either on account of their conviction of the need for ,christianity as a restraint during the prevalence of ignorance1 or on account of their regard for public and private opinion and vested interests1 or last but not least1 on account of sheer indifference4 ,to put it frankly1 the ,churches have for their chief ally nowadays the trinity of ignorance1 insincerity1 and indifference4 ,not only is this alliance one which they ought to be the first to repudiate1 but it cannot be depended upon in the near future4 ,though a mind be built1 as it were1 in water-tight compartments1 a flood of truth that is strong enough will burst them open4 ,christianity and science are not reconciled4 ,the character of the present wave of scepticism differs from that of all others in the history of ,christianity or of mankind1 in that it has the support of modern knowledge4 ,it has all the appearance of a wave that will increase in strength1 and finally destroy all the present faiths of the world4 ,plenty of cheap agnosticism1 of a priori infidelity1 is still to be met with1 and of this1 as ,professor ,huxley once remarked1 a man of the calibre of ,butler1 of the ,analogy1 can easily make short work2 but the scepticism of the modern scientist is of another kind4 ,it arises from a mastery of the laws of ,nature4 ,the ,christian apologies to meet this scepticism are unsatisfactory to the last degree4 ,often they are based on premises the truth of which is open to the gravest doubt1 or they betray ignorance of established facts4 ,they are also conflicting1 so that the arguments of the advanced and the arguments of the conservative are mutually destructive1 the latter frequently bearing out the contentions of the rationalist regarding the former4 ,for these reasons they are totally unconvincing4 ,meanwhile the main issue of the conflict is confused and delayed by various side issues1 which have nothing really to do with the question of ,christianity's truth4 ,there is further delay through the currency of a number of popular fallacies4 ,chapter ,,ii43 ,miracles4--,belief in miracles is necessary if ,christianity be true4 ,the various attempts to explain miracles are evasions1 not solutions of a difficulty1 and are as specious as they are conflicting4 ,few thinkers could bring themselves to agree with ,canon ,mason that miracles are no longer needed because the ,holy ,spirit1 with ,his eternal freshness of life1 does not cramp ,himself by obsolete and antiquated methods of action4 #cag ,the fundamental miracles are not historical facts4 ,the evidence for all miracles is totally inadequate4 ,no miracle has ever occurred4 ,chapter ,,iii43 ,modern ,bible ,criticism4--,all non-,christian and some ,christian theologians accept the conclusions of the ,higher ,criticism in their entirety1 while many learned divines accept much that is destructive of beliefs that have been held for nearly two millenniums4 ,the critics show that the ,bible is not historically true1 and explain that we must turn from external details to the great spiritual truths which underlie them4 ,as observed by the ,dean of ,canterbury1 #cah they only say that they are not historical2 what they mean is that they are not true4 ,the strictly orthodox and the rationalist are at one in agreeing that historic truth is essential to ,christianity2 that ,christianity claims to be built not on ideas1 but on facts2 and that the far-fetched explanations of the advanced school cannot be accepted4 ,the rationalist1 however1 finds himself forced to admit the validity of the destructive criticisms1 and also finds further grounds for unbelief in the silence of historians1 in the manner in which the alleged revelation was transmitted1 and in those sober facts which so completely impugn the divinity of ,jesus4 ,chapter ,,iv43 ,comparative ,mythology4--,the similarity of beliefs1 customs1 and teachings in ancient religions with those in the ,christian religion are as numerous as they are remarkable4 ,these parallels deprive ,christianity of any claim to originality1 and furnish an explanation of its origin which completely destroys our belief in its truth4 ,the theory of a progressive revelation is the outcome of dire necessity1 for the survival of ,christianity depends upon its acceptance4 ,this theory is for many and cogent reasons quite untenable4 ,it is not1 and cannot be1 accepted by the strictly orthodox4 ,the latter endeavour1 therefore1 to disprove the closeness of the parallels1 or1 failing this1 to prove that they are ,christian accretions4 ,enlightened divines1 on the other hand1 acknowledge the parallels1 and rely upon the theory of progressive revelation to explain them4 ,chapter ,v43 ,evolution4--,for the benefit of those who may be ill-informed on the subject1 the theory of evolution is explained1 and convincing proofs of our animal origin are submitted4 ,the theory is generally accepted by the cultured1 though much ignorance and prejudice concerning it still prevail4 ,the evolutionary processes are completely at variance with the ,bible and with our ideas of ,god4 ,the ,churches as a body do not accept evolution willingly1 and are chary in acknowledging its truth in their public utterances4 ,many of their most distinguished members are1 however1 evolutionists1 and these profess that evolution is helpful to belief4 ,their arguments are singularly unconvincing4 ,the doctrine of the ,fall is untenable4 ,chapter ,,vi43 ,theistic ,proofs4--,many1 honestly deeming themselves to be ,christians1 are in reality either deists or non-,christian theists4 ,the recognised arguments for ,theism are the evidences of a ,first ,cause1 of design and directivity1 and of benevolence4 ,not one of these is accepted by more than a very small minority of scientific men4 ,the evidence of design and directivity is more apparent than real1 while1 with regard to benevolence1 it would be easier to demonstrate the very reverse4 ,the evidence from religious experience is another argument1 which has recently been submitted to the cultured1 as a final proof of the existence of the spiritual world4 ,this argument is shown not only to be full of absurdities1 but indirectly to furnish natural explanations for much that has hitherto puzzled mankind1 and led to belief in the supernatural4 ,chapter ,,vii43 ,popular ,arguments4--,finally1 there are certain popular arguments which help to confirm the believer1 and to determine the friendly attitude of the average unbeliever4 ,broadly speaking1 they are all comprised under two main assertions--,christianity's power for good1 and the universality of the religious instinct4 ,so long as we confine ourselves to a shallow and biassed examination1 the flaws in these assumptions will pass unnoticed2 but when we submit them to a closer examination1 with open minds1 we find that they cannot be substantiated by the facts of either ancient or modern history4 ,i may be permitted to add that ,i attach the greatest importance to the object-lesson now presented to us by ,russia and ,japan4 ,not only have we here an excellent illustration of the fallacies concerning the power of ,christianity and the connection between conduct and belief1 but this illustration has been given to the whole world4 ,among the millions who have watched events1 thousands upon thousands must have some inkling of the place that religion holds in the minds of these two peoples1 and1 therefore1 must have found much that will cause them to modify their opinions concerning these popular arguments4 ,i cannot imagine any other conjunction of circumstances which could have resulted in such a broadcast sowing of the seeds of scepticism4 ,the ,main ,conclusion4--,it is customary in ,christian apologetics to palliate the inadequacy of any one particular argument or set of arguments for belief by reminding us that we must take into consideration the combined weight of all the other 7equally inadequate7 arguments4 ,the apologist of unbelief has no need to ask this of his readers4 ,on the contrary1 he is able to point out a number of arguments1 each of which is1 of itself1 fully sufficient to warrant their joining the ranks of the unbelievers4 ,for instance1 he can point to any one of the following as fairly conclusive evidence3--,the dismal failure #cai of ,christianity after nearly two thousand years' trial2 the apparent impossibility of and complete want of evidence for the miracles on which ,christianity is founded2 the destructive criticism of the ,bible1 which cannot be gainsaid2 the intensely grave suspicions thrown upon the originality of ,christianity by the revelations of comparative mythology2 the various dilemmas arising from the accepted doctrine of evolution2 the inadequacy and conflicting character of the so-called ,theistic proofs 7proofs of a personal ,deity72 and1 finally1 the fallacies in arguments hitherto so popular and faith-producing4 ,we cannot get away from facts4 ,modern knowledge forces us to admit that the ,christian ,faith cannot be true4 ,having arrived at this main conclusion1 the unbeliever is at once confronted with many burning questions4 ,i shall endeavour to outline the answers to those that seem the more pressing2 but the subject is a large one1 and cannot be adequately treated in a few short paragraphs4 ,the main difficulty is1 of course1 the morality problem1 and1 if that admits of a favourable solution1 we shall be in a better position to consider the next question3 ,should the unbeliever keep his unbelief to himself1 or should he speak out8 #b4 ,why ,lead a ,moral ,life8 ,,preliminary ,,remarks4 ,let me say at once that if1 after the elimination of all untruths from ,christianity1 we could build a belief in ,god and immortality on the residue1 we should then have a far more powerful incentive to right conduct than anything that ,i am about to urge4 ,i fully admit that to tell the ordinary mortal brought up in the ,christian faith to do right for right's sake will often be futile1 inspiring though the sentiment may be for some few of us4 ,i admit also the fact that morality always tends to the well-being of the individual and the race4 ,it is the one and only sound argument for the working of any ethical purpose in nature1 and1 if we can feel that in leading the moral life we are helping to carry out some high purpose in which we are personally concerned1 such a belief will certainly be of great ethical value4 ,in the following argument1 however1 ,i hope to show that1 even without a religious incentive1 we have all-sufficient reasons for leading the moral life4 ,at present our morality is bound up with a belief which is false1 and which people are beginning to feel and know to be false4 ,therefore it is more than ever necessary that we should learn more of those reasons for morality which do not depend upon this or that belief4 ,,the ,,necessity ,,for ,,morality4 ,the man who does not realise that any such cogent reasons exist will argue3 ,i quite understand that the welfare of society depends upon the moral conduct of its members2 but why should ,i care for the good of society8 ,there are many immoral things which ,i can do without being found out--without any harm coming to me1 directly or indirectly4 ,neither do ,i believe in the familiar adage1 ',follow nature1 and you cannot go wrong4' ,civilisation is continually wrestling with nature2 we go against nature a thousand times a day4 ,why should ,i not follow nature just so far as ,i can get out of my nerves a maximum of pleasure at the expense of a minimum of pain8 ,tell me1 then1 you who do not believe in hell or heaven1 you who think we can live under a system of morality which entirely dispenses with supernatural sanctions1 why should ,i lead a moral life8 ,to this question ,i would reply by another3 ,have you no self-respect1 the commonest and most universal incentive to right conduct1 and one which necessarily includes respect for others8 ,even if your body had health1 would your mind have peace without morality8 ,the essence of happiness is a contented mind4 ,bodily ailments and other misfortunes1 not of your own making1 may often mar your efforts to obtain this desirable frame of mind2 but the nearest approach to it that is possible will be gained by leading the moral life4 ,righteousness contributes usually to success and invariably to happiness1 because it is in harmony with the needs and laws of health and social life4 ,note1 please1 that ,i say contributes4 ,we are not speaking now of circumstances beyond man's control--the calamities and catastrophes1 daily and hourly occurring1 in accordance with nature's inexorable laws1 which would not be affected either way by man's conduct4 ,also1 as there are conditions under which the body may not be affected by immorality discreetly pursued1 it will be better to confine our attention to that which is always affected--the mind4 ,this will be recognised more clearly when we grasp the fact that the true origin of the guide to conduct lies in the instincts inherited from our animal ancestors4 #cbj ,man is a social animal1 and in his relations with his fellow-men his moral instinct is largely a development of the social instinct4 ,to secure the happiness of the individual as well as of the community1 this instinct demands satisfaction4 ,there is nothing which depresses the mind of man or beast more than a thwarted instinct4 ,life1 as ,aristotle has well said1 is energy which each individual exercises on those subjects in which he most delights4 ,man's proper and natural pleasures must consist in the operations by which his work is done and his task accomplished4 ,but various circumstances will often prevent a man or woman from exercising his or her special aptitudes4 ,thus a natural instinct is disappointed1 and complete happiness is out of the question4 ,in the case of the social instinct1 its satisfaction1 so far as possible1 is a supreme necessity1 if there is to be any approach to contentment of mind4 ,to attain it there is only one course open--the moral life4 ,should the individual choose the immoral life1 and should he even succeed in following it without suffering social ostracism1 he will certainly injure not only the happiness of the community1 but also his own chances of such real and permanent happiness as this world might otherwise have afforded him4 ,,uselessness ,,of ,,vague ,,threats4 ,but1 it may be objected1 the average man will not be deterred from wrong-doing by the fear of vague consequences2 he is only concerned to snatch the immediate pleasure 7or what seems to him to be a pleasure71 to satisfy a momentary lust1 to secure the gratification of his senses on the bird-in-the-hand principle4 ,that is all very true1 of course1 and incidentally it accounts for the failure of ,christianity or any other belief that relies for its ethical effect on a system of vague threats and promises4 ,but once get rid of the nebulosity1 and all is changed--so long1 that is1 as the brain is healthy1 and the supremacy of reason acknowledged4 ,emotions of hate1 cupidity1 sensuality1 and the like1 are always liable1 as are all other emotions1 to cloud the reason--to derange the brain temporarily2 how much more so when there is no clear perception of disagreeable consequences8 ,no man in his senses will act with entire disregard of consequences2 it is only when they are not sufficiently clear that they are disregarded4 ,it is absurd to suppose that the ordinary man is such an unthinking animal that he never studies ultimate consequences4 ,the most selfish men and women--and the religious world is not without its fair share of them--think of the morrow4 ,no one more so4 ,it is the exceptional individual of the happy-go-lucky sort1 with no enemy but himself1 on whom it is difficult to impress the need of thinking ahead4 ,,the ,,need ,,for ,,an ,,early ,,education ,,in ,,ethical ,,principles4 ,my contention1 then1 is that a feeling of certainty regarding ultimate consequences is1 above all others1 the most powerful factor in influencing conduct4 ,this certainty will be attained through1 and only through1 the medium of education4 ,knowing this1 it is the duty of parents and teachers to be continually implanting in the minds of the young the objects of right-doing and the consequences of wrong-doing1 wholly apart from questions of belief1 not only because such teaching enshrines a great truth1 but because this truth is liable to be lost sight of in the mists of theological dogmas and metaphysical theories4 ,children1 it is true1 adopt moral principles out of regard for social and parental authority1 and not as the result of reasoned conviction1 so that at first the scientific reasons for right conduct will doubtless be to some extent unappreciated4 ,but1 meanwhile1 a habit of mind will be forming1 and1 as the new teaching will appeal to the common sense of the growing mind1 and not to its credulity1 a reasoned conviction will shortly follow4 ,conduct developed in this manner1 free from theological speculations1 is based on a firm foundation1 which no later experiences in life will be able to upset4 ,it is not nebulous4 ,it is not susceptible of change through an alteration in religious views4 ,it is true4 ,the future generation1 so brought up1 will regard the consequences of immorality with complete certitude1 and will do so without having to extricate themselves1 as the present generation must1 from objectionable habits of thought and conduct engendered by erroneous teaching4 ,,the ,,object-,,lesson ,,furnished ,,by ,,the ,,japanese4 ,this is no abstract theory4 ,we have a concrete and magnificent example before us in a nation whose character is formed entirely by non-theological instruction4 ,i refer1 of course1 to the ,japanese4 ,there are no people more refined1 courteous1 gentle1 amiable1 and innately sthetic than these ,latins of the ,orient2 no people more brave1 hardy1 and self-controlled2 none more cleanly and healthy in body and happy in mind4 ,the ,japanese army1 by its perfection of transport1 commissariat1 and equipment1 its surgical and sanitary work1 its discipline and dash1 its passionate patriotism and its humanity to the conquered1 surpasses the armies of the ,christian nations who send their missionaries to ,japan4 ,with regard to sexual morality1 it must be remembered1 as ,professor ,inazo ,nitobe remarks1 that1 whatever charges may be made against the ,japanese people1 the same charge can be1 and is1 actually made against every country1 ,england not excluded1 by travellers1 since it is usually the worst1 the lax1 side of life to which a foreigner is first introduced4 #cba ,personally1 ,i should say that the charge could be met by pointing to the acknowledged virtues and physical condition of the ,japanese1 and asking1 ,can these be the result of vicious habits8 ,there are certain significant circumstances in connection with the present moral condition in ,japan which we must not omit to take into consideration4 ,untruthfulness1 dishonesty1 and brutal crime1 says ,lafcadio ,hearn1 speaking of ,old ,japan1 were rarer then than now1 as official statistics show2 the percentage of crime having been for some years steadily on the increase--which proves1 among other things1 that the struggle for existence has been intensified4 ,the virtue of ,japanese wives was generally in all ages above suspicion4 #cbb ,if there has been a serious relapse among us1 says another writer1 it has been the result of the shock occasioned by our contact with the new civilisation1 and fortunately not the consequence of the abandoning of a belief in future punishment by an offended ,god4 #cbc 7,what food for thought--falling off in morality attributed to over-population and contact with a ,christian civilisation67 ,how do the ,japanese hope to solve this new problem8 ,by ,christianity8 ,not at all4 ,men are beginning to see1 continues the same writer1 that in the domain of morality the excellent precepts and propositions by which their fathers were guided under the old rgime1 but which have since fallen into disrepute1 are fundamentally correct1 and that1 with slight adaptations in the light of the new civilisation1 the old code of morality will serve their purpose under the altered circumstances of the new era4 ,only the charge of lack of commercial morality has any foundation in fact1 and1 with regard to this1 here is the true explanation1 given1 not by a ,japanese apologist1 but by a ,christian missionary3 ,the ,japanese are often charged1 and with good reason1 with a lack of commercial morality4 ,in days when the military virtues reigned supreme1 the handling of trade was deemed an employment which no gentleman would take up2 hence the commerce of the country is largely in the hands of men who do not represent her best traditions4 ,again1 certain restrictions of mercy were always granted in the undertaking of a contract1 whereas foreigners naturally regard a contract as binding unconditionally4 ,but1 in both respects1 methods of trade are improving1 and in the excellent commercial schools it is taught that ',honesty is the best policy4' ,among members of the humblest ranks of life the most striking instances of honesty will be met with2 a jinrikisha man will run after you with the parcel you have forgotten1 a shopkeeper will walk to your house to bring you a few cents he accidentally overcharged you4 #cbd ,as to their purely secular education and the severance of belief from conduct1 ,baron ,suyematsu remarks that1 to the outsiders who have not grown up in an atmosphere of this kind1 it may appear somewhat difficult to comprehend how boys and girls could be thoroughly imbued with moral sentiments without connecting them in some way with religion2 but when these are taught with thoroughness1 basing their systematic exposition on the duties of human beings towards one another and to the ,state1 and on the noble tradition of their the children's own community and the characteristic virtues of their forefathers in which they ought to rejoice1 and when appeals are made to the honour and pride which one should feel and value1 and1 above all1 to the conscience of individuals1 one's thoughts appear to become imbued with the lessons conveyed1 and moral notions thus taught seem to become1 per se1 a kind of undefined1 but nevertheless potent and serviceable1 religion4 #cbe ,again1 ,baron ,suyematsu tells us elsewhere that the educated classes consider that he who does what is good for good's sake1 and not for a fear of anything exterior1 is the most courageous man1 and to be courageous is the most important feature of ,bushido4 ,the probability is that1 were a ,japanese gentleman a devout adherent of any particular form of religion1 he would rather conceal it than make a display of it4 #cbf ,the words of other than ,japanese writers may not be without some interest4 ,a ,christian friend of mine1 once an ,english professor in a ,japanese college1 wrote to me lately3 ,i must admit that the ,japanese do seem to have attained without ,christianity a higher status than most ,christian nations4 ,indeed1 they appear to attain personal and national excellence without religion at all4 ,again1 another ,englishman1 who has spent a lifetime and occupies a high position in ,japan1 remarks 7in the course of a letter replying to my queries73 ,there is not the remotest chance of ,christianity becoming the religion of the ,state4 ,for the last two centuries and a half the educated class have adopted the ,agnostic ethical system of ,confucius1 which1 once understood and embraced1 can never be dislodged by the ,christian or any other variety of theologian4 ,yet ,dr4 ,boyd ,carpenter1 ,bishop of ,ripon1 closes his book1 ,the ,witness of the ,influence of ,christ1 with the familiar assertion of the inseparability of religion and ethics4 ,it is an assertion which1 now more than ever1 the ,churches are reiterating4 ,why8 ,is it not because they find that many are beginning to doubt its truth8 ,i fear reiteration will not make it any truer4 ,only facts will appeal to the man who looks below the surface1 and these all tend the other way4 ,in the ,hibbert ,journal for ,october1 #aije1 there is an article contributed by the editor which deserves the earnest attention of all thoughtful men4 ,it is entitled ,moral ,supremacy of ,christendom4 ,the following quotations from it will suffice to show the far-reaching importance of the questions it raises3 ,christendom1 as a whole1 long accustomed to treat all pagan races as morally inferior to herself1 now stands confronted by a non-,christian civilisation1 of vast power and splendid promise1 whose claim to moral equality1 at least1 cannot be disregarded1 except by those who are morally blind4444 ,the hold of ,christianity upon the peoples of the ,western world is rooted in the conviction that this is the religion which produces the best men4 ,to a greater degree than is commonly recognised1 each ,church or sect of ,christendom thus derives its confidence from the final court of ethical appeal4 ,whatever ground be alleged for a given doctrine1 whether of ,scripture1 authority1 or reason1 the argument would instantly lose its force if it were to appear that the ethical result of denying the doctrine was superior to that which followed its acceptance4 ,,criminality4 ,to return to the arguments of rational morality4 ,a man may say3 ,i don't care a bit about this social instinct you tell me of2 ,i don't know that ,i possess it4 ,it is no use your prating to me about my happiness of mind1 and the necessity of my being in harmony with my surroundings4 ,i prefer to gratify the instinct--the passion--that ,i do feel1 regardless of the consequences to others4 ,of course1 ,i shouldn't like everybody else to do the same4 ,that is the beauty of my scheme1 and ,i am not going to miss my opportunity in the short space of existence you tell me is all that lies before me4 ,if it pleases me to make a beast of myself1 ,i shall do so4 ,all ,i can say is that a man who really means that this is what he would do1 if not deterred by belief1 is an unfortunate1 with criminal tendencies--is1 in fact1 of unsound mind4 ,his reasoning1 too1 is unsound4 ,he must expect others to follow his example1 as his argument is that the whole world would become immoral and lawless without belief4 ,he would suffer1 therefore1 with the rest1 and then would be the first1 if sane1 to co-operate with his fellow-sufferers in putting down lawlessness4 ,the most savage tribe looks after its own interests according to its lights4 ,a man who disregards the interest of all but himself becomes an ,ishmael1 an outlaw1 a criminal2 and1 in the approaching ,rationalistic age1 he will be specially taken care of1 and treated as any other insane person4 ,what are the causes of criminality8 ,the ,devil--man's sinful nature--the ,religionist will reply4 ,what does ,science reply8 ,dr4 ,mc,ewen1 of ,glasgow1 relates in the ,lancet how a labourer1 after falling on his head from a scaffolding1 developed immoral tendencies4 ,a tumour had formed on his brain4 ,this was successfully removed by trepanning1 and the immoral tendencies disappeared4 ,again1 ,dr4 ,lydston tells us that ,flesch examined the brains of fifty criminals1 and found imperfections in all4 ,vice and crime1 says ,dr4 ,lydston1 will one day be shown more definitely than ever to be a matter to be dealt with by medical science rather than by law4 #cbg ,when brain defects 7whether inherited or caused by environment7 affecting the moral faculties1 are universally recognised as the real source of criminal tendencies2 when disease of the brain is no longer regarded as a disease of the soul--then1 and not till then1 will criminality materially diminish4 ,science will triumphantly succeed where ,religion has dismally failed4 ,the sooner1 therefore1 criminality is looked upon as a disease of the brain1 and dealt with accordingly1 the better it will be for the human race4 ,a day will surely come when1 as ,mr4 ,wells predicts1 #cbh crime and bad lives will be the measure of a ,state's failure4 ,the modern ,theist now admits that it is ,god's pleasure to employ law1 and not the suspension of law1 to work out ,his purposes4 ,why1 then1 whether we are ,theists or ,agnostics1 should we not study and apply those laws for our moral improvement8 ,even now we are doing so4 ,rationalism has taught us that prevention is better than cure1 and its great ally1 ,science1 is helping both in the prevention and the cure4 ,but the process will be considerably accelerated when our energies and our fortunes are spent altogether in this direction1 instead of being frittered away in futile attempts to obtain the same results by spiritual methods4 ,,our ,,aids4 ,again the supernaturalist may say3 ,i grant you1 for the sake of argument1 that1 setting aside the ills of 'outrageous fortune1' the secret of happiness lies in obeying the social instinct2 but human nature is weak1 and requires assistance4 ,how do you propose to replace the aid derived from belief8 ,i am not a ,japanese4 ,i am not an ,oriental1 with an extraordinary power of self-abnegation for the sake of an idea4 ,i am a phlegmatic ,englishman1 and ,i am not at all sure that1 even if ,i had had this ,bushido instilled into me1 my character would have been any stronger than it is now after a ,christian education4 ,here let me again repeat that ,i do not for one moment contend that1 if ,christianity were true as now interpreted by liberal theology1 or1 again1 if ,theism1 with its assurance of a benevolent ,god1 were true1 that1 as ,neo-,christians or ,theists1 we should not find belief helpful in our efforts to lead a moral and therefore innocently happy life2 but an agnosticism regarding all supernatural beliefs appears to be the only possible attitude for an enlightened world1 and it is this situation that we have now to face4 ,is there anything1 then1 that can in any way take the place of the ethical assistance #cbi afforded by belief in ,god and an after-life8 ,the answer of ,rationalism has already been indicated--it is to the force of environment 7in its broadest sense7 that we must look in our struggle with hereditary weaknesses4 ,we cannot get rid of our inherited qualities2 but we can modify them by changing our environment4 ,if our early education1 our early environment1 has been neglected1 we still have it in our power to remedy1 or partly remedy1 this unfortunate circumstance by our choice of present environment4 ,the hard case is that of a man so situated that to change his evil environment seems well-nigh impossible4 ,therefore it is that the reduction of pernicious environments is of paramount importance to the race1 and this truth the rationalistic spirit of the age is now forcing to the front4 ,also1 if the individual takes no interest in posterity1 and refuses to study the question of heredity1 the day will come when the law of the land will see to it that the sins or diseases of the fathers shall not be visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generation4 ,it is the quality1 not the quantity1 of our children that we have to keep to the forefront4 #ccj ,the methods will be simple1 if somewhat drastic2 but the need to apply them will continue to lessen in proportion as the laws of heredity and environment are better kept in view4 ,over the past1 represented by our own heredity1 we have no control4 ,we cannot change the facts which have made the degenerate1 the neurotic1 the hysterical1 and the criminal2 but these are only names for human beings who1 by a certain train of causation1 have had certain impulses developed and others left fallow or suppressed4 ,a different train of causation will awaken the capabilities to hold these impulses in due check4 ,this future1 now represented by the environment1 is greatly within our power4 ,heredity being but the transmitted effects of past environments1 we have to make a suitable environment for growing organisms if we wish to mould them to our ideals2 and this is the meaning of education4 #cca ,,the ,,importance ,,of ,a ,,knowledge ,,of ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,morality4 ,finally1 it is very necessary that the origin of morality 7as indicated by ,spencer in his ,data of ,ethics1 by ,darwin in his ,descent of ,man1 by ,prince ,kropotkin in his ,mutual ,aid3 ,a ,factor of ,evolution1 and by ,dr4 ,c4 ,w4 ,saleeby in his ,evolution3 ,the ,master-,key7 should be better understood4 ,hitherto the question of morality has been dealt with on wrong lines1 #ccb and this applies to the teaching not only of ,christian but also of non-,christian religionists4 ,it applies to the works of those speculative philosophers who have denied the empirical origin of man's moral feeling1 and who have had recourse to subtle and unconvincing theories in order to assign a supernatural origin to the moral senses4 ,these thinkers1 in attempting to explain the distinction of man1 the why of existence1 and the aim of nature1 set themselves the hopeless task of explaining a process which entails untold suffering upon sentient beings1 and in which the modern ,rationalist is unable to discover any ethical principle whatsoever4 ,too much prominence cannot be given to the later conclusions of modern thought so eloquently set forth by ,prince ,kropotkin4 ,much as ,i appreciate all ,mr4 ,s4 ,laing's writings1 and especially1 perhaps1 the chapter on ,practical ,life with which he closes his admirable work1 ,modern ,science and ,modern ,thought1 ,i cannot agree with him when he says 7p4 #aac of the ,r4 ,p4 ,a4 ,cheap ,reprint73 ,for practical purposes it is comparatively unimportant how this the moral standard got there4 ,it is1 in my humble opinion1 very important1 for the reasons that are clearly demonstrated by ,prince ,kropotkin and other modern ethicists4 ,so soon as the ,darwinian theory of the origin of morals is fully accepted1 great strides in the development of an improved morality will surely follow4 ,in fine1 science1 far from destroying the foundations of ethics1 as it is so often accused of doing1 gives to evolutionist ethics a philosophical certitude where the transcendental thinker had only a vague intuition to rely upon4 #ccc ,,opinions ,,of ,,ethicists4 ,let me now quote some instructive utterances by ,rationalists #ccd3-- ,the foundation of morality is to have done1 once and for all1 with lying2 to give up pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence1 and repeating unintelligible propositions about things beyond the possibilities of knowledge4 ,she ,science knows that the safety of morality lies neither in the adoption of this or that philosophical speculation1 nor this or that theological creed1 but in a real and living belief in that fixed order of nature which sends social disorganisation upon the track of immorality1 as surely as it sends physical disease after physical trespasses4 ,and of that firm and lively faith it is her mission to be priestess4 #cce ,theological apologists1 who insist that morality will vanish if their dogmas are exploded1 would do well to consider the fact that1 in the matter of intellectual veracity1 science is already a long way ahead of the ,churches2 and that1 in this particular1 it is exerting an educational influence on mankind of which the ,churches have shown themselves utterly incapable4 #ccf--;,huxley4 ,a moral life is that form of existence which is based upon obedience to natural and social law4444 ,by long transmission and inheritance of mental and physical qualities a certain moral sense1 so to say1 has been developed1 now called 'conscience1' which suggests acts often amounting to self-sacrifice1 and condemns and represses others1 pleasant and even profitable to the individual1 because detrimental to the race4 ,altruism and ,utilitarianism have come to be so insensibly blended that it is difficult to detect where the one ends and the other begins4444 ,we have attained a natural and instinctive preference for what is good and noble in conduct1 irrespective of self-interest1 just as we have risen to an instinctive appreciation of fine music and delicate perfume4444 ,the moral life is derived from the universal experience of mankind1 approved by the wisdom of the wise1 and justified by the fate of the foolish4 #ccg ,we needs must love the noblest when we see it4--,the ,author of ,supernatural ,religion4 ,the ,supernaturalists charge the system of the ,rationalists with a lack of any effective motive that can constrain ordinary and average men to live a moral life4 ',it is all very well1' they say1 'for your ,spinozas1 your ,stuart ,mills1 and such like1 to affect independence of supernatural sanctions1 because they are exceptional men1 and have powers of discernment and will1 by which they appropriate to themselves the moral doctrine and practice of ,christianity1 while they refuse to acknowledge their debt4'444 ,i daresay ,i might1 with some success1 retort the argument of ,supernaturalism4 ',it is all very well1' ,i might say1 'for your apostles and saints1 for your ,augustines and ,luthers and ,bunyans1 to depend on supernatural sanctions1 because they are exceptional men1 and have powers of imagination which turn shadows into substance4'444 ,there is such a thing as self-respect2 no man likes to feel ashamed of himself4 ,there are very few who are not strongly moved by a desire to see wife and children or parents happy4 ,such influences as these have far more to do with moulding human life and resisting selfish passion than any fear of hell or desire of heaven1 or any philosophical principles4 ,and such influences as these will survive even when open denial of supernatural sanction becomes as general as tacit disbelief is now4 #cch--;,j4 ,allanson ,picton4 ,for the mass of mankind two motives serve to direct the main course of ethics4 ,these are ,prudence and ,sympathy4444 ,prudence is the first step in morality4444 ,sympathy did not wait to be called into life by religion4 ,it was born among the brutes4444 ,in the case of man the sympathy which issues first through the natural emotions of family and sex is spread over an ever-widening area by the power of imagination4 ,a greater faculty of entering into the feelings of others goes along with a deeper sensitiveness to their pains and joys4 ,their experience becomes ours4 ,our self is blended with theirs4 ,we pity their actual sufferings1 and1 calling up in imagination the suffering our conduct might entail1 we shrink from committing a wrong4444 ,pity is the characteristic mark of the later ethics4 #cci--;,f4 ,j4 ,gould4 ,one can say without exaggeration that the most religious times and the most religious peoples1 or those in which or among whom the power of the ,church has been the strongest1 have1 generally speaking1 been the most immoral4 ,one has evidence enough in the horrors of the ,middle ,ages1 and1 if to-day it be otherwise1 it is not to religion we owe the change1 but to the spread of education and the progress of intelligence4444 ,it is one of the fatalest and most widespread of errors that morality without religion is impossible4 ,it has long been scientifically acknowledged that morality1 as such1 is far older than religion4444 ,morality comes only as the consequence and result of the inevitable necessities of social intercourse4 #cdj--,ludwig ,bchner4 ,the religion of the lower orders of ,welshmen may be said to be high in the scale1 while their morality is decidedly low4444 ,what savage nations have been raised out of their degradation by ,christianity8444 ,i look upon the doctrine of future rewards and punishments as radically bad1 and as bad for savages as for civilised men4--,alfred ,russel ,wallace4 #cda ,heaven and hell have no more relation to the question than any other punishments4 ,the hell which a thoroughly bad man dreads can only be a hell of physical suffering2 and1 if he abstains from crime through fear of fire1 he is not a good man1 but a bad man in chains4 #cdb--,leslie ,stephen4 ,where is the seat of authority for what is moral8 ,this is a very old question4 ,manu1 the ,indian law-giver1 answers it in four ways3 ,it rests on revelation 7scuti72 it rests on tradition 7smriti72 it rests on the behaviour of good people2 and1 lastly1 it rests on inward satisfaction4 ,i believe that1 in the end1 the last is the supreme authority4 #cdc--;,f4 ,max ,mller4 ,whatever power the threats of punishment and the promises of reward in an after-life may have had in lawless and superstitious ages1 they have now but the smallest effect on conduct2 their remoteness exhausts their power1 and1 moreover1 the belief in them is slowly decaying4444 ,all the law and commandments are in the ,golden ,rule2 all ethics in the teaching that1 if man be true to himself1 he cannot be false to his fellows4 #cdd--;,edward ,clodd4 ,the first step towards the elaboration of a morality which should exercise a lasting influence is to base it upon an ascertained truth4444 ,the function of ethics is not so much even to insist upon the defects of man1 and to reproach him with his 'sins1' as to act in the positive direction by appealing to man's best instincts4444 ,it tells to man that1 if he desires to live a life in which all forces--physical1 intellectual1 and emotional--should find a full exercise1 he must1 once and for all1 abandon the idea that such a life is attainable on the path of disregard for others4444 ,what is wanted now is a new comprehension of morality in its methods1 which must be freed from both the transcendental survivals and the narrow conceptions of ,philistine utilitarianism4 ,the importance of mutual aid in the evolution of the animal world and human history may be taken as a positive established scientific truth4444 ,mutual aid1 justice1 morality1 are thus the consecutive steps of an ascending series1 revealed to us by the study of the animal world and man4 ,it is not something imposed from the outside3 it is an organic necessity which carries in itself its own justification4 #cde--,prince ,kropotkin4 ,we do not see any convincing reason why morals should be based upon the teaching of a special denomination1 in face of the fact that we can be upright and brave without the help of a creed with a ,god or deities at its other end4 #cdf--,professor ,okakura4 ,i regard religion itself as quite unnecessary for a nation's life2 science is far above superstition2 and what is religion1 ,buddhism or ,christianity1 but superstition1 and therefore a possible source of weakness to a nation8 ,i do not regret the tendency to freethought and atheism1 which is almost universal in ,japan1 because ,i do not regard it as a source of danger to the community4 #cdg--,marquis ,ito4 ,cardinal ,newman once said3 ',give me the children of ,england1 and ,england shall be ,roman ,catholic4' ,we say3 ',put the children of ,england under the best moral influences1 and ,england shall be righteous4' #cdh--,the ,moral ,instruction ,league4 ,,note ,,on ,,systematic ,,moral ,,instruction4 ,a ,memorial was lately addressed to the ,local ,education ,authorities of the country4 ,among the signatories are ,lord ,rosebery1 ,lord ,roberts1 ,lord ,wolseley1 ,lord ,kelvin1 the ,archbishops of ,canterbury and ,york1 a number of bishops1 ,general ,booth1 ,dr4 ,horton1 ,dr4 ,campbell1 the ,vice-,chancellors of the ,universities of ,oxford and ,cambridge1 etc4 ,they recommend that the eight or ten years of school life should provide the opportunity1 not only for imparting knowledge1 but for inculcating those habits of self-restraint1 conscientiousness1 fidelity1 honour1 and kindness which are needful alike for individual self-respect and national well-being4 7,the ,code of ,regulations for ,public ,elementary ,schools #aijf has since appeared4 ,it states emphatically3 ,moral ,instruction should form an important part of every elementary school curriculum47 ,sir ,oliver ,lodge has urged the same thing in the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,at last1 then1 it has been influentially recognised that these things are not taught in schools1 or1 if so1 are taught in an indifferent and unsystematic manner4 ,what a reflection upon ,christian methods of upbringing hitherto6 ,unfortunately1 coupled with this desire for effective moral training1 the signatories of the ,memorial express a hope that ,bible teaching will be continued4 ,i say unfortunately1 because the ethical value of the ,bible is inextricably intertwined with supernatural beliefs that are demonstrably false4 ,any temporary success of such teaching1 while the children are still uninformed of the real nature of the ,bible1 will be heavily discounted in after years--at a time1 too1 when assistance from the ethical teaching of childhood will be most needed4 ,it is an unfortunate circumstance that the ,church must necessarily be fearful regarding the separation of belief and morality--must set her face against non-theological moral instruction4 ,it is no use disguising the fact4 ,her fears are perfectly well founded--such teaching would tend to the further spread of unbelief4 ,on the other hand1 it is equally clear that1 if any temporary harm comes of this spread--a spread which1 in any case1 cannot be stopped1 though it can be delayed--it will be because our children have been taught that religious belief is the chief1 if not the only1 sanction for the moral life4 ,the ,church1 in fact1 will be directly responsible for the evil4 ,is it not time1 then1 for all thoughtful men and women to be up and doing8 ,is it not time the truth should be told8 ,in the following sections we shall see that this course is advisable on every ground4 #c4 ,should the ,truth be ,told8 ,wise and prudent conduct demands before all things that we should see the facts as they are2 and those are not least among ,england's helpers who1 regardless of consequences1 in all ages have taught her children1 by using their reason1 to distinguish what is false from what is true4 #cdi ,presuming that we have come to the conclusion that ,christianity is not true1 are we to say so1 or are we to be silent8 ,a believer1 with ideas so advanced that his belief amounts to little more than a reverent agnosticism concerning the fundamental dogmas of ,christianity1 is still able to speak out1 because while he destroys he also constructs4 ,he has new interpretations of ,christianity to offer us4 ,the unbeliever can offer no such interpretations4 ,he simply believes ,christianity to be untrue1 and1 should he give his reasons1 he knows he may persuade others to think so also4 ,he must1 therefore1 it seems1 keep his unbelief to himself1 unless he is prepared to show that the destruction of belief will be beneficial4 ,in considering this question of frank avowal of our unbelief1 we must not forget that1 try as we may to avoid it1 we are bound from time to time to find ourselves in a position where we have to choose between telling the truth or telling a lie2 while our silence1 or any manoeuvre with intent to deceive1 is one continual evasion of the truth4 ,is it not time1 as ,john ,morley urges1 #cej to abandon those habits of hypocritical conformity and compliance which have filled the air of the ,england of to-day with gross and obscure mists8 ,in moral life truth is our guide1 so that the arguments for its repression must be irrefutable4 ,now1 if it can be shown that the objections to candour are more imaginary than real1 not only are we robbed of the excuse for further concealment1 but we are morally bound to fly our true colours openly4 ,nor is this all4 ,should it become plain to us that actual good will come of truth-telling1 or that the probable good far outweighs the possible evil1 it behoves us to take an active part in1 or at least to lend our support to1 the spread of truth4 7a7 ,,magna ,,est ,,veritas ,,et ,,pr,,valebit4 ,one very natural objection of unbelievers1 who are not actually disbelievers1 is that there may be1 after all1 some truth in ,christianity4 ,we find here every shade of opinion1 from that of the man who still hopes that ,christianity may be proved true in all essentials1 to that of the man who thinks that ,christianity may be the symbol of a truth4 ,but1 ,i ask1 ,will not ,christianity1 if true in any shape or form1 benefit by truth-telling8 ,will it not thereby assume its true form1 whatever that may eventually prove to be1 and is not that a consummation to be desired8 ,many believers stoutly maintain that ,christianity can be only strengthened by attack2 so that1 on the face of this assertion1 it would appear both justifiable and desirable to take them at their word1 and1 without more ado1 proceed to attack ,christianity4 ,certain it is that1 so far1 ,rationalistic attacks have done inestimable good in disclosing its errors in doctrine and practice4 ,as ,mr4 ,morley caustically remarks1 the efforts of the heterodox have taught the ,church to be better ,christians than they were a hundred years ago4 ,if ,christianity1 purified in the cleansing fire of modern criticism1 be the true faith1 and the theory of progressive revelation can be accepted1 are not this truer faith and this peculiarly rapid progress of revelation during late years the product of scepticism8 ,it is the sceptics who have succeeded in forcing the ,church to reconsider her doctrines and discover new truths1 and1 wonderful as it may appear1 they have thus been ,god's special instruments in this more perfect revelation of ,himself4 ,why1 then1 should you hesitate to speak out8 ,christianity evidently has to be re-stated if it is to survive1 and this re-statement must be complete1 for on it rests the only chance of reclaiming the unbeliever1 of arresting the further spread of infidelity1 and of converting the cultured heathen--the only chance of a universal belief in ,god and ,immortality4 ,of the result you have no cause for fear4 ,if there be a ,god1 ,he is a ,god of ,truth1 and the ,truth will prevail4 7b7 ,,obscurantism ,,has ,,had ,,its ,,day4 ,the ,rev4 ,v4 ,f4 ,storr1 at the ,liverpool ,church ,congress 7#aijd71 advocated telling the truth regarding established facts1 and asked3 ,in how many pulpits are the opening chapters of ,genesis frankly treated as legendary8 ,how many teachers in schools1 if called upon to give a lesson on the ,fall1 would make plain to the children that the framework of the story is imaginative8 ,are not the teachers creating for them the very difficulties which1 when they come to mature years1 will make shipwreck of their faith8 ,these remarks were received in dead silence by the audience1 and the ,president was vociferously cheered when he asked3 ,are we to tell the children that these narratives are mere fables1 with a moral teaching1 or1 as ,dr4 ,wace says1 that they are true and historical1 only clothed in an ,eastern symbolism8 ,i prefer to stand with ,dr4 ,wace4 ,on the other hand1 ,dean ,farrar advocated a diametrically opposite course4 ,we must1 he said1 #cea vaccinate them the children with criticism to save them from the small-pox of scepticism4 ,his successor at ,canterbury has1 it would appear1 a conscientious objection to this vaccination2 and well he may1 for it would be far more likely to promote the disease than to bestow immunity from it4 ,i should mention that ,dr4 ,wace also said1 at the same ,church ,congress3 ,if ,i were on ,mr4 ,blatchford's side1 and wanted to attack ,christianity1 ,i should desire nothing better than that the results of criticism concerning ,genesis1 as these results predominate even in the most sober critical circles1 should be adopted by the ,christian ,church1 because this would afford a means of attacking ,christianity with greater force than anything else1 since it would enable me to start with this vantage-ground1 that all the ,jews and all the apostles--,i dare not speak of our ,lord--were mistaken in their view of ,god's relation to ,his own people4 ,obscurantism is therefore recommended because the purpose is a pious one--namely1 to confute the unbeliever and to maintain the ,faith4 ,the anti-,christian must be deprived of his vantage-ground by the denial of truth4 ,it is the old1 old story of pious fraud1 the mainstay of the ,christian ,faith4 ,we are to imitate 7though in a lesser degree7 the practices of the ,latin and ,greek ,churches1 and continue to play upon people's credulity and ignorance4 ,we are to understand that pious frauds are still considered legitimate weapons to employ in the defence of ,christianity4 ,surely such weapons should be allowed to fall into disuse for the simple reason--if on no higher grounds--that the spread of education is rendering them obsolete4 ,the days of obscurantism are numbered4 ,many a man in the workshop to-day knows more about the ,bible and ,church history than many a monk and bishop a few generations ago4 #ceb ,the ,church of ,england cannot shut herself in behind walls of tottering traditions4 #cec ,christian ,fathers can no longer publish their own writings in the names of disciples and apostles in order to insure their acceptance4 ,evidence against the truth of ,christianity can no longer be destroyed or suppressed by persecution4 ,miracles can no longer be worked1 except where people are still grossly credulous or ignorant4 ,true it is that passages of the ,bible can still be read in church which every educated man knows to be 7to use a mild term7 unhistorical1 and which1 to console his conscience1 he calls allegorical4 ,true1 in our churches1 with but few exceptions1 the white lie of silence is daily told4 ,but even mild pious frauds of this nature will soon be a thing of the past4 ,the ,higher ,critics and the advanced school of the ,church will see to it4 ,they are beginning to speak out--why should not you8 ,the obscurantist would do well to take to heart the answer of ,bishop ,colenso to the clergyman who reproached him with depraving one of his parishioners by criticisms of the ,pentateuch4 ,the blame1 he replied1 would be more fittingly attached to the teachers who lead people to rest their faith in ,god and duty on a foundation of falsehood which every new wave of thought is sweeping away4 #ced ,shall we1 to give a glaring instance of pious obstruction1 revert to the time--not many years ago--when the use of ansthetics in surgery was denounced from the pulpit1 on the ground of impiety8 ,i think not4 ,nowadays one can hardly keep one's countenance in recalling the words of those who seriously1 and1 as they thought1 piously1 said that they would rather suffer any pain than enter the presence of their ,maker in a state of intoxication4 ,we no longer listen to those who would forbid us either to taste the fruit of the ,tree of ,knowledge or to give it to others4 ,obscurantism1 dogma's best friend1 is breathing its last4 ,it can therefore no longer be depended upon4 7c7 ,,the ,,effect ,,on ,,morality4 ,anxiety with regard to the effect on morality1 private and public1 chiefly accounts1 no doubt1 for the present conspiracy of silence4 ,i have already gone into this question in some detail1 #cee and we have seen that belief and morality are not necessarily ,siamese twins1 and that1 when the belief is false1 and still more1 of course1 when it is suspected or known to be false1 it is no longer of any possible ethical value1 but quite the reverse4 ,should you demur1 ,i have a question to ask1 which is this3 ,now that1 whether we wish it or no1 the truth about ,christianity is fast leaking out1 and1 consequently1 disbelief is rapidly spreading1 how is it that you1 how is it that the ,state1 how is it that the majority outside the ,church1 display so peculiarly little anxiety8 ,i confess ,i am at a loss to understand1 unless it be that you and they have realised that morality is a thing apart from belief1 and therefore feel that there is little cause for uneasiness4 ,there is1 however1 an element of danger1 and1 temporary though it may be1 it is sure1 if disregarded1 to affect the private and public morality of our own times4 7d7 ,,the ,,real ,,danger4 ,the real danger lurks1 where least suspected1 in the very method which you advocate as the safest--the method of a gradual infiltration4 ,in many matters such a method is undoubtedly sound4 ,a reformation involving a complete revolution in opinions is best carried out gradually and tentatively1 and1 in this respect1 nature's slow processes of evolution provide a useful lesson for the too ardent reformer4 ,i do not suggest a cataclysm1 or suppose it possible4 ,but ,i do say that your infiltration process must be carefully watched and tended1 although a policy of masterly inactivity and laissez-faire may appeal to you as the easiest2 ,i do say with ,mr4 ,trevelyan that true opinions do not spread always1 and of their own force2 but sometimes1 and only by dint of courageous avowal2 #cef ,i do say that in this particular instance it is absolutely necessary that1 side by side with a knowledge of the untruth of the ,christian religion1 there should be inculcated a knowledge of the true origin and need of morality2 ,i do say that the infiltration process need not and ought not to be prolonged indefinitely1 and that insincerity of any kind affects character banefully2 ,i do say that you should not allow your children to be taught a false belief and a false basis of morality4 ,this conspiracy of silence is as mistaken and mischievous as that by which boys and girls are allowed to find out for themselves what they should have had properly put to them by their parents and guardians4 ,when the ,church teaching1 when the dogmas contained in the ,thirty-nine ,articles of ,religion1 are removed1 the rational teaching must take its place at once4 7e7 ,,the ,,consolations ,,of ,,belief1 ,,and ,,the ,,distress ,,we ,,may ,,cause ,,by ,,our ,,candour4 ,we cannot stop to inquire how this or that private interest will suffer when the theological mist has been dispelled4 ,when machinery was invented--or1 again1 when slavery was abolished--enormous interests were affected4 ,such things will always adjust themselves4 ,there is one difficulty1 however1 which we all feel very strongly1 and which cannot be passed over lightly4 ,we have to consider the distress of mind which the truth will cause to those who still firmly believe1 and for whom their religion is so great a consolation that to be robbed of it would make life objectless--a dreary desert of despair4 ,have we1 then1 any right to disturb people's belief1 and to lacerate their feelings8 ,it would almost appear1 as ,mr4 ,winwood ,reade remarks1 that we can do nothing that is exclusively and absolutely good4 ,le genre humain n'est pas plac entre le bien et le mal1 mais entre le mal et le pire4 ,just as multitudes of martyrs are now suffering in unhappy ,russia for the sake of its eventual reform1 just as throughout history mankind owe their elevation to misfortune and their happiness to misery1 so here1 also1 it seems as if the elevation and happiness in store for mankind after their liberation from superstition can only be achieved through suffering4 ,the revolution will be bloodless1 but it cannot be altogether tearless4 ,let us see whether the mental anguish will be as great as we imagine1 and also whether it is not in the power of each one of us to adopt a line of conduct which will tend towards a vast reduction in the number of those who must pass through the vale of tears4 ,are you and ,i any unhappier than the believer8 ,many of us have gone through an ordeal more or less severe before finally relinquishing our cherished beliefs4 ,i will speak of that presently4 ,but are we now any less happy than our fellows who are believers8 ,except for the unhappiness which our outspoken confession of belief may have brought upon us1 surrounded as we are by believers and professing believers1 ,i think we can1 with confidence1 say we are not2 while this possible cause of unhappiness is precisely the one which will disappear as soon as the vast multitude of unbelievers agree to tell the truth4 ,no longer then shall we seem1 as now1 to be in a minority4 ,very good4 ,we are1 or should be1 quite as happy as believers2 may we not suppose that1 after the effect of a rude awakening from a beautiful dream has passed off1 the convert to unbelief will settle down into the same condition of mind as ourselves8 ,we are free from anxiety regarding the terrible fate that some of our ,christian brethren still see fit to hold over us2 but in place of their anxiety concerning an eternal after-life1 which may be blissful or may be gruesome1 the worst we expect is an eternal peace--an undisturbed sleep1 such as we hope for every night when we retire to rest4 ,after life's fitful fever he sleeps well4 ,we are ,agnostics1 and1 though some may preserve an agnosticism concerning the continuance of consciousness after death1 we are all of us resigned to the inevitable4 ,and if there be no meeting past the grave1 ,if all is darkness1 silence1 yet 'tis rest2 ,be not afraid1 ye waiting hearts that weep1 ,for ,god still giveth his belovd sleep1 ,and if an endless sleep ,he wills1 so best4 #ceg ,can we state it as our honest opinion that the consolations of belief enter into the every-day life of the average man1 influencing thereby his happiness8 ,we cannot4 ,only on rare occasions1 in times of bereavement1 or in time of his own approaching death1 will he turn to his belief for consolation4 ,does he obtain then the consolation he looks for8 ,again the answer must be in the negative4 ,here and there we come across examples of a happy resignation such as we should expect to find2 but usually it is far otherwise4 ,no one nurses his grief longer than the average ,christian2 no one is more unwilling to die--he is really more anxious to live than ,hindoo1 ,parsee1 ,mohammedan1 or ,buddhist believer1 or ,japanese ,agnostic4 ,whether it be that ,agnosticism engenders a spirit of resignation1 it is difficult to say2 but the fact remains that no one accepts the ills of life more cheerfully1 no one meets his death more bravely1 than the average ,agnostic4 ,how often one hears of the deaths of unbelievers quite as beautiful in their serene calm as those of devout believers4 ,to give examples recently before the public1 we have the heart-stirring accounts of the last moments of two well-known ,agnostics1 the late ,sir ,leslie ,stephen1 the author of ,an ,agnostic's ,apology1 and the late ,george ,jacob ,holyoake1 the founder of ,secularism4 ,these may be exceptional cases2 but such are exceptional1 also1 among believers4 ,according as a man is possessed of self-control1 or is naturally fearless or resigned1 so will his conduct or feelings be affected4 ,we are speaking1 mind you1 of averages2 and ,i maintain that bereavements and death are met by the average ,agnostic with as much resignation as by the average ,christian who has religious consolation to fall back upon4 ,the fear of death supplies the chief motive for religion4 ,even the emotion called forth by the death of a friend is not solely the feeling of the loss4 ,it is partly because death has been brought very near to us4 ,now1 as the consolation afforded by religion in our last hours is continually held up to us by the priest as a reward for belief1 one would expect to find that occasions where this consolation was unnecessary would be few and far between4 ,it is1 however1 quite the reverse4 ,eliminating the cases of sudden death1 how seldom are these consolations of utility8 ,inquire1 if you doubt1 from any medical man what are his experiences among the dying2 how many are not even aware that they are dying2 how many are too much taken up with their physical sufferings1 and too anxious to be relieved from them1 to think of anything else2 how many die in a space of time so brief1 reckoning from the moment when they are first made aware of their dying condition1 that the case is practically one of sudden death2 how many are unconscious from the time when their life is first in danger2 how many have the knowledge of their approaching death carefully concealed from them by kind-hearted doctors and relations1 albeit both the patient and his attendants say they believe in a supremely happy existence after death8 ,far more often than not the religious consolation so frequently and solemnly held up to us by the priest as an inducement to believe is never enjoyed4 ,does it not furnish a damaging commentary on one of the strongest arguments for belief--the argument from religious consolation8 ,taking these facts into consideration1 we find ourselves able to approach the question of disturbing belief with a somewhat lighter heart4 ,still1 we have to remember that these hopes and fears1 sedulously implanted by the ,church1 have taken deep root4 ,could we be sure of impressing believers with our own convictions concerning the consolations of religion1 all would be well2 but we cannot be sure4 ,here lies the crux4 ,the idea that they are deriving1 and will derive1 consolation when the dread moment is at hand has become far too fixed for painless extraction4 ,you may only succeed in partially divesting them of their belief1 making them thoroughly miserable to no purpose2 or1 if you do succeed1 it may only be after you have put them to considerable mental distress4 ,what is to be done1 then8 ,it is a hard question4 ,feeling this1 we give the matter up in despair1 and remain silent4 ,and so the truth which we might have spread1 each one of us in his own circle1 remains unspoken4 ,worse still1 the untruth is perpetuated by permitting our children to be brought up in the false beliefs of our believing friends4 ,this1 at least1 should make us pause and reflect4 ,are we justified in keeping silence8 ,are we justified in making no effort to save the future generation from mental distress1 or from what is far worse1 a demoralising indifference8 ,the dilemma is great1 but that is no reason for shirking it4 ,it must be faced1 and the pros and cons carefully weighed4 ,is there1 haply1 no middle course that we may steer8 ,we should not unnecessarily cause distress to the aged who have1 all their days1 cherished this belief1 who have arrived at a time of life when ideas are not easily changed1 and who feel that that life is now drawing to a close1 and that they now more than ever require the consolation they have built their hopes upon4 ,we should spare their feelings all we can2 but we must1 so it seems to me1 put both them and ourselves to such distress as may arise from telling them plainly1 when absolutely necessary1 that we do not believe in the truth of ,christianity1 and do not think it right to bring up our children to what we consider is a false belief4 ,we have seen that religious tolerance is the growing spirit of the age1 that some of our greatest divines extol #ceh the virtues of the ,agnostic1 and condemn #cei obscurantism and the odium theologicum4 ,shall we then1 after all1 in these days1 cause so very much distress by our confessions of unbelief8 ,as a rule1 ,i think we shall not4 7f7 ,,can ,,we ,,alter ,,people',s ,,beliefs8 ,another objection to speaking out is that we can never alter people's beliefs4 ,many well-known ,agnostics still hold this opinion4 ,in his essay1 ,the ,religion of ,all ,sensible ,men1 ,sir ,leslie ,stephen expresses this opinion in the following words3 ,i do not wish to underrate modern progress2 but surely there is something grotesque in the hypothesis that the average shopkeeper or artisan of the present day is too clever to believe in the creeds of his forefathers4 ,i fancy that no one has yet ascertained that the brain of to-day is more capacious than the brains of the contemporaries of ,csar or ,st4 ,paul4444 ,can you pierce his the intelligent citizen's armour of stolid indifference by arguments about the principle of evolution and the survival of the fittest8444 ,the improbability that ancient creeds should simply survive must1 therefore1 depend upon other conditions than the increase of the average intelligence4444 ,i would not conceal my own views1 but neither would ,i feel anxious to thrust them upon others2 and for the very simple reason that conversion appears to me to be an absurdity4 ,you cannot change a man's thoughts about things as you can change the books in his library4 #cfj ,with all due respect to the late ,sir ,leslie ,stephen1 ,i contend that there is one gigantic fallacy underlying this argument4 ,he forgets1 or appears to forget1 that beliefs are built upon premises1 the errors in which one may be able to demonstrate absolutely without having to enter into learned dissertations on the principle of evolution4 ,he declares that he does not wish to underrate1 but he certainly does underrate1 modern progress4 ,surely the average shopkeeper or artisan of the present day is capable of understanding that practically nothing is left of the foundations upon which his forefathers built their beliefs2 that they have crumbled away under the influence of a knowledge that was not in the possession of the contemporaries of ,csar or ,st4 ,paul8 ,the laws of thought1 as ,herbert ,spencer says1 are everywhere the same1 and the ideas of a rational being are1 under the conditions in which they occur1 rational4 #cfa ,it is ignorance1 coupled with superstition1 that is at the root of all the different beliefs of mankind4 ,superstition may remain1 though even this may be questioned1 considering that people brought up from their childhood as ,agnostics are wholly devoid of any superstitious or so-called religious instinct4 ,ignorance can in any case be dispelled1 and if this does not actually destroy supernatural beliefs1 it will at least modify them4 ,even the working man will not remain satisfied with a theology which maintains the necessity for a foundation of facts1 and yet is unable to prove them4 ,therefore1 confident of the utility1 let us unravel all that is clearly false in belief1 and disseminate the result of our investigations among our fellows4 ,in this way1 men who are in all essentials seeking the same goal may be led to pursue1 if not the same path1 yet at least convergent paths4 ,the common sophisms that it is useless to inquire too deeply into beliefs1 since you will never arrive at the absolute truth1 and that you will never get two men to think alike1 account for much of the prevalent indifference4 ,absolute truth may always remain beyond the ken of man2 but that is no reason why he should not go on trying to get as near it as possible1 and the first step is the elimination of untruth4 7g7 ,,can ,,beliefs ,,be ,,useful ,,though ,,false8 ,it is strange to find non-,christians arguing that the persistence of the ,christian belief is a sign of its utility2 it is no more so than it is of its truth4 ,christianity did not make good men what they are1 but good men have made ,christianity what it is4 ,besides1 a false belief cannot possibly serve a good purpose after its real character has become known4 ,mr4 ,fielding urges #cfb that whatever exists1 whatever persists1 does so because it fills a want1 because it is of use4 ,he points his argument by alluding to the fact that when anything is useless it atrophies1 and he instances how the snake and the whale have lost their legs1 human kind their hairy skin and keener sense of smell1 and so on4 ,in this simile he is making an assertion which begs the question4 ,he assumes that supernatural belief is not an atrophied organ2 the ,rationalist contends that it is1 and that it has been proved to be so4 ,belief1 indeed1 is strikingly analogous to an organ which1 owing to its having no further useful purpose1 has atrophied and become rudimentary4 ,it may have served some purpose in bygone ages2 but now1 in its present state1 it is a source of weakness1 like the splint bone of a horse--or rather of danger1 like the vermiform appendage of man4 ,the analogy1 fortunately1 does not hold good in every respect1 for a false belief is an appendage of human nature which can be safely1 though perhaps not always painlessly1 removed4 ,indeed1 it is an open question whether all religion 7in its theological sense7 is not an unessential quality which has been mechanically attached to it1 and which1 consequently1 it may at any time throw off without experiencing any serious loss4 #cfc 7h7 ,,is ,a ,,new ,,religion #cfd ,,required8 ,if the latter be a correct estimate of the place religion occupies in man's nature1 it furnishes a reply to one of the objections to ,agnostic propaganda--the objection that1 before we discard an existing belief1 we must be prepared to substitute a new belief in its place4 ,it is this objection that has given rise to those speculative philosophies which the common sense of the vast majority has rightly decided are unsatisfactory2 a decision that the ,church has not unnaturally seized upon as a triumphant vindication of the truth of ,christianity4 ,against this objection to militant ,rationalism1 this plea for silence1 ,i may be permitted to enter my protest in the weighty words of a well-known writer4 ,it is alleged1 says the author of ,supernatural ,religion1 that1 before existing belief is disturbed1 the iconoclast is bound to provide a substitute for the shattered idol4 ,to this we may reply that speech or silence does not alter the reality of things4 ,the recognition of truth cannot be made dependent on consequences1 or be trammelled by considerations of spurious expediency4 ,its declaration in a serious and suitable manner to those who are capable of judging can never be premature4 ,its suppression cannot be effectual1 and is only a humiliating compromise with conscious imposture4 ,in so far as morality is concerned1 belief in a system of future rewards and punishments1 although of an intensely degraded character1 may1 to a certain extent1 have promoted observance of the letter of the law in darker ages1 and even in our own times2 but it may1 we think1 be shown that education and civilisation have done infinitely more to enforce its spirit4 ,how far ,christianity has promoted education and civilisation we shall not here venture adequately to discuss4 ,we may emphatically assert1 however1 that whatever beneficial effect ,christianity has produced has been due1 not to its supernatural dogmas1 but to its simple morality4 ,dogmatic theology1 on the contrary1 has retarded education and impeded science4444 ,even now the friction of theological resistance is a constant waste of intellectual power4444 ,the choice of a noble life is no longer a theological question1 and ecclesiastical patents of truth and uprightness have finally expired4 ,morality1 which has ever changed its complexion and modified its injunctions according to social requirements1 will necessarily be enforced as part of human evolution1 and is not dependent on religious terrorism or superstitious persuasion4 ,if we are disposed to say3 ,cui bono8 and only practise morality1 or be ruled by right principles1 to gain a heaven or escape a hell1 there is nothing lost1 for such a grudging and calculated morality is merely a spurious imitation which can as well be produced by social compulsion4 #cfe ,if1 as ,george ,eliot once pithily remarked1 you feel no motive to common morality but a criminal bar in heaven1 you are decidedly a man for the police on earth to keep their eye upon4 7i7 ,,why ,,be ,,so ,,impatient ,,of ,,error8 ,there is one more argument against militant ,rationalism which demands our attention4 ,why should we be so impatient of error8 asks ,sir ,leslie ,stephen4 ,the enormous majority of the race has1 on any hypothesis1 been plunged in superstitions of various kinds1 and1 on the whole1 it has found that it could thrive and be decently happy and contented in its ignorance4 ,science declines to accept catastrophes2 and no catastrophe would be more startling than a sudden dispersal of the mists that have obscured the human intelligence for so many ages4 ,if they grow a little thinner in our time1 we may well be content2 but is it not childish to be impatient about the rate of development of these vast secular age-long processes8 ,why be in such a hurry to 'change the errors of the ,church of ,rome for those of the ,church of the ,future'8 #cff ,i hope ,i have already answered this question to the satisfaction of some at least of my readers4 ,i have shown that there is a very real danger in further concealment--in keeping up the farce4 ,but let this pass4 ,the reason why we should be impatient of error--why the truth should be told--is that the elimination of error will usher in an era of greater happiness4 ,in order that we may the more clearly perceive this1 ,i shall now conclude this book with a rapid survey of the arguments for ,rationalism4 #d4 ,the ,outlook4 ,when ,rationalism reigns supreme1-- #a4 ,morality will be founded on a firm basis4 ,its origin and necessity being better understood1 it will also be better practised1 whether in commerce1 in politics1 or in our social relations--i4e41 both in our public and in our private conduct4 ,also the present atmosphere of religious insincerity will be cleared4 ,relieved of this temptation to deceive our neighbour and even ourselves1 our moral fibre will be strengthened1 and we shall be far less likely to be hypocrites in other matters4 #b4 ,social evils will stand a better chance of being redressed4 #c4 ,all religious intolerance will disappear once and for all4 #d4 ,an era of peace and happiness may at last be realised1 because the methods of its attainment will be scientific and rational4 ,we shall have recognised the fact that a gospel which proclaims a sword and eternal damnation cannot at the same time be a gospel of good tidings1 cannot bring ,peace on earth1 goodwill towards men4 ,it may be said that such optimism is absurd1 but is it really so8 ,morality4--,have we not seen #cfg that morality can be taught apart from belief1 and1 indeed1 that it is better so taught8 ,may we not reasonably expect1 therefore1 that morality will advance side by side with ,rationalism8 ,in the famous words of ,kant1 ,the death of dogma is the birth of morals4 ,our moral progress has not been checked by the machinations of devils1 but rather by our belief in such personages4 ,also by our ignorance--ignorance of the origin and purpose of morality1 ignorance of the true causes of immorality1 ignorance of the laws of heredity and environment4 ,science is the good fairy who will assist moral weaklings1 and reduce their numbers in succeeding generations4 ,supernatural religion was perhaps a phase through which humanity had to grope towards the light of reason and knowledge4 ,but we are now facing the dawn of that better and happier day when piety shall be confined within the sphere of the natural1 when morals shall be looked upon and cultivated as essential conditions of a truly blessed social life1 and when all mankind shall aim1 not at imaginary happiness in a purely imaginary realm1 but at real prosperity in a profoundly real world4 ,this would be the exaltation1 not destruction1 of morality2 the glorification1 not annihilation1 of the sense of responsibility2 the enthronement1 not repudiation1 of the joy of altruistic service4 #cfh ,social ,problems4--,broad-minded divines are now exalting the service of man as it has never before been exalted4 ,serve men1 they say1 and you will find ,god4 ,help men1 and ,christ is here4 #cfi ,the test of ,christianity is1 ,canon ,wilson informs us1 the resolve and the power of ,christians to solve social problems4 ,if the ,bible inspires ,christians with the zeal and the wisdom and the love needed for this task1 no one will dispute its claims to be verily 'the ,word of ,god4' #cgj ,this inspiration to improve the lot of our fellow-creatures furnishes1 we are told1 the final test of the ,bible's truth4 ,we are entitled to ask1 therefore1 ,how comes it that the inspiration has hitherto so signally failed to manifest itself1 and that it only appears now when the aspirations of the democracy can no longer be disregarded8 ,to give an example from history1 did not slavery flourish side by side with the ,christian ,church8 #cga ,was it not abolished only when the further development of humanitarian principles caused men's hearts to rebel against its cruelty and injustice8 ,the ,church is at last devoting more attention to social evils and to the removal of their causes4 ,what has taught her this duty if it be not the growing spirit of nationalism8 #cgb ,the ,church has been forced1 as it were1 to keep pace with the rise of ,rationalism4 ,it is her only chance of prolonging her existence4 ,her new attitude in this respect will undoubtedly be the means of confusing the issue--the truth of ,christianity--for some years to come4 ,therefore it is that1 while thankful for the improvement1 it is our bounden duty to expose the real truth of the matter--to see that ,rationalism is not robbed of its due meed of praise1 that the merit of the improvement is ascribed to its proper source4 ,also we are to see that the process of improvement is not delayed4 ,undoubtedly the progress of ,rationalism will ultimately involve important changes in political institutions and philosophic theories2 but it is the cure of social evils which cannot be wrought too soon4 ,in proportion as we accept the natural and reject the supernatural diagnosis of social diseases so shall we alleviate and possibly cure them4 ,religious ,tolerance4--,have we not seen that religious intolerance has been the evil genius which throughout the history of ,christianity has been an enemy of progress and a lively cause of strife and misery8 ,the ,christian ,church has been more cruel and shed more human blood than any other ,church or institution in the world4 ,let the ,jew alone bear witness among the crowd of victims4 #cgc ,also1 ,christians1 in the course of their intestine dissensions1 have inflicted far greater severities on each other than they have ever experienced from the zeal of infidels4 #cgd ,christians have burnt each other1 quite persuaded ,that all the ,apostles would have done as they did4 ,to-day1 despite the rise and influence of ,rationalism in ,europe1 racial and religious prejudice are certainly present among us1 and they form a latent source of cruelty and injustice which can at any time1 if we are weak enough or wicked enough to give it free play1 stain the land with the most amazing oppressions4 #cge ,religious animus1 even in a country priding itself on its tolerant spirit1 has by no means burnt itself out4 ,do we not see it flaring up again in the ,war of the ,kirks1 the ,education controversy1 and the arguments for the retention of the ,athanasian ,creed8 ,it is necessary1 as ,buckle observes1 #cgf that men should learn to doubt1 before they begin to tolerate2 and that they should recognise the fallibility of their own opinions1 before they respect the opinions of their opponents4 ,we may never entirely agree on questions that are for the present at least shrouded in mystery2 but1 though the old adage1 ,quot homines1 tot sententi1 may remain true for all time1 wide differences of opinion will disappear1 and with them the odium theologicum4 ,there can only be intolerance where belief is dogmatic1 and that the religion of the future will never be4 ,the uncertainty1 the reasons why others may not be able to accept this or that philosophic speculation1 will be recognised4 ,if any discoveries await us1 we are sure1 at all events1 that they will not confirm a dogma that would consign the greater portion of the human race to unspeakable and eternal torment2 they will not confirm ,christ's description of the ,last ,judgment1 when the ,son of ,man is to say3 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the ,devil and his angels4 ,it is the fashion nowadays for ,latitudinarians to explain away everything that appears too incongruous or vindictive1 and the word everlasting is said to be a mistranslation2 but the meaning of one at least of the sayings attributed to ,jesus is only too clear3 ,many are called1 but few are chosen 7,matt4 xxii4 #ad47 ,what1 then1 is to become of the many8 ,if we are to believe the ,word of ,god1 their awful fate1 temporary or otherwise1 is certain--,whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire 7,rev4 xx4 #ae72 or again1 ,and shall cast them into a furnace of fire3 there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth 7,matt4 xiii4 #db74 ,it is cruel doctrines of this kind that have arrested the growth of love and pity1 and ,rationalism is therefore the sworn enemy of such doctrines1 as well as of the religious intolerance which springs from them4 ,peace4 #cgg--;,in an address by the late ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 when ,bishop of ,london1 delivered at the ,polytechnic1 ,regent ,street1 #cgh we are presented with an argument of ,christian apologetics1 the weight of which rests upon the presumption that ,christ did not wish the ,church to begin with any bloodshed6 ,it is sometimes questioned1 said ,dr4 ,temple1 by those who would throw discredit upon the narrative1 that our ,lord tells them the disciples to go into ,galilee1 and yet ,he intended to see them that evening4 ,but the whole thing is perfectly clear to those who consider the circumstances4 ,our ,lord appeared to them in the evening1 and there can be no doubt that ,he intended to do so even when ,he told these women that they were to desire all the disciples to go down into ,galilee4 ,but it was of great importance that there should be no gathering of the disciples in ,jerusalem1 because the inevitable result would have been an alarm on the part of the ,jews1 and ,pontius ,pilate would have been compelled1 in order to keep the city perfectly quiet1 to disperse such an assembly by force2 and it is likely enough that the ,church would have begun with bloodshed4 ,but our ,lord did not choose to have any such beginning4 ,he told them all to go into ,galilee4 ,are there any grounds for this presumption1 any grounds for presuming that ,god ever wishes to prevent bloodshed8 ,none whatever from a study of history4 ,none whatever from a study of the ,bible4 ,none whatever from a study of ,christ's own words3 ,think not that ,i am come to send peace on earth2 ,i came not to send peace1 but a sword4 ,look at the present day6 ,we live in a time1 exclaims the ,kaiser1 #cgi in which every young ,german capable of bearing arms must be ready to step forward for his ,fatherland4 ,the signs of the times make it the duty of the nation to strengthen its defences against unrighteous attacks4 #chj ,history1 viewed as a whole1 says ,major ,stewart ,murray1 #cha warningly1 is nothing but a succession of struggles for existence among rival nations1 in which1 in the long run1 only the strong armed survive4 ,similar notes of warning are echoing and re-echoing through the length and breadth of ,christendom4 ,is this no reflection upon ,christianity's power for good8 ,look at the picture6 ,christian nations all armed to the teeth1 with their powder dry and their swords keen1 each distrustful of the other1 each ready to spring at the other's throat4 ,what has the ,rationalist to say to this state of things8 ,what remedy does he propose to apply8 ,the prophets foretell that we can look forward to the abolition of war only when the engines of destruction--flying ships armed with weapons of death1 for example--are of so fearful a nature that it will at last be brought home to mortals that this clumsy and barbarous machine for settling disputes is too absurd1 too suicidal for further employment4 ,but need we wait long weary years1 burdened with the thousand and one curses of war and militarism1 #chb till this supreme horror has been invented8 ,in the resolution adopted at the ,fourteenth ,peace ,congress #chc we find the following stirring appeal3 ,we are beginning to understand that the rights of the citizen within the ,state can only be fully respected when1 by the establishment of international juridical order1 absolute security shall be obtained for all nations4 ,the demand for this international security is becoming daily more urgent1 on the one hand because modern progress binds together millions of the most diverse interests1 on the other hand because the stream of democracy1 or what it would be more proper to call the aspirations of the masses of the people after happiness1 is rising continually in an immense and irresistible flood4 ,international security can only be assured by federation2 so federation will come about1 for it is indispensable as liberty to the citizen1 as air to the lungs4 ,but it behoves us to see that it comes before we are laid in the tomb4 ,what we ought to labour for with an unresting ardour is that federation should be accomplished while we are yet alive1 so that we may not be thwarted of the legitimate share of happiness that belongs to us here below4 ,yes1 this strikes the right chord2 but before the hopes of these peace enthusiasts can be fulfilled ,rationalism must have advanced considerably further than it has up to the present4 ,at the third ,national ,peace ,congress held at ,birmingham on ,june #acth and #adth1 #aijf1 the opinion was expressed that the ,king and the working classes were already on the side of peace1 and it only remained1 therefore1 to convert the ,church and the middle classes4 ,how are we to set about their conversion8 ,even if we could persuade the ,church that war was not an essential to the welfare of nations1 we could hardly expect her to agree with us at present either as to the cause or the cure of the evil4 ,the prime cause of war is ,nature's cruel law1 the struggle for existence2 and the ,rationalist's proposals for its alleviation run counter to the teachings of the ,church4 ,for this among other cogent reasons1 ,i conceive that it behoves us to see that the truth about ,christianity be known before we are laid in the tomb1 and that what we ought to labour for with an unresting ardour is that this should be accomplished while we are yet alive1 so that we may not be thwarted of the legitimate share of happiness that belongs to us here below4 ,the close association of war and religion has never ceased to act for the injury of mankind4 ,the ,lord of ,hosts1 the ,lord mighty in battle1 is expected to take interest in bloodshed rather than in the pursuits of peace1 and to be always ready to join in the fray--to fight for ,his ,people2 both sides1 be it remembered1 claiming ,his assistance4 ,true ,christianity owns as its ,master a ,prince of ,peace2 but in no particular has its failure in practice been more marked than in its impotency to carry out this1 one of its chief missions4 ,why8 ,apart from religion being frequently the actual occasion of the strife1 #chd is it not because it has always meddled in politics1 always supported rulers in their ambitions1 in their land-hunger8 ,is it not because religion has too often submitted to be a 'kept' priest to bless or ban as the passion or self-interest of its employer dictated8 #che ,it is as futile as it is insincere for a ,tsar #chf to preach peace1 when he1 or rather his counsellors1 are imbued with a hunger for other people's property1 and1 hypocrites that they are1 hide their real motives under the cloak of religion1 calling it1 forsooth1 the spreading of a ,christian civilisation4 ,every ,rationalist1 every ,freethinker1 is an honest advocate of peace4 #chg ,he is not so irrational1 so immoral ,i might say1 as to propose the settlement of disputes by arbitration1 and at the same time to entertain nefarious projects calculated to render this method impracticable4 ,so long as ,christian nations remain unmindful of the ,tenth ,commandment1 he acknowledges with sorrow that we must continue armed and ready to do battle2 but he looks forward with confidence to the day when there will be such an overwhelming body of men earnestly and sincerely desirous of peace that war will be impossible1 simply because the preponderating voice of each and every nation will be against it--will seek peace and ensue it4 ,he anticipates a time when men will realise that they are not only citizens of this or that country1 but fellow citizens also on the same planet4 #e4 ,concluding ,remarks4 ,an eminent theologian tells us3 ,reason is the only faculty we have wherewith to judge concerning anything1 even ,revelation itself4 #chh ,how is it1 then1 that ,religionist and ,rationalist arrive at such contrary conclusions8 ,the explanation is simple enough3 the ,religionist trusts1 the ,rationalist distrusts1 his emotions4 ,which is in the right8 ,the survival of religious belief will largely depend upon the view men may ultimately take upon this question4 ,whether religion be no more than morality touched by emotion1 as ,matthew ,arnold defines it1 #chi or whether all religions are only different ways of expressing a reality which transcends experience and correct expression1 we cannot1 on that account1 accept dogmas that are untrue2 we cannot pretend that a supernatural revelation has been vouchsafed to us4 ,we may surmise1 as ,sir ,henry ,thompson supposed1 that the eternal and infinite energy behind phenomena is what we call ,god2 but we have to admit that this ,god is an unknown ,god1 and that all attempts to unravel the mystery that surrounds our own fate are the merest guesses in the dark4 ,does a surmise--a belief if you will have it so--of this kind afford any religious satisfaction8 ,if this ,eternal ,energy possesses what we should call a mind1 can we worship a ,supreme ,intelligence ,which stoops not either to bless or ban1 ,weaving the woof of an endless plan8 ,can we worship the ,unknown8 ,can we1 like the ,athenians of old1 erect altars to the ,unknown ,god8 ,i trow not4 ,the age of ignorance and superstition is slowly1 but none the less surely1 passing away1 never again to return4 ,sir ,oliver ,lodge believes #cij in the ultimate intelligibility of the universe1 and with this opinion many of us will agree4 ,perhaps our present brains may require considerable improvement before we can grasp the deepest things by their aid1 or perhaps they will suffice as they are1 and only a further acquisition of knowledge may be required4 ,in any case1 one sees no reason why1 because we have no acceptable theory of life or of death now1 we must therefore be equally ignorant many centuries1 or even a single century1 hence4 ,on the other hand1 it is1 of course1 quite possible that these mysteries may remain for ever unexplained4 ,it may transpire that ,haeckel's assumption of a monism in the physical world1 and his identification of vital force with ordinary physical and chemical forces1 are incorrect4 ,it may transpire that ,professor le ,conte was wrong in regarding vital force as just so much withdrawn from the general fund of chemical and physical forces4 ,radio-activity and the cyanic theory #cia may not furnish a satisfactory solution of the problem of the first appearance of life upon this globe4 ,but one thing1 at all events1 our present knowledge seems clearly to indicate3 the solution of the problem cannot be in accord with the ,christian dogmas4 ,should the secrets of our existence still lie concealed in the womb of time1 their birth will be the death1 not the renascence1 of the dying creeds of to-day4 ,meanwhile our present course is clearly defined3 we should search out and expose all false premises of belief4 ,only in this way can we hope to arrive a little nearer to the ultimate truth4 ,also1 what is of much greater consequence1 when all that is demonstrably untrue in the world's beliefs has been pointed out and acknowledged1 believers and unbelievers will be in far better accord concerning all that is vital to the well-being of the human race4 ,we cannot1 as ,mr4 ,trevelyan pertinently remarks1 #cib alter the nature of the ,unknown by conceiving it to be other than that which it is2 but we can get a wrong basis for ethics1 and a false sentimental outlook on everything1 by reason of false beliefs4 ,by all means let those who can1 continue to cherish the larger hope--why should they not1 while all is unknown8--and let the metaphysicians continue to translate their wishes and aspirations into philosophical language2 but the guiding spirit in human affairs should be1 and one day will be1 a scientific humanitarianism working on rational principles for the peace and happiness of all mankind4 ,ring out the grief that saps the mind ,for those that here we see no more2 ,ring out the feud of rich and poor1 ,ring in redress to all mankind4 ,ring out a slowly dying cause1 ,and ancient forms of party strife2 ,ring in the nobler modes of life1 ,with sweeter manners1 purer laws4 ,ring out false pride in place and blood1 ,the civic slander and the spite2 ,ring in the love of truth and right1 ,ring in the common love of good4 ,ring out old shapes of foul disease1 ,ring out the narrowing lust of gold2 ,ring out the thousand wars of old1 ,ring in the thousand years of peace4 ,,appendix ,chapter ,i4 ,p4 #e1 lines #ab-ad4--,the ,copernican system was gradually accepted1 and so were the discoveries which followed up to fifty years ago4 ,copernicus's book1 ,the ,revolution of the ,celestial ,bodies1 was printed a few days before his death1 in #aedc4 ,the system was condemned by a decree of ,pope ,paul ,v41 in #afaf1 which was not revoked till #ahah by ,pius ,,vii4 ,the great ,kepler 7d4 #afcj7 was an astrologer as well as astronomer1 and thought the stars were guided by angels4 ,while his mind had a strong grasp of positive scientific truth1 it also had an irresistible tendency towards mystical speculation4 ,in those days ,science and ,religion were easily reconciled4 ,it was fortunate for ,newton that he made his discovery of the law of gravitation in a rather more enlightened age and country1 otherwise he would inevitably have shared the terrible fate of ,giordano ,bruno at the hands of the ,church's emissaries4 ,even in the early eighteenth century the light of science had hardly got beyond the first glimmering of dawn4 ,mathematics and astronomy were the only sciences which had passed into the positive and final stage4 ,chemistry1 geology1 biology1 historical criticism1 were not yet in a position to speak with authority even on subjects in their own province4 ,read a popular apologetic work of the eighteenth century2 read ,truth and ,certainty of ,christian ,revelation1 edition #agbd1 and you will find that a defender of the faith had in those days a comparatively easy task4 ,science being still in its infancy1 ,dr4 ,samuel ,clarke gave reasons for the truth of ,christian dogmas1 which1 though they could not be controverted then1 would now be considered the most abject nonsense4 ,bead also ,mr4 ,s4 ,laing's remarks on p4 #ac of ,a ,modern ,zoroastrian1 where he tells us that when he was a student at ,cambridge1 little more than fifty years ago1 astronomy was the only branch of natural science which could be said to be definitely brought within the domain of natural law1 and that only as regards the law of gravity and the motions of the heavenly bodies1 for little or nothing was known as to their constitution4 ,p4 #e1 lines #ah-ai4--,the vast antiquity of the earth4 ,it does not seem unreasonable to suppose that #ejj to #a1jjj million years may have elapsed since the birth of the moon 7see ,professor ,darwin's ,presidential address at the meeting of the ,british ,association in ,johannesburg on ,august #cjth1 #aije74 ,p4 #h1 lines #bg-i4--;,he is well aware of the odium he would incur should he proclaim his heterodox views concerning the popular religion4 ,nor is it easy for even a well-known man to get his heterodox views published where they will be widely read4 ,sir ,hiram ,maxim wrote lately to the ,literary ,guide concerning his letter in the ,do ,we ,believe8 correspondence1 saying it was necessary for my letter to have a slight coating of ecclesiastical sugar1 otherwise it would not have been published4 ,does the ,church realise the extent to which men of science coat their popular writings with ecclesiastical sugar8 ,the retail bookselling trade in ,england is still largely in the hands of persons belonging to the various sects1 and1 even where this is not so1 few dare to push the works of glaringly heterodox writers4 ,as an example of the difficulties which beset the way of a too truth-loving author1 we may notice that it took three years before #b1jjj copies of ,mr4 ,samuel ,laing's ,modern ,science and ,modern ,thought could be sold1 and its sale brought him no pecuniary profit4 ,p4 #ai1 lines #b-c4--;,he ,sir ,oliver ,lodge has never yet professed belief in a personal ,god4 ,he has now done so4 ,in an article entitled ,first ,principles of ,faith1 appearing in the ,hibbert ,journal for ,july1 #aijf1 he has drawn up a new formula of faith1 which commences3 ,i believe in one ,infinite and ,eternal ,being1 a guiding and loving ,father1 in whom all things consist4 ,he continues3 ,i believe that the ,divine ,nature is specially revealed to man through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 who lived and taught and suffered in ,palestine #a1ijj years ago1 and has since been worshipped by the ,christian ,church as the immortal ,son of ,god1 the ,saviour of the world4 ,this reconstructed ,christian 787 creed has been deftly worded2 but this1 at least1 is clear--the ,virgin-birth1 ,resurrection1 and ,ascension form no part of the religious belief of ,sir ,oliver ,lodge4 ,the full text of the ,catechism which he has designed for the use of teachers and others interested in the education of the young appears in the ,standard of ,december #adth1 #aijf4 ,p4 #bj1 line #ca4--,the religious naturally wish to discredit science4 ,it is a common assertion of the pious that modern science has continually to retrace its steps1 and admit that it was mistaken in its facts and theories4 ,the following pronouncement by ,professor ,ray ,lankester1 in his ,presidential ,address at the annual meeting of the ,british ,association 7held at ,york in #aijf71 should disillusion them3 ,during the last few years an idea has spread abroad that some of the more recent discoveries of science have revolutionised scientific ideas--have upset former theories1 or have reversed them4 ,nothing is further from the truth4 ,p4 #be1 lines #ai-bj4--,they ,agnostics exhibit the very temper which ,christ blesses4 ,canon ,scott ,holland's precise words were3 ,it is no petulant boy making his petulant repudiation1 but a man with steady and deliberate judgment1 weighing1 examining1 testing1 and still1 at last to his own sorrow1 to his own confessed cost1 bravely facing what he deems to be the fact1 and pronouncing1 ',i am not of the ,body2 ,i cannot share the life of the ,christian community4' ,and yet1 if we look at him1 we recognise in every detail of his character the lines that lead to ,christ4 ,he illustrates and exhibits the very temper which ,christ blesses2 he is pure1 unselfish1 humble1 and good4444 ,he may say what he pleases1 but ,christ has not forsworn him4 ,subsequently he acknowledges in moving terms that1 as the populations are emerging from out of their darkness1 so they are repudiating the name of ,christ4 ,but he gives no explanation for a circumstance so perplexing to a ,christian4 ,let me not be misunderstood to say that this extremely lenient view towards the ,agnostic is the usual one at present4 ,on the contrary1 the ,bishop of ,moray voices the opinion of the majority of the orthodox when 7at the ,diocesan ,synod held at ,inverness ,cathedral in the autumn of #aijd7 he challenges the wisdom of this sympathetic attitude1 and asks3 ,is this a time to banish into silence1 or relegate to an inferior position1 the great bulwark of the ,faith--the ,athanasian ,creed8 ,we are to understand that the curses of the ,creed are reserved1 not for the man who is born of heathen parents1 but for the man who1 often with much uprooting of his dearest hopes1 and at the cost of losing many friends and even his original means of livelihood1 decides that he must forsake the ,faith4 ,it seems to me that1 before converting the heathen1 it would be only fair that the terrible fate they will incur by any subsequent recantation should be distinctly explained to them4 ,again1 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,morgan ,gibbon1 in his pamphlet1 ,atheism and ,faith1 represents the ,atheist in the guise of the ,tempter holding out the bribe of free indulgence of all the passions to our youth1 our working classes1 our governing classes1 and our capitalists4 ,clergymen who speak with such bitterness and make such sweeping assertions really betray the weakness of their own case4 ,for it is a psychological fact that men are always angriest when they know they are not quite in the right4 ,it is also a statistical fact 7so far as statistics can be relied upon for facts7 that crime among disbelievers is proportionately small1 while among the staunchest believers1 the ,roman ,catholics1 it is proportionately large4 ,p4 #bi1 line #bc4--;,excite prejudice by the use of a condemnatory adjective4 ,the ,riddle of the ,universe was described as a book of rubbish by ,father ,gerard1 a member of the ,society of ,jesus4 ,he has not the least authority for such an indictment4 ,on the contrary1 every single biologist would tell him that he was himself talking rubbish4 ,the ,turin ,academy crowned it as the best book written in the last four years of the nineteenth century4 ,clergymen seem to prefer to get their science from apologetic works only4 ,how many1 ,i wonder1 have ever read the masterly exposition of the case for ,haeckel--,haeckel's ,critics ,answered1 by ,joseph ,mc,cabe8 ,p4 #cj1 lines #ac-ad4--;,in relief of doubt4 ,a work entitled ,in ,relief of ,doubt1 by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,e4 ,welsh1 a ,presbyterian minister1 is an attempt by an exceedingly earnest man to remove doubts concerning the ,bible4 ,there is an introductory note by the ,bishop of ,london4 ,the book is written in what the ,bishop terms a racy style1 and has the merit of much straightforwardness2 but few well-informed1 and at the same time open-minded1 readers would agree with the conclusions of the author4 ,the argument that ,st4 ,paul was a contemporary of ,christ is one of the principal features2 but see ,chap4 ,,ii41 #c1 and ,chap4 ,,iii41 #b4 ,p4 #ca1 lines #bg-h4--,the ,roman ,catholic ,church in ,ireland4 ,in ,priests and ,people in ,ireland1 by ,michael ,mc,carthy1 there is a complete expos of the methods and results of ,christian teaching in this portion of the ,british ,isles1 and a portrait of a typical ,roman ,catholic priest which demonstrates his elevating 787 influence4 ,also see ,twelve ,years in a ,monastery and ,life in a ,modern ,monastery1 by ,joseph ,mc,cabe4 ,p4 #cc1 lines #cb-c4--,the ,roman ,catholic ,church is more consistent4 ,the ,papal ,church1 founded1 to a large extent1 on superstition and ignorance1 has ever been afraid of knowledge1 of study1 and education2 hence she only consulted her own life's interests when1 in the ,middle ,ages1 she decreed knowledge to be identical with heresy1 and heresy to be punishable by death4 ,these words are quoted from ,the ,roman ,catholic ,church in ,italy1 by the ,rev4 ,alexander ,robertson1 ,d4,d41 a book accorded a flattering reception by the ,king of ,italy in #aijc4 ,again1 ,lord ,macaulay1 speaking of the ,roman ,catholic ,church in the first chapter of his ,history of ,england1 says that1 during the last three centuries1 to stunt the growth of the human mind has been her chief object4 ,throughout ,christendom1 whatever advance has been made in knowledge1 in freedom1 in wealth1 and in the arts of life1 has been made in spite of her1 and has everywhere been made in inverse proportion to her power4 ,the loveliest and most fertile provinces of ,europe have1 under her rule1 been sunk in poverty1 in political servitude1 and in intellectual torpor4 ,p4 #ch1 line #g4--;,gifts for the needy4 ,the exhortation to give to the poor is a precept of all the great religions4 ,indiscriminate giving was inculcated by the disciples of ,christ1 who were the poor1 and ,asiatic poor at that4 ,the pity of it is that often more harm than good is done because the ,divine command does not specify the deserving poor4 ,hence that wholesale pauperisation of which the evil effects are especially apparent among the ,jews and in ,oriental countries4 ,chapter ,,ii4 ,p4 #dd1 lines #bb-c4--,mansel1 ,mozley1 ,farrar1 ,westcott1 on ,miracles4 ,dean ,mansel said3 ,if there be one fact recorded in ,scripture which is entitled1 in the fullest sense of the word1 to the name of a miracle1 the ,resurrection of ,christ is that fact4 ,here1 at least1 is an instance in which the entire ,christian faith must stand or fall with our belief in the supernatural4444 ,a superhuman authority needs to be substantiated by superhuman evidence1 and what is superhuman is miraculous 7pp4 #c and #ce of ,aids to ,faith1 #dth ed474 ,canon ,mozley said3 ,miracles and the supernatural contents of ,christianity must stand or fall together 7,bampton ,lectures1 #ahfe74 ,dean ,farrar said3 ,however skilfully the modern ingenuity of semi-belief may have tampered with supernatural interpositions1 it is clear to every honest and unsophisticated mind that1 if miracles be incredible1 ,christianity is false 7,the ,witness of ,history to ,christ1 ,hulsean ,lectures for #ahgj1 #bnd ed41 p4 #be74 ,bishop ,westcott said3 ,the essence of ,christianity lies in a miracle1 and1 if it can be shown that a miracle is either impossible or incredible1 all further inquiry into the details of its history is superfluous from a religious point of view 7,the ,gospel of the ,resurrection1 #crd ed41 #ahgd1 p4 #cd74 ,see also ,archbishop ,trench's ,notes on ,miracles4 ,p4 #dd1 lines #bh-i4--,the opinion of the majority of our living dignitaries4 ,this has been made abundantly clear by the unanimous reply of a large number of ,bishops to a correspondent of the ,record1 who had written letters to them stating that he had heard that not a single ,bishop on the bench to-day believed in the miraculous in religion 7reported in the daily papers towards the close of ,january1 #aije74 ,p4 #dh1 lines #be-f4--,some even hold that it devil-possession still exists4 ,thus1 in the introduction to ,pastor ,hsi 7a book of which #bd1jjj copies were printed between #aijc and #aije71 the ,rev4 ,d4 ,e4 ,hoste1 ,general ,director of the ,china ,inland ,mission1 not only expresses this belief1 but seeks to explain why devil-possession should now be chiefly confined to heathen lands4 ,careful observation and study of the subject have1 he says1 led many to conclude that1 although in lands where ,christianity has long held sway the special manifestations we are now considering are comparatively unknown1 the conditions among the heathen being more akin to those prevailing when and where the ,gospel was first propagated1 it is not surprising that a corresponding energy of the powers of evil should be met with in missionary work to-day4 ,he would have us believe1 apparently1 that the atmosphere of holiness in ,christendom is so overpowering that the ,devil and his crew are rendered less active6 ,taking him seriously1 can he also explain how it is that ,god permits devils to perform such pranks8 ,not only is the house swept and garnished that they may enter in1 and dwell there2 but in the case of ,saul we are told that they were purposely sent by ,god6 7,see ,luke xi4 #be1 #bf1 and #a ,sam4 xviii4 #aj and xix4 #i47 ,the importance of this question is brought home to us by ,mr4 ,benn in his ,history of ,english ,rationalism in the ,nineteenth ,century1 where he says 7p4 #ded73 ,the witness of ,jesus to the ,fatherhood of ,god as a personal spirit amounts to no more than his witness to personal devils as authors of disease2 and the witness of the ,evangelists to their ,master's authorship of the ,sermon on the ,mount is less unanimous than their witness to the destruction by diabolical agency of the ,gadarene swine4 ,p4 #di1 lines #ac-ad4--,the feeding of the five thousand4 ,bishop ,ingram attaches the utmost importance to the truth of this miracle4 ,in a sermon published in the ,church ,times of ,october #gth1 #aijd1 he is reported to have said3 ,it is the worst policy of defence to throw over the miracle of feeding the five thousand1 or our ,lord's power over disease and death1 and then expect to keep the faith of the world in ,his incarnation1 ,his ,virgin-birth1 and ,his resurrection4 ,p4 #fa1 line #ad4--,the simple theory of the spiritists4 ,dr4 ,moncure ,conway relates1 in his ,autobiography1 how it was a spiritualist sance which made him realise the kind of frenzy that took possession of those early ,christians who really believed that a dead man had returned to life4 ,see also ,professor ,lombroso on spiritualistic phenomena1 p4 #cif4 ,p4 #fd1 lines #bj-a4--;,few of us have ever had our belief tested4 ,persons who have never spent their lives1 or a portion of their lives1 among the heathen1 have never had their faith put to the fullest test1 for in such an environment they would find faith's difficulties considerably enhanced4 ,i remember1 a few days after my arrival in ,india1 a certain ,bishop looking me in the face and1 with a kindly hand upon my shoulder1 saying3 ,you will find life much more difficult in ,india4 ,he referred1 of course1 to the religious life1 and was quite right1 although1 probably1 he was thinking chiefly of the example that ,i should find set me by my fellow ,christians2 while1 as mine was largely a camp life1 it was more the insight into the belief of my native companions which affected me4 ,there1 all around you1 are simple folk believing in what you know to be absurd2 you are brought face to face with ignorance and superstition2 you see how faith can be misplaced1 and how trusting natures can be deceived4 ,it sets you thinking whether1 after all1 you too may not be deceived2 whether the possession of an unlimited capacity for faith has the virtue in it which the priest tells you it has1 whether1 in fact1 faith is a reliable guide4 ,should you attempt to convert an educated native1 you not only find that the task is hopeless1 but that you are asking him to accept a belief which is as unfounded and unproven as the one he already holds4 ,anyone wishing to form some idea of an experience of this sort should read ,the ,bible3 ,is it the ,word of ,god8 by ,thomas ,lumsden ,strange1 formerly a judge of the ,high ,court of ,madras4 ,the way the observations are cast in the shape of a conversation between a student of the ,bible and a cultured native of ,india brings home many ,bible difficulties which largely escape the notice and consideration of the devout4 ,i have taken my illustration from this book4 ,chapter ,,iii4 ,p4 #gg1 lines #aa-ab4--;,encyclopdia ,biblica4 7,my best thanks are due to ,mr4 ,c4 ,t4 ,gorham for permitting me to make a free use of his notes on the ,enc4 ,bib47 ,in case the reader may jump to the conclusion that this is a work compiled by collecting the most heretical views from all parts of the globe 7as ,i was informed by the librarian when ,i inquired for the book in a ,cathedral library71 let me call attention to the list of contributors1 among whom will be found many ,english ministers of the ,gospel4 ,for instance3-- ,the ,rev4 ,archibald ,r4 ,s4 ,kennedy1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,hebrew and ,semitic ,languages1 ,edinburgh4 ,the ,rev4 ,c4 ,f4 ,burney1 ,m4,a41 ,lecturer in ,hebrew1 and ,fellow of ,st4 ,john's ,college1 ,oxford4 ,the ,rev4 ,claude ,hermann ,walter ,johns1 ,m4,a41 ,hon4 ,sec4 ,camb4 ,pupil ,teachers' ,centre4 ,the ,rev4 ,george ,adam ,smith1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 ,professor of ,hebrew and ,old ,testament ,exegesis1 ,free ,church ,college1 ,glasgow4 ,the ,very ,rev4 ,j4 ,a4 ,robinson1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,westminster4 ,the ,rev4 ,owen ,charles ,whitehouse1 ,m4,a41 ,principal and ,professor of ,biblical ,exegesis and ,theology in the ,countess of ,huntingdon's ,college1 ,cheshunt1 ,herts4 ,the ,rev4 ,r4 ,h4 ,charles1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,biblical ,greek1 ,trinity ,college1 ,dublin4 ,the ,rev4 ,samuel ,rolles ,driver1 ,d4,d41 ,regius ,professor of ,hebrew1 ,canon of ,christ ,church1 ,oxford4 ,the ,rev4 ,t4 ,k4 ,cheyne1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d41 ,oriel ,professor of the ,interpretation of ,holy ,scripture at ,oxford1 ,canon of ,rochester4 ,the ,rev4 ,t4 ,witton ,davies1 ,b4,a41 ,ph4,d41 ,professor of ,old ,testament ,literature1 ,north ,wales ,baptist ,college1 ,bangor2 ,lecturer in ,semitic ,languages1 ,university ,college4 ,the ,rev4 ,william ,e4 ,addis1 ,m4,a41 ,lecturer in ,old ,testament ,criticism1 ,manchester ,college1 ,oxford4 ,the ,rev4 ,william ,henry ,bennett1 ,litt4,d41 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,biblical ,languages and ,literature1 ,hackney ,college1 ,london1 and ,professor of ,old ,testament ,exegesis1 ,new ,college1 ,london4 ,the ,rev4 ,william ,sanday1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 ,lady ,margaret ,professor of ,divinity1 ,canon of ,christ ,church1 ,oxford4 ,the ,rev4 ,a4 ,b4 ,davidson1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,hebrew and ,old ,testament ,exegesis1 ,united ,free ,church ,new ,college1 ,edinburgh4 ,the ,rev4 ,george ,buchanan ,gray1 ,m4,a41 ,professor of ,hebrew1 ,mansfield ,college1 ,oxford4 ,the rapid advance of ,bible criticism in late years is well seen by comparing articles in ,dr4 ,w4 ,smith's ,dictionary of the ,bible 7#ahfj71 in the ,encyclopdia ,britannica1 signed ,w4 ,r4 ,s4 7between #ahge and #ahhh71 and in the ,encyclopdia ,biblica 7#ahii to #aijc74 ,even the comparatively conservative ,hastings's ,dictionary 7#ahih-aijb1 with extra volume #aijd7 contains articles which would have been condemned as heretical half a century ago4 ,speaking of the ,enc4 ,bib4 and ,hasting's ,dictionary1 ,mr4 ,benn remarks 7in his ,history of ,rationalism7 that1 as regards the ,old ,testament1 their respective attitudes do not essentially differ1 ,wellhausen's theory being accepted by both4 ,p4 #hj1 line #ah4--,we have note got the stone and read the inscriptions4 ,for a popular account of this interesting discovery 7upon the site of ,susa1 the ancient city of the ,persian kings1 in ,december1 #aija7 see ,the ,hammurabi ,code1 by ,chilperic ,edwards4 ,p4 #ajc1 line #af-ag4--;,a disputed passage in ,tacitus4 ,the sceptical theory is that1 had it been genuine1 the passage would not have been overlooked by all the early ,christian writers in the various disputations with objectors1 and especially by ,tertullian1 who quoted largely from his works1 and the ecclesiastical historian ,eusebius1 who was zealous in his defence of the ,faith and greedy of materials with which to support it4 7,an important ,french student of ,tacitus holds that the whole ,annals is medieval67 ,on the other hand1 the style is thoroughly ,tacitean1 containing a number of words and expressions elsewhere used by the author1 and more or less characteristic of him1 yet without any such elaborate over-imitation as we should expect to find even in a skilful forgery4 ,nor is the subject-matter perhaps less characteristic1 while the ,,ms4 evidence is in favour of the passage being genuine4 ,taking it to be so1 what1 after all1 does it amount to8 ,merely this4 ,christ was put to death by ,pontius ,pilate1 and a very large number of ,christians were put to death in a horrible manner by ,nero4 ,the passage occurs in ,tacitus1 ,annals1 ,,xv41 #dd1 and runs as follows3 ,consequently1 to get rid of the accusation1 ,nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations1 called by the populace ',christians4' ,christus1 from whom the name had its origin1 suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of ,tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators1 ,pontius ,pilate1 and a most mischievous superstition1 thus checked for the moment1 again broke out not only in ,juda1 the first source of the evil1 but even in ,rome1 where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular4 ,accordingly1 an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty2 then1 upon their information1 an immense multitude was convicted1 not so much of the crime of firing the city1 as of hatred of mankind4 ,mockery of every sort was added to their deaths4 ,covered with the skins of beasts1 they were torn by dogs and perished1 or were nailed to crosses1 or were doomed to the flames and burnt to serve as a nightly illumination when daylight had expired4 ,nero offered his gardens for the spectacle4 ,p4 #ajg1 lines #ai-bj4--,the true likeness of our ,lord had been miraculously transmitted4 ,presumably my informant was referring to the legend of ,st4 ,veronica1 since the equally absurd ,history of the ,likeness of ,christ 7translated by ,e4 ,a4 ,wallis ,budge7 closes with these words3 ,and the angel took the likeness from where it was standing1 and he removed it2 and no man hath ever seen it since4 ,chapter ,,iv4 ,p4 #aba1 line #bb4--;,born in a cave4 ,justin ,martyr the ,apologist1 who1 from his birth at ,shechem1 was familiar with ,palestine1 and who lived less than a century after the time of our ,lord1 places the scene of the nativity in a cave4 ,this is1 indeed1 the ancient and constant tradition both of the ,eastern and the ,western ,churches1 and it is one of the few to which1 though unrecorded in ,gospel history1 we may attach a reasonable probability 7see p4 #bj of the cheap edition #aijf of ,farrar's ,life of ,christ74 ,the grotto of the manger in the ,church of the ,nativity at ,bethlehem is certainly a cave4 ,embedded in the rock is a much-kissed silver star bearing the inscription3 ,hic de ,virgine ,maria ,jesus ,christus natus est4 ,p4 #abb1 line #f4--,krishna was slain4 ,the ,vishnu ,purna speaks of his being shot in the foot with an arrow4 ,other accounts state that he was suspended on a tree4 ,on raconte fort diversement la mort de ,crishna4 ,une tradition remarquable et avre le fait prir sur un bois fatal 7un arbre71 ou il fut clou d'un coup de flche 7quoted from ,mons4 ,guigniaut's ,religion de l',antiquit1 by ,higgins2 ,anacalypsis1 vol4 i41 p4 #add74 ,in the accounts given in the ,mahbhrata1 ,vishnu ,purna1 and ,bhagavat ,purna1 the slaying is unintentional1 but predestined4 ,there appears to have been a crucifixion myth in ancient ,india2 but ,godfrey ,higgins' assumption that ,krishna was crucified rests mainly on an oversight of the archologist ,moor 7see ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson's ,christianity and ,mythology1 pp4 #bid-i74 ,p4 #abc1 lines #bd-e4--;,almost every important episode of the life of ,christ4 ,with the remarkable exception of the death of ,jesus on the cross and of the doctrine of atonement by vicarious suffering1 which is absolutely excluded by ,buddhism1 the most ancient of the ,buddhistic records known to us contain statements about the life and the doctrines of ,gautama ,buddha which correspond in a remarkable manner1 and impossibly by mere chance1 with the traditions recorded in the ,gospels about the life and doctrine of ,jesus ,christ 7quoted from p4 #ej of ,bunsen's ,angel ,messiah74 ,p4 #abd1 line #a4--;,buddha was miraculously born4 ,maya dreams that she is carried by archangels to heaven1 and that there the future ,buddha enters her right side in the form of a superb white elephant4 ,rhys ,davids relates this legend on p4 #ahc of his ,buddhism1 and in a footnote he says3 ,csoma ,korsi refers in a distant way to a belief of the later ,mongol ,buddhists that ,maya was a virgin 7,as4 ,res4 xx4 #bii72 but this has not been confirmed4 ,st4 ,jerome says 7,adversus ,jovin41 bk4 #a73 ',it is handed down as a tradition among the ,gymnosophists of ,india that ,buddha1 the founder of their system1 was brought forth by a virgin from her side4' ,in ,samuel ,beal's ,romantic ,history of ,buddha 7from the ,chinese version7 we read of ,buddha's miraculous birth1 and that there is ground to assume the prevalence of this belief for centuries before ,christ4 ,bunsen1 again 7p4 x4 of his ,angel-,messiah71 speaks of the ,virgin ,maya1 on whom1 according to ,chinese tradition1 the ,holy ,ghost had descended2 and elsewhere 7e4g41 pp4 #aj and #be7 he adopts this version of the legend4 ,dr4 ,knowling1 in his apologetic work1 ,our ,lord's ,virgin ,birth and the ,criticism of ,today1 pp4 #ec-d1 lays stress upon the grotesqueness of the idea that a man should enter his mother's womb in the form of a white elephant4 ,but1 as ,dr4 ,rhys ,davids explains 7p4 #ahd of ,buddhism71 there is nothing bizarre when the origin of the poetical figure has been ascertained4 ,the belief was borrowed from the older sun-worship1 the white elephant1 like the white horse cf4 ,rev4 vi4 #b and xix4 #aa1 #ad1 being an emblem of the sun1 the universal monarch of the sky4 ,p4 #abf1 lines #a-b4--;,he was very early regarded as omniscient and absolutely sinless4 ,dr4 ,rhys ,davids's remarks on the early growth of myths concerning ,buddha1 coming as they do from a champion of the ,christian cause1 are full of significance for anyone who permits himself to think and who keeps an open mind4 ,he says 7p4 #ahb of ,buddhism73 ,the belief soon sprang up that he could not have been1 that he was not1 born as ordinary men are2 that he had no earthly father2 that he descended of his own accord into his mother's womb from his throne in heaven2 and that he gave unmistakeable signs1 immediately after his birth1 of his high character and of his future greatness4 ,we have a perfect illustration of the possibility and rapidity of the legend-making process in the nineteenth century4 ,the ,bab 7or gateway7 was a ,persian reformer who suffered martyrdom at the hands of the authorities in #ahej4 ,within forty years an evidently mythical version of his life was current among his followers in the form of a ,gospel4 ,babism inculcates a high morality1 and there is a likelihood of its becoming paramount in ,persia4 ,for further information on this new religion see ,life and ,teachings of ,abbas ,effendi1 by ,myron ,h4 ,phelps 7,putnam74 ,p4 #abg1 line #aj4--;,born of the ,virgin ,isis4 ,it is true1 as ,dr4 ,knowling points out 7p4 #ef of ,the ,virgin ,birth71 and as ,i have personally seen1 that in the inscriptions and scenes in the temple of ,luxor we have at least some elements of the glorifying of sensual desire which is so far removed from the chaste restraint and simplicity of the ,evangelists4 ,but the parallel is not a whit the less admissible because the same story appears in a fresh garb to suit the higher ideals of a new religion4 ,p4 #acj1 note #a4--,mexican ,antiquities4 ,most of ,viscount ,kingsborough's life and fortune was devoted to his illustrated work1 ,antiquities of ,mexico 7nine volumes and a portion of a tenth volume1 imperial folio1 ,london1 #ahcj-dh74 ,no anti-,christian spirit inspired his labours2 on the contrary1 he attempted to prove a ,jewish migration to ,mexico4 ,though the attempt failed1 he bequeathed to posterity an invaluable work on the ancient religion of ,mexico4 ,p4 #aca1 line #bf4--;,healing miracles1 such as those performed by ,jesus4 ,conyers ,middleton1 formerly principal librarian of ,cambridge ,university1 tells us that in the temples of sculapius all kinds of diseases were believed to be publicly cured1 by the pretended help of the ,deity1 in proof of which there were erected in each temple columns of brass or marble1 on which a distinct narrative of each particular cure was described4 ,there is a remarkable fragment of one of these tables still extant1 and exhibited by ,gruter in his collection 7just as it was found in the ruins of the temple of sculapius in the ,tiber island71 which gives an account of two blind men restored to sight by sculapius1 in the open view1 and with the loud acclamation of the people1 acknowledging the manifest power of the god4 ,compare ,st4 ,matthew ix4 #bg-cj4 ,is it not truly marvellous to think that exactly the same sort of thing is going on at the various miracle-working shrines of ,christendom at the present moment8 ,is it not also surprising to hear certain divines in our own country speak of the alleged miracles of the early ,church as if they were real1 and as if it were a sort of lost art due to our poorer faith in modern times8 ,i am referring to sermons preached lately from various pulpits on the subject of ,christian ,science and ,faith-cures4 ,p4 #acc1 line #bj4--;,acted in ,athens five hundred years before the ,christian era4 ,in the ,nineteenth ,century for ,march1 #aije1 ,mr4 ,slade ,butler points out1 in his article on ,the ,greek ,mysteries and the ,gospel ,narrative1 that in the first century after ,christ these mysteries1 in one form or another1 had become the recognised religion of the ,greek world4 ,mr4 ,butler takes in turn all the main features of the ,gospel narratives1 and shows their close resemblance to incidents of the ,greek mystery-dramas4 ,the baptism of ,john1 the triumphal procession in honour of ,jesus1 ,his clearing of the temple1 the cursing of the fig tree1 the ,last ,supper1 the mocking of ,jesus in ,his death-agony1 are shown to have striking parallels in the sacred mysteries of the ,greeks4 ,p4 #acc1 line #bc4--;,even ,bacchus 444 was a slain ,saviour4 ,dupuis1 ,the ,origin of all ,religious ,worship1 pp4 #ace and #beh2 ,higgins1 ,anacalypsis1 vol4 ii41 p4 #ajb2 ,knight1 ,the ,symbolical ,language of ,ancient ,art and ,mythology1 p4 xxii41 note1 and p4 #ih1 note4 ,p4 #acd1 lines #g-h4--,pagan crucifixions of the young incarnate divinities of ,india1 ,persia1 ,asia ,minor1 and ,egypt4 ,we have it on the authority of a ,christian ,father that the ,pagans adored crosses2 for ,tertullian1 a ,christian ,father of the second and third centuries1 writing to the ,pagans1 says3 ,the origin of your god is derived from figures moulded on a cross 7,apol41 chap4 xvi42 ,ad ,nationes1 chap4 xii474 ,at the present moment1 both in ,europe and ,america1 the ,egyptian cross or life sign is a fashionable ornament1 under the name of crux ansata 7or cross with a handle74 ,its pious wearers are1 of course1 quite unaware that it is the phallic emblem6 ,could anything more conclusively demonstrate the prevailing ignorance of comparative mythology8 #cic ,p4 #ach1 note4--,the probable date of the origin of the story of ,buddha1 ,chinese version4 ,a very valuable date1 later than which we cannot place the origin of the story1 may be derived from the colophon at the end of the last chapter of the book4 ,it is there stated that the ,abhinish ,kramana ,stra is called by the school of the ,dharmaguptas ,fo-pen-hing-king4444 ,we know from the ',chinese ,encyclopdia1' ,kai-yuen-shi-kian-mu-lu1 that the ,fo-pen-hing was translated into ,chinese from the ,sanscrit 7the ancient language of ,hindostan7 so early as the eleventh year of the reign of ,wing-ping 7,ming-ti71 of the ,han dynasty--i e41 #fi or #gj ,a4,d4 ,we may therefore safely suppose that the original work was in circulation in ,india for some time previous to that date4 7,quoted from the ,introduction to ,mr4 ,s4 ,beal's ,romantic ,history of ,buddha47 ,thus1 as the writer of the article on the ,gospels in the ,enc4 ,bib4 observes1 when referring to the parallels3 ,the proof that the ,buddhistic sources are older than the ,christian must be regarded as irrefragable4 ,p4 #adh1 line #ba4--,modern non-,christian beliefs1 ,parallels in the rites of4 ,very similar ceremonies are to be found among the heathen to-day4 ,for instance1 something very like our ,eucharistical rite is performed in modern ,japan4 ,looking on at a service in a ,shinto temple1 ,i was much struck by the extraordinary similarity of the whole ceremony4 ,it was a sort of ,high ,mass with ,gregorian music4 ,the blessed wafers are not eaten on the premises1 but are taken away by the worshippers to be used in time of sickness4 ,the worshippers1 ,i may mention1 were all of the poorer and more ignorant classes4 ,p4 #aej1 line #aj4--,their blood was drunk in the form of wine4 ,regarding this1 ,mr4 ,grant ,allen remarks3 ,when ,dionysus became the annual or biennial vine-god victim1 it was inevitable that his worshippers should have seen his resurrection and embodiment in the vine1 and should have regarded the wine it yielded as the blood of the god4 ,p4 #aef1 lines #ai-bj4--;,adopting their dates for the birth and death and resurrection of their ,saviours4 ,at the winter solstice the sun seemed to the ancients to be commencing its annual journey round the heavens4 ,accordingly1 ,december #beth was considered to be the sun's birthday1 which was annually celebrated by a great festival in many parts of the heathen world--in ,china1 ,india1 ,persia1 ,egypt1 and also in ancient ,greece1 ,rome1 ,germany1 ,scandinavia1 ,great ,britain1 ,ireland1 and ,america4 ,similarly1 at the vernal equinox1 the sun1 which has been below the equator1 suddenly appears to rise above it1 and so1 usually upon a date calculated by the pagan astronomers 7and corresponding roughly to our ,easter71 we find that throughout a considerable portion of the ancient world1 after mourning the sun's death 7sometimes for a period of three days71 the ,resurrection was celebrated with great rejoicings4 ,primitive man regarded all sensible objects as instinct with a conscious life4 ,he noted the changes of days and years1 and the objects which so changed were to him as living things4 ,the rising and setting sun1 the return of summer and winter1 became a drama in which the actors were his friends or enemies4 ,it was no allegory1 but1 strange as it appears to us now1 all an absolute reality4 ,christ's birth was ultimately placed at the winter solstice1 the birthday of the sun-god in the most popular cults2 and1 while that is fixed as an anniversary1 the date of the ,crucifixion is made to vary from year to year in order to conform to the astronomical principle on which the ,jews1 following the sun-worshippers1 had fixed their ,passover4 ,this ignorance of the early ,church concerning the dates of the ,jesus' birth1 death1 and resurrection1 is an exceedingly suspicious circumstance4 ,if the fundamental verities were an objective fact to the early ,christians1 how could the dates have been so utterly forgotten that dates belonging to idolatrous superstitions had to be adopted8 ,it is perplexing enough that ,god should have allowed the memory of ,his ,son's life on earth to be handed down for a considerable time by tradition only2 but that ,he should have permitted such lapses of memory and the substitution of the dates of pagan festivals is to me altogether inconceivable4 ,it could not but raise suspicion concerning ,his revelation in future thinking generations4 ,we have a certain knowledge of the dates of comparatively unimportant events in the world's history1 ages before the ,christian era4 ,if these important dates could be forgotten1 what else may not have been forgotten2 what else may not have been substituted in the place of forgotten incidents8 ,again1 did not the disciples and their converts celebrate the anniversaries of these great events8 ,and1 if so1 on what dates8 ,the question is of more importance than perhaps at first sight it appears to be4 ,the public will soon be asking the ,church for a satisfactory explanation1 and she must be prepared to furnish it4 ,in the ,daily ,telegraph1 during the ,christmas of #aijd1 the public were informed that the most erudite archologists and professors of ,church history confess that there is not a particle of evidence1 either ,biblical or traditional1 for the claim of ,december #beth to be the birthday of ,christ1 and that everything goes to prove that our existing festival of the ,nativity was introduced to replace the heathen festival of the 'sol invictus' in ,southern ,italy1 and of the ,yule or ,winter solstice festival among the ancient ,teutons4 ,again1 in the ,daily ,graphic during the ,easter of #aije1 the public will have read that there is no particular sanctity in the ',table to ,find ,easter1' based as it is upon the calculations of a pagan astronomer who lived four hundred years before ,christ4 ,in ,france the ,christian names of the four statutory holidays have been abolished by law4 ,christmas is called the ,festival of the ,family1 and so on4 ,the time is coming1 and is even now at hand1 when the ,english public will discover ugly facts about ,christianity without having to read books published by freethinking firms--books which the parson advises us to leave severely alone4 ,p4 #afj1 lines #c-d4--,why do we hear so little of this great discovery from the pulpit8 ,the following from a sermon by the ,bishop of ,manchester1 preached in ,manchester ,cathedral on ,sunday1 ,september #dth1 #ahhg1 forms a striking exception to the rule4 ,the sufficient answer1 says the ,bishop1 to ninety out of a hundred of the ordinary objections to the ,bible1 as the record of a divine education of our race1 is given in that one word--development4 ,and to what are we indebted for that potent word1 which1 as with the wand of a magician1 has at the same moment so completely transformed our knowledge and dispelled our difficulties8 ,to modern science1 resolutely pursuing its search for truth in spite of popular obloquy and--alas that one should have to say it--in spite too often of theological denunciation6 7,quoted by ,professor ,huxley in his essay on ,an ,episcopal ,trilogy47 ,would that there were equal candour all round6 ,but this indebtedness of theology to science in spite of itself is certainly one of the many workings of the ,holy ,spirit which are quite inexplicable4 ,all the more so when we remember that truth-seeking scientists are1 nowadays1 usually ,agnostics4 ,p4 #afe1 lines #ch-i4--;,a ,mithraist could turn to the ,christian worship and find his main rites unimpaired4 ,we have the witness of the ,christian ,fathers4 ,justin ,martyr1 after describing the institution of the ,lord's ,supper 7#a ,apol41 chap4 #ff71 goes on to say3 ,which the wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of ,mithra1 commanding the same thing to be done4 ,for that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of the one who is being initiated1 you either know or can learn4 ,tertullian intimates that the devil1 by the mysteries of his idols1 imitates even the main parts of the divine mysteries4 ,he also baptises his worshippers in water1 and makes them believe that this purifies them of their crimes4 ,there ,mithra sets his mark on the forehead of his soldiers2 he celebrates the oblation of bread2 he offers an image of the resurrection1 and presents at once the crown and sword2 he limits his chief priest to a single marriage2 he even has virgins and his ascetics 7continentes74 7,prscr4 c4 #dj4 ,cp4 ,de ,bapt4 c4 #e2 ,de ,corona1 c4 #ae4 ,quoted on p4 #cbb of ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson's ,pagan ,christs47 ,we have also the witness of modern discoveries4 ,for example1 ,professor ,franz ,cumont1 in his work1 ,les ,mystres de ,mithra1 gives a photograph of a recently-discovered bas-relief1 representing a ,mithraic communion4 ,on a small tripod is the bread1 in the form of wafers1 each marked with a cross4 ,chapter ,v4 ,p4 #agb1 lines #ad-ae4--;,ignorance of the gist of the ,darwinian theory1 natural selection1 has been fruitful in misunderstandings4 ,it is very necessary to understand exactly what the theory of natural selection is and is not2 because champions of the ,faith1 even when believing in ,evolution1 base some of their arguments on the alleged collapse of the ,darwinian theory4 ,thus1 in ,present-day ,rationalism ,critically ,examined1 the ,rev4 ,professor ,george ,henslow affirms that1 while the theory of ,evolution stands on an impregnable basis1 ,haeckel's ,monism and ,rationalistic agnosticism are based on ,darwin's doctrine of natural selection1 and he enters upon an elaborate argument--covering sixty pages of his book--to show that the origin of species by means of natural selection is false1 and that the primary cause of ,evolution is the definite action of the environment1 combined with the adaptive powers of the living organism4 ,such arguments1 coming from a clergyman having scientific attainments1 are likely to impress the average ,christian reader and confuse the main issue4 ,natural selection is the action of the environment 7see ,the ,origin of ,species1 chap4 iv471 and even if it were not1 and if natural selection 7or elimination7 were not the primary cause1 the doctrine of the action of environment will suit the ,monist just as well4 ,regarding the minor1 but not unimportant1 part played by sexual selection1 ,darwin writes3 ,for my own part1 ,i conclude that of all the causes which have led to the differences in external appearance between the races of men1 and to a certain extent between man and the lower animals1 sexual selection has been by far the most efficient 7,descent of ,man1 ed4 #ahga1 ii41 #cfg74 ,scientists who are advocates of the ,christian cause are not always as candid as one could wish4 ,while the ,church cited ,sir ,richard ,owen as an authority against the ,darwinian theory1 especially in its application to man's descent1 there remained in the memory of his brother savants his lack of candour in never withdrawing the statement made by him1 and demonstrated by ,huxley as untrue1 that the hippocampus minor in the human brain is absent from the brain of the ape4 7,see p4 #agb of ,mr4 ,clodd's ,pioneers of ,evolution4 ,see also remarks by ,sir ,charles ,lyell1 pp4 #dhe and #dhf of his work1 ,antiquity of ,man4 ,on p4 #bij he further tells us that we may consider the attempt to distinguish the brain of man from that of the ape on the ground of newly-discovered cerebral characters1 presenting differences in kind1 as virtually abandoned by its originator47 ,p4 #bje1 lines #ah-bj4--,that there are not more links missing is due principally to the discovery of fossil remains4 ,the greatest importance has been attached to a discovery in ,java1 made in #ahid by ,eugene ,dubois4 ,the remains consisted of the crown of the skull1 two teeth1 and a femur belonging to a creature for which the name ,pithecanthropus erectus has been invented4 ,this pithecanthropus excited the liveliest interest as the long-sought transitional form between man and the ape4 ,professor ,haeckel writes concerning this in his book1 ,the ,evolution of ,man1 vol4 ii41 p4 #fcc3 ,there were very interesting scientific discussions on it at the last three ,international ,congresses of ,zoology 7,leyden1 #ahie2 ,cambridge1 #ahih2 and ,berlin1 #aija74 ,i took an active part in the discussion at ,cambridge1 and may refer the reader to the paper ,i read there4 7,it has been translated by ,dr4 ,gadow1 under the title of ,the ,last ,link47 ,since then we have ,professor ,keasbey writing in #aija that the remains have been pronounced genuine1 and ,professor ,packard1 in #aijb1 that it is now generally recognised4 ,again1 to give a still more recent find1 ,dr4 ,andrews1 who accompanied the ,geological ,survey of ,egypt1 has 7as mentioned by ,professor ,ray ,lankester in his lecture at the ,london ,institution on ,november #bnd1 #aijf7 discovered a remarkable skull 7now in the ,natural ,history ,museum7 which is the connecting link between elephants1 ancient and modern1 and other mammals4 ,there have also been discoveries of missing links among the living4 ,the duck-bill1 a four-footed animal which lays eggs1 is an important link between reptiles and mammals4 ,cuvier1 the celebrated ,french naturalist1 a persistent opponent of the evolutionary doctrines advanced by ,lamarck and ,geoffroy ,saint-,hilaire1 did not believe it possible that any four-footed animal could lay eggs1 and it was not till long after his time1 and1 indeed1 only quite lately1 that the statements of the natives were verified1 and the eggs of the duck-bill actually found4 ,p4 #bjh1 lines #ad-ah4--;,enough has been said1 ,i hope1 to convince the reader that 444 there is overpowering evidence against separate acts of creation1 and in favour of an animal origin of the human race4 ,this ,family ,tree of ,life will enable him to form a brain-picture of the various steps in the evolutionary process3-- ,note4--,it is now generally admitted that man goes back at least #bjj1jjj years4 ,illustration3 ,protoplasm plus ,chlorophyll ,this diagram of development is taken from ,edwards ,clodd's work1 ,the ,story of ,creation1 by the kind permission of ,mr4 ,clodd and ,messrs4 ,longmans4 ,note by ,mr4 ,clodd4--,the ascent of the higher life-forms from the lower is more lateral than the lines indicate1 but the diagram is only a rough attempt to show the relative places of the leading groups4 ,p4 #bah1 lines #ad-ae4--,the dogmas of sin and its atonement4 ,astronomers tell us that there are some #ejj1jjj1jjj suns visible from our earth1 many if not most of them larger than our sun1 and all of them presumably surrounded by planets at least as important as our earth2 and to maintain the old theological view of the supreme value of this little insignificant planet in the eyes of the ',almighty ,ruler' of such a universe1 or to suppose that ,he would send ,his ',only ,son' to die for us little cosmic microbes1 is presumption which1 when one thinks of it1 really seems to amount to insanity 7quoted from p4 #ajh of ,richard ,harte's ,lay ,religion74 ,chapter ,,vi4 ,p4 #bbj1 line #a4--;,deism denies ,christianity4 ,god1 says ,canon ,liddon1 is banished from the world by deism1 which puts nature in ,his place 7,some ,elements of ,religion1 pp4 #ef-g74 ,the seventeenth and eighteenth-century deists1 however1 did not deny the personality of ,god1 but the fact of revelation4 ,in recent theology deism has generally come to be regarded as1 in common with theism1 holding in opposition to atheism that there is a ,god1 and in opposition to pantheism that ,god is distinct from the world1 but as differing from theism in maintaining that ,god is separate from the world1 having endowed it with self-sustaining and self-acting powers1 and then abandoned it to itself 7,enc4 ,brit41 art4 ,theism74 ,p4 #bba1 line #h4--,what it is to be a ,christian4 ,archdeacon ,wilson avers that ,we dare not deny the name of ,christian to such as live in ,christ's spirit and do ,his will1 though they know not for certain how ,god manifested himself in ,christ1 and will not profess a certainty they do not feel4 ,again1 he argues that ,we rest on the broad ground of the vast experience of the world1 and the testimony of our own conscience1 that ,christ has lifted mankind up1 and shown man what is good2 and this we may describe as bringing man to ,god1 and revealing ,god to man4 ,this redemption1 salvation1 we acknowledge as a fact4 ,he who has this faith in ,christ1 and lets it work its natural result in making him more like ,christ1 deserves to be called a ,christian4 ,this does1 indeed1 give plenty of latitude--far more1 in fact1 than the ,church as a body seems likely to give for some time to come4 ,it1 and the ,rev4 ,r4 ,j4 ,campbell's ,new ,theology1 will certainly enable many who are in reality non-,christian theists to continue calling themselves ,christians4 ,p4 #bbd1 note4--,haeckel's ,critics ,answered4 ,in the chapter on ,god there is a striking exposition of the very latest arguments for and against ,theism4 ,the opinions of ,messrs4 ,ward1 ,newman1 ,smythe1 ,le ,conte1 ,fiske1 ,w4 ,n4 ,clarke1 ,croll1 ,aubrey ,moore1 ,iverach1 ,dallinger1 ,ballard1 ,rhondda ,williams1 ,profeit1 ,kennedy1 ,w4 ,james1 and ,royce are all considered4 ,many pious ,christians may have read the apologists' criticisms of ,haeckel's well-known work1 ,the ,riddle of the ,universe1 but few will have studied the work itself1 and still fewer these clear and convincing replies to the criticisms4 ,it cannot be on account of the cost1 as a copy of the cheap edition of either of these works can be obtained for #d #a_/b;d4 ,p4 #bec1 lines #be-f4--,some such psychical experiences largely account for religious superstitions4 ,with regard to phenomena at present popularly known as spiritualistic1 but for which scientists have now adopted the term metapsychical1 the following declaration by ,professor ,lombroso 7appearing in the review ,la ,lettura1 ,november1 #aijf7 is of considerable interest4 ,as the result1 he writes1 of our researches1 ,i have been bound to admit the conviction that these phenomena are of colossal importance1 and that it is the plain duty of science to direct attention towards them without delay4 ,n4,b4--,the ,professor1 when interviewed subsequently by the ,turin correspondent of the ,standard1 repudiated any suggestion of supernatural agency1 and said3 ,all spiritualistic phenomena can be understood and explained without any reference to the intervention of the supernatural4 ,spiritualists affirm that the soul is an emanation from ,god1 while ,i contend that it is an emanation of the brain4 ,this is the whole thing in a nutshell4 ,you therefore see how1 from this point of view1 ,i cannot be called a spiritualist--at least1 in the sense in which the term is generally understood4 ,almost all spiritualistic phenomena can be classed among those positive facts which science can explain4 ,however1 in an article contributed by him to the ,grand ,magazine for ,january1 #aijg1 and entitled ,why ,i became a ,spiritualist1 ,professor ,lombroso admits that he has felt himself compelled to yield to the conviction that spiritualistic phenomena1 if due in great part to the influence of the medium1 are likewise attributable to the influence of extra-terrestrial existences1 which may1 perhaps1 be compared to the radio-activity which still persists in tubes after the radium which originated them has disappeared4 ,professor ,cesare ,lombroso1 it may be mentioned1 is ,professor of ,psychiatry at the ,university of ,turin1 and the author of standard works on criminology1 hypnotism1 and psychology1 as well as of a number of valuable treatises relating to cerebral study4 ,two of his publications1 ,man of ,genius 7#ahia7 and ,female ,offender 7#ahie71 have been issued in ,english4 ,the phenomena ,professor ,lombroso refers to are those which have induced such eminent scientists as ,wallace1 ,lodge1 ,hyslop1 ,barrett1 and ,crookes to remain or to become supernaturalists4 ,one1 and to my mind the chief1 reason why these metapsychical phenomena are1 as ,professor ,lombroso tells us1 of colossal importance--why science should direct attention towards them without delay--is that1 so soon as they are universally acknowledged to be manifestations occurring in obedience to one of ,nature's laws--a law as yet not fully understood--the last excuse for belief in the supernatural will have vanished4 ,supernaturalism will receive its death-blow1 and ,rationalism be infused with fresh life4 ,p4 #bed1 line #bh4--,professor ,james--an earnest champion of religion4 ,in defining his philosophic position he admits his own inability to accept either popular ,christianity or scholastic ,theism 7see his ,postscript1 p4 #eba74 ,he is of opinion that both the metaphysical argument for ,god's existence and the arguments for a ,god with moral attributes must be rejected1 and the man who is sincere with himself and the facts1 but who remains religious still1 must soothe his perplexed and baffled intellect with a trustful sense of presence 7ibid1 pp4 #dde-h74 ,a careful perusal of his book1 however1 makes it tolerably clear that this feeling of the presence of ,spiritual ,beings is simply a hallucination4 ,p4 #bef1 lines #bb-bf4--,there has never yet been a case of a ,mohammedan or a ,hindoo1 or any other non-,christian1 who1 without having heard of ,christianity1 has had a revelation of ,christian truth4 ,chet ,ram1 the founder of a sect whose numbers1 according to the last ,indian census1 are increasing day by day1 began by being a ,hindu1 and then became the disciple of a ,mohammedan fakir in the ,punjab4 ,after following him for some years he had what he described as a vision of ,christ1 who revealed ,himself as the author of salvation1 and commanded him 7,chet ,ram7 to build a church and to place within it the ,bible4 ,he was himself illiterate1 but immediately began to proclaim the divinity of ,christ1 and was soon followed by disciples recruited alike from the ,hindus and the ,moslems4 ,it is religious experiences such as these which continue to deceive even educated men and women1 and hinder the growth of ,rationalism4 ,chapter ,,vii4 ,p4 #bhe1 lines #aj-aa4--,the ghastly death of the witch4 ,it is impossible to leave the history of witchcraft without reflecting how vast an amount of suffering has1 in this respect at least1 been removed by the progress of rationalistic civilisation4444 ,it is probable that no class of victims endured sufferings so unalloyed and so intense4444 ,all these sufferings were the result of a single superstition1 which the spirit of ,rationalism has destroyed4 7,see pp4 #acg-h of ,lecky's ,rationalism in ,europe1 ,longmans1 ,green1 ,co41 #aijd47 ,pp4 #bij-if1 and p4 #bid1 note #d4 ,the following are some further notes on the spread of ,christianity3-- ,when1 after more than three centuries1 the spread became fairly rapid1 owing1 as we have seen1 to circumstances of a distinctly mundane character1 what was the effect on public morality8 ,the ,roman ,empire passed its zenith in the first half of the second century--under ,stoics4 ,historians agree that it was declining all through the third century4 ,on the other hand1 it was making fresh progress morally in the fourth century4 ,it deteriorated morally after ,a4,d4 #chj-ij1 the date of the triumph of ,christianity6 ,do these facts bear out the ,christian contention that ,christianity purifies empire8 ,if we continue the history of ,christianity's spread1 we find similar samples of ,divine ,providence and similar samples of moral progress4 ,take1 for instance1 the facts connected with the conversion of the barbarians1 as related by the author of the apologetic work1 ,beneficial ,influence of the ,ancient ,clergy4 ,we learn that ,many a deviation from primitive simplicity1 dangerous though it might justly seem to the integrity of the ,roman faith1 was productive of consequences the most momentous to tribes who reverenced principally the pomp and mysterious ceremony attendant on the faith which they embraced1 and would have scorned to bow down before priests or altars whose faultless humility merely recalled the rude shrines of their native forests4 ,also we learn that the lavish piety of barbarian sovereigns directed the plunder of suffering lands into the capacious coffers of the ,church4 ,although this led to the most fatal period of clerical corruption1 our apologist is yet able to see in it the guiding hand of ,providence establishing the constant grandeur of the ecclesiastical edifice6 ,in ,central ,europe it was by force of arms that ,charlemagne succeeded in spreading ,christianity4 ,it cannot be doubted1 we are told1 that the conquering hosts of the ,franks were far more effective in the conversion of ,central ,europe than could have been the most self-denying of missionaries1 or the most undoubtedly miraculous of ,italian relics4 ,this fresh spread took place towards the close of the eighth century4 ,after a hundred years or so for the leaven to work1 we should expect to see a distinct advance in morality among both the clergy and the laity4 ,we find1 on the contrary1 that during the whole of the tenth century the spectacle presented by society was revolting4 ,not only did the clerical body present sure tokens of that gigantic cancer which was wasting the energies of the ,church1 but their degeneracy was relieved by nothing that was noble or praiseworthy among the laity4 ,p4 #cae1 lines #c-d4--,the ,rationalistic explanation of that essence of the religious instinct1 belief in an after-life4 ,eternity is at best but an artificial idea2 in reality1 it is no true idea at all1 since we cannot conceive it2 it is only the negation of an idea1 being1 in fact1 the negation of that which passes away4 ,when we begin discussing eternity we see that1 from the point of view of natural science1 nothing is eternal except the ultimate particles of matter and their forces2 for no one of the thousandfold phenomena and combinations under which matter and force present themselves to us can be eternal 7,weismann on ,heredity1 vol4 ii41 p4 #gd ,oxford1 ,clarendon ,press1 #ahib74 ,chapter ,,viii4 ,p4 #cca1 lines #ae-af4--;,a kind of undefined1 but nevertheless potent and serviceable1 religion4 ,the ,rev4 ,henry ,scott ,jeffreys1 of ,sendai1 contributed a paper1 entitled ,some of the ,native ,virtues of the ,japanese ,people1 to the ,japan ,evangelist4 ,the following are some1 out of many1 exceedingly significant admissions3--,after seven years' residence among this people1 ,i wish to place on record my humble testimony to their native virtues4 ,i refer to virtues that belong to the ,japanese people without reference to their faith4 ,in this connection it may be said that perhaps the most remarkable part is their devotion to ethics alone1 utterly divorced from religion4 ,they love virtue for its own sake1 and not from fear of punishment or hope of reward4444 ,they have eliminated from their system of ethics not only heaven and hell1 but ,god also4444 ,to be sure1 there are religions 7so-called71 both native and foreign2 but they have little effect upon the popular conscience4444 ,the conversion of this people to the ,christian faith is a most complex and perplexing problem2 not because they are so bad1 but because they are so good4 ,p4 #ccd1 lines #bi-ca4--;,crime and bad lives will be the measure of a ,state's failure4 ,it is customary to scout the idea of ,state control as the panacea for social evils4 ,one is warned against grandmotherly legislation1 interference with the liberty of the private individual1 etc4 ,i may be permitted1 therefore1 to give an illustration of its beneficial effect4 ,the ,gothenburg system1 by which the liquor traffic is judiciously controlled1 has1 in spite of all opposition1 fought its way victoriously1 and is now adopted1 although partly modified1 in most towns in ,sweden1 and also in ,norway and ,finland4 ,thus the evil effects of drink have been considerably mitigated2 intemperance1 pauperism1 and vice have been reduced4 ,would not legislation of this nature for the removal of ,england's greatest curse be far better than half-hearted measures that are palliative rather than remedial8 ,now that the ,church has taken up the temperance cause1 could she not bring her great influence to bear towards the introduction of some such system1 pitting herself against vested interests8 ,remarkable work is being carried on by the ,danish temperance societies on the basis of allowing their members to regard beer of low alcoholic strength as a temperance beverage4 ,australia has been watching ,new ,zealand in the matter of drink reform1 and the ,government of ,new ,south ,wales1 at any rate1 has found it necessary to fulfil pledges given at the last general election1 with the result that1 among a certain class1 there is an immense diminution in the temptation to drink4 ,where the nature of the case demands it1 more drastic remedies must be applied4 ,thus ,belgium has forbidden the very presence of absinthe within her borders1 and in ,switzerland--in some of the cantons1 at all events--the authorities have made up their minds to prohibit the manufacture and sale of absinthe4 ,even in ,china an edict has now been promulgated for the abolition of the use of opium1 and an anti-opium movement is spreading which bids fair to embarrass the interested abettor of the vice--a ,christian ,government4 ,in their volume1 ,the ,making of the ,criminal 7,macmillan ,co471 ,messrs4 ,c4 ,e4 ,b4 ,russell and ,l4 ,m4 ,rigby confirm the now generally accepted view that it is1 as a rule1 between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one that the habitual criminal is made1 and show that juvenile crime is a product of the wretched economic1 social1 and family condition in which so many unhappy children are born and have to live4 ,the criminal is also recruited1 as ,dr4 ,w4 ,d4 ,morrison points out 7in a review of their book appearing in the ,tribune1 ,december #abth1 #aijf71 from those whose home and social antecedents may be good enough1 but who are themselves either mentally or physically below the average of the general community1 and who1 therefore1 when times are bad1 drift insensibly into crime4 ,when to all this unfavourable environment we add an unfavourable heredity1 we get a conjunction of circumstances against which it is quite impossible for the unfortunate to contend1 even though he be aided by the gift of freewill and by all the intercessory prayers of the ,churches4 ,the ,borstal system and other remedies recommended in ,the ,making of the ,criminal are excellent in their way1 but can be regarded only as palliatives4 ,they deal with the criminal after he has been made4 ,what is wanted is1 to quote ,dr4 ,morrison1 a wise and progressive statesmanship which will cut off crime at its roots--a statesmanship which will devote itself with care and foresight to ameliorating the whole material and moral conditions of existence of the workman1 the woman1 and the child4 ,and this statesmanship will take an enlightened view of the population question1 recognising that it is in the diminution of the struggle for existence1 not in the rise of the birth-rate1 that the material and moral condition of the people can be ameliorated4 ,p4 #ccf1 note4--,psychical research will lead to the discovery of a complete and scientific method for the toughening of our moral fibres4 ,a quarter of a century ago ,proctor remarked 7see pp4 #bjc-d of his essays1 ,rough ,ways ,made ,smooth7 that the phenomena of hypnotism promise to afford valuable means of curing certain ailments1 and of influencing in useful ways certain powers and functions of the body4 ,he recognised possibilities which1 duly developed1 might be found of extreme value to the human race4 ,since these words were uttered this branch of science has not stood still1 and there seems every prospect that his prophecy will be fulfilled in the near future4 ,there are now cliniques for hypnotic treatment in ,france 7,dr4 ,brillon's in ,paris1 for example71 ,germany1 ,belgium1 ,sweden1 ,holland1 ,switzerland1 and ,america4 ,the commencement of the present revival of hypnotism in ,england1 from its medical side1 was apparently due to ,dr4 ,lloyd ,tuckey1 who happened to be in the neighbourhood of ,nancy in ,august1 #ahhh1 and visited ,libeault out of curiosity 7see p4 #ce of ,dr4 ,milne ,bramwell's ,hypnotism3 ,its ,history1 ,practice1 and ,theory ,alexander ,moring1 ,hanover ,square1 ,london2 #bnd ed41 #aijf74 ,the following are some of the facts about the matter which should be clearly understood and widely made known3-- 7#a7 ,the object of all hypnotic treatment ought to be the development of the patient's control of his own organism 7see p4 #dcf of ,hypnotism3 ,its ,history1 ,practice1 and ,theory74 7#b7 ,the hypnotic control may be obtained without any effort on the part of the operator1 the effort formerly supposed to be required being purely imaginary1 and the hypnotic state being1 in fact1 obtained without any operation whatever4 ,indeed1 it has now been found that for curative purposes the suggestion may be conveyed without throwing the patient into the hypnotic condition1 and that anyone not absolutely an idiot or insane may be amenable to the treatment4 7#c7 ,both ',scientist' the author is speaking of ,christian ,scientists and ,suggestionist also use the same method for creating belief--namely1 ,assertion4444 ,assertions are not made clumsily1 ignorantly1 and at random1 as assertions are in our daily intercourse1 but are made skilfully1 with a purpose1 and with a knowledge of the effects they will produce 7see p4 #i of the late ,richard ,harte's ,the ,new ,psychology2 or1 ,the ,secret of ,happiness ,fowler ,co41 ,london and ,new ,york74 ,is this one of the reasons why the believer is able to continue a believer in spite of all disproof8 ,certainly he is constantly repeating assertions1 and sometimes these must get through to his subliminal consciousness--his subjective mind4 7#d7 ,auto-suggestion4 ,the suggestion should be made when you are composing yourself to sleep4 ,dr4 ,bramwell tells me that the best time is on first waking in the morning1 before dozing off again4 7#e7 ,many cases of functional nervous disorder have recovered under hypnotic treatment after the continued failure of other methods4444 ,further1 the diseases which frequently respond to hypnotic treatment are often those in which drugs are of little or no avail4 ,for example1 what medicine would one prescribe for a man who1 in the midst of mental and physical health1 had suddenly become the prey of an obsession8 7see p4 #dce of ,hypnotism3 ,its ,history1 ,practice1 and ,theory74 7#f7 ,the volition is increased and the moral standard raised 7see p4 #dcg of ,hypnotism1 etc474 ,experience proves that 'principles' instilled into anyone while in the hypnotic condition become irrevocably 8 fixed in the mind 7p4 #c of ,richard ,harte's ,hypnotism and the ,doctors74 ,thus degenerates1 dipsomaniacs1 morphinomaniacs1 kleptomaniacs1 sexual perverts1 and other unfortunates1 may be reclaimed4 7#g7 ',suggestion' is of universal application1 and of incalculable power for good in almost every department of human life4444 ,the three principal ways in which suggestion 7which has been called 'the active principle' of hypnotism7 affects human beings beneficially1 in addition to curing diseases1 are3 ,by facilitating education2 by preventing crime1 and reforming the criminal2 and by raising the general standard of manliness--of courage1 of independence of character1 and of respect for self and others 7ibid1 pp4 #b-d74 ,note4--,the ,medical ,society for the ,study of ,suggestive ,therapeutics was constituted at the close of #aijf4 ,let us hope that it will soon rival the flourishing ,french ,socit d',hypnotisme et de ,psychologie4 ,p4 #ccg1 lines #e-f4--;,it is the quality1 not the quantity1 of our children that we have to keep to the forefront4 ,this is the great problem in a nutshell3 to improve the quality and diminish the quantity of mankind--that is1 in proportion to the means of securing for each a truly human life4 ,is not the quality rather than the quantity of children the thing to be aimed at8 7,mona ,caird and ,lady ,grove on ,the ,position of ,women1 see pp4 #aah and #abh of the ,fortnightly ,review for ,july1 #aije74 ,besides1 if we continued to maintain the high birth-rate of the mid-,victorian epoch1 it is certain that1 in the course of a few generations1 there would be no elbow-room left in our little islands4 ,already1 indeed1 ,great ,britain is1 from many points of view1 over-populated4 ,if all the people who are now crowded together in the slums of our great towns were scattered over the country1 there would be practically no country left4 ,england would have become a vast suburb4 ,that is not an ideal to which any patriotic ,englishman would care to look forward4 ,space and quiet are essential for the development of some of the best qualities of human beings1 and those persons who too hastily regret a decline in the birth-rate must explain how they propose to reconcile these essentials with an unlimited increase of our present population 7,the ,daily ,graphic1 ,august #gth1 #aije1 art4 ,a ,declining ,birth-rate74 ,over-population spells strife1 squalor1 vice1 crime--misery4 ,dr4 ,barnardos and ,general ,booths may get over the unemployed difficulty by schemes for emigration to ,canada and elsewhere2 but this is1 at best1 only a very temporary remedy4 ,as it is1 thousands of white men are living and dying in climates for which they are unadapted2 while in some cases--in certain portions of ,africa1 for example--they are ousting and making life a burthen to the races that are adapted4 ,we have only to look far enough ahead to discover that the time must come when the world would so teem with human-kind that even a ,bishop of ,london or a ,president ,roosevelt would have to cry ,hold6 ,enough6 ,at the present moment this problem presses for a very early solution in ,india4 ,for many months in the year1 as ,i have again and again seen with my own eyes1 masses of the agricultural population are entirely without employment4 ,hence the constantly recurring famines1 or partial famines1 in years of bad or indifferent rainfall4 ,the population problem1 being intimately connected with many another problem1 is one of the utmost gravity2 but1 so long as men hold that to increase and multiply is the command of ,god and a duty we owe to the ,state1 it will never be rightly1 never be sensibly1 solved4 ,p4,s4--,millions are starving in ,china now 7,february1 #aijg74 ,p4 #cde1 line #c4--,the ,moral ,instruction ,league4 ,the object of the ,moral ,instruction ,league 7#ai1 ,buckingham ,street1 ,strand1 ,london1 ,w4,c47 is to introduce systematic non-theological moral instruction into all schools1 and to make the formation of character the chief aim of school life4 ,their contention is--and it seems a wise one--that ethical principles on which we all agree should not be associated in the schools of the ,state with theological principles on which we all differ4 ,already certain education authorities are providing for systematic moral instruction of a purely secular nature4 ,in the ,west ,riding scheme it is expressly stated that it is to be part of the secular instruction1 while the ,cheshire scheme emphatically lays down that the moral instruction must be non-theological4 ,the authorities of ,groton1 ,blackpool1 ,norwich1 ,york1 and elsewhere1 have supplied all the teachers of their schools with copies of the ,moral ,instruction ,league's ,graduated ,syllabus of ,moral ,instruction for ,elementary ,schools4 ,the ,west ,riding ,education ,authority has adopted the ,syllabus1 and it is now in use in the #a1bgj schools1 ,provided and ,non-,provided1 of that authority4 ,in addition to these1 numerous education authorities have decided to make provision for moral instruction a part of the secular instruction in their schools4 ,so much that is untrue has been said about the results of a purely secular education by its strenuous opponents that it is high time for the real truth to be known4 ,this my readers will find in ,mr4 ,joseph ,mc,cabe's tractate1 ,the ,truth ,about ,secular ,education3 ,its ,history and ,results 7,watts ,co41 #aijf1 paper covers1 #f;d474 ,among some excellent works intended to assist parents and teachers in the non-theological character-training of children1 ,i may mention ,f4 ,j4 ,gould's ,the ,children's ,book of ,moral ,lessons1 in three series 7,watts ,co471 ,hackwood's ,notes of ,lessons on ,moral ,subjects1 ,alice ,chesterton's ,the ,garden of ,childhood 7,sonnenschein71 ,dr4 ,felix ,adler's ,the ,moral ,instruction of ,children 7,edward ,arnold71 the ,moral ,instruction ,league and also the ,leicester ,syllabus1 and ,a4 ,j4 ,waldegrave's ,a ,teacher's ,handbook of ,moral ,lessons 7,sonnenschein74 ,dr4 ,f4 ,h4 ,hayward's ,secret of ,herbart1 a powerful appeal to the teacher on the scope and urgency of his moral mission1 is now re-issued at #f;d4 7,watts74 ,the translation of ,dr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,frster's ,lebenskunde1 a book replete with illustrative matter for the teacher1 has been undertaken by the ,moral ,instruction ,league4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,m4 ,salter's essay1 ,why ,live a ,moral ,life8 is of exceptional merit4 ,this and other ethical essays may be obtained from the ,secretary of the ,union of ,ethical ,societies1 #ai1 ,buckingham ,street1 ,strand1 ,w4,c42 price one penny each4 ,one of the most important contributions to ethical sociology that has appeared for many years is a work in two vols4 entitled ,morals in ,evolution 7,chapman ,hall2 #aijf71 by ,mr4 ,l4 ,t4 ,hobhouse4 ,i venture to predict that it will ere long be recognised as the standard work on the subject4 ,mr4 ,hobhouse1 it should be noted1 never wavers in his assertion of the supremacy of ethics over all phases of religion4 ,p4 #cej1 line #ae4--,the practices of the ,latin and ,greek ,churches4 ,diaries recounting the sights seen by a lord of high degree in #adfe were published in #ahea by the ,literary ,society of ,stuttgart4 ,they include an interesting account of all the shrines and relics seen during his travels through ,western ,europe4 ,the account of the relics which he saw in our own ,canterbury ,cathedral admits of no curtailment3 ,first we saw the head-band of the ,blessed ,virgin1 a piece of ,christ's garment1 and three thorns from ,his ,crown2 then we saw the bedstead of ,st4 ,thomas and his brain1 and the blood of ,st4 ,thomas and of ,st4 ,john the ,apostles4 ,we saw also the sword with which ,st4 ,thomas of ,canterbury was beheaded2 the hair of the ,mother of ,god1 and a part of the ,sepulchre4 ,there was also shown to us a part of the shoulder of the ,blessed ,simeon1 who bore ,christ in his arms2 the head of the blessed ,lustrabena2 one leg of ,st4 ,george2 a piece of the body and the bones of ,st4 ,lawrence2 a leg of the ,bishop of ,st4 ,romanus2 a cup of ,st4 ,thomas1 which he had been accustomed to use in administering the ,sacrament at ,canterbury2 a leg of the ,virgin ,milda2 a leg of the ,virgin ,eduarda4 ,we also saw a tooth and a finger of ,st4 ,stephen the ,martyr2 bones of the ,virgin ,catherine1 and oil from her sepulchre1 which is said to flow to this day2 hair of the blessed ,virgin sic6 ,magdalene2 a tooth of ,st4 ,benedict2 a finger of ,st4 ,urban2 the lips of one of the infants slain by ,herod2 bones of the blessed ,clement2 bones of ,st4 ,vincent4 ,very many other things were also shown to us1 which are not set down by me in this place4 ,very many other things have also been shown to me during my travels abroad 7from ,st4 ,anne de ,beaupr in ,quebec to the ,church of the ,holy ,sepulchre in ,jerusalem7 which are not set down by me in this place1 and ,i may say that the grotesqueness of the frauds that are perpetrated is only equalled by the gross ignorance and credulity of the worshippers4 ,the number of these relics scattered over ,christendom must amount to thousands upon thousands4 ,to stop the traffic in them1 there is now a regulation that if you buy a relic you commit mortal sin4 ,the relics are still sold1 however2 only the price is said to be for the frame or for the trouble1 or something to that effect4 ,for a description of ,la ,bottega del ,papa 7the ,pope's shop7 or ,la ,santa ,bottega 7the ,holy ,shop7 see ,dr4 ,robertson's book1 ,the ,roman ,catholic ,church in ,italy4 ,regarding the early ,church1 see ,bible ,myths1 pp4 #dcd-dj4 ,p4 #cei1 lines #g-aj4--,some of our greatest divines 444 condemn obscurantism and the odium theologicum4 ,we have a striking example of this in ,dean ,farrar's tractate1 ,the ,bible and the ,child 7,james ,clarke ,co41 #ahig74 ,the passage runs as follows3 ,there are a certain number of persons who1 when their minds have become stereotyped in foregone conclusions1 are simply incapable of grasping new truths4 ,they become obstructionists1 and not infrequently bigoted obstructionists4 ,as convinced as the ,pope of their own personal infallibility1 their attitude towards those who see that the old views are no longer tenable is an attitude of anger and alarm4 ,this is the usual temper of the odium theologicum4 ,it would1 if it could1 grasp the thumbscrew and the rack of medival ,inquisitors1 and would1 in the last resource1 hand over all opponents to the scaffold or the stake4 ,those whose intellects have been thus petrified by custom and advancing years are1 of all others1 the most hopeless to deal with4 ,they have made themselves incapable of fair and rational examination of the truths which they impugn4 ,they think they can1 by mere assertion1 overthrow results arrived at by the life-long inquiries of the ablest student1 while they have not given a day's serious or impartial study to them4 ,they fancy that even the ignorant1 if only they be what is called orthodox1 are justified in strong denunciation of men quite as truthful1 and often incomparably more able than themselves4 ,off-hand dogmatists of this stamp1 who usually abound among professional religionists1 think that they can refute any number of scholars1 however profound and however pious1 if only they shout ',infidel' with sufficient loudness4 ,p4 #cfg1 lines #ba-b4--;,did not slavery flourish side by side with the ,christian ,church8 ,serfdom in ,england was fully extinguished only in #afjj1 and the ,act for the ,abolition of ,slavery throughout the ,british ,colonies was passed only in #ahcc4 ,for eighteen long centuries ,christianity countenanced the atrocious inhumanities of the slave trade4 ,the very irons used by the native chiefs for shackling the prisoners when handing them over to the ,christian traders were made in ,birmingham1 and the greatest horrors of slavery have been exhibited only under the rule of the ,christian slave-owner4 ,we can form some idea of the inhumanity then displayed from the treatment of the coloured races by the white man in ,africa to-day4 ,read1 for instance1 the accounts of the ,congo atrocities1 or of the ,german ,colonial scandals4 ,read1 again1 some home-truths about our own ,colonies in ,labour and other ,questions in ,south ,africa1 by ,medicus 7,t4 ,fisher ,unwin1 #aijc74 ,the white man has indeed a burden to bear--the burden of his own iniquity4 ,regarding negro slavery1 ,dr4 ,westermarck clearly shows 7in his work1 ,the ,origin and ,development of the ,moral ,ideas7 that this system of slavery1 which1 at least in the ,british ,colonies and the slave ,states1 surpassed in cruelty the slavery of any pagan country1 ancient or modern1 was not only recognised by ,christian ,governments1 but was supported by the large bulk of the clergy1 ,catholic and ,protestant alike4 ,p4 #cfh1 lines #be-h4--,the ,christian ,church has been more cruel and shed more human blood than any other ,church or institution in the world4 ,let the ,jew bear witness among the crowd of victims4 ,history is repeating itself to-day1 and my previous allusions to the present situation in ,russia are all too brief4 ,i would ask my readers kindly to put to themselves the following crucial questions3 ,to what party do the religious bigots and their partisans belong8 ,is it not to the reactionary party1 the party that sets its face against reform8 ,on what do the reactionaries chiefly rely for the retention of their hold upon the bulk of the people8 ,is it not on a peasantry wallowing in ignorance and steeped in superstition8 ,what are the actual instruments employed for maintaining their power8 ,do they not consist of corrupt officials and cruel ,cossacks8 ,who are responsible for shameless acts of persecution1 and1 indeed1 very largely for all the bloodshed1 strife1 and anarchy8 ,is it not the orthodox ,church and her supporters8 ,is it too much to say1 with the ,rev4 ,j4 ,lawson-,forster1 that the ,russian ,church has become the tool of murderers8 7,mr4 ,lawson-,forster expressed himself in these words when presiding at the great public meeting held at the ,brondesbury ,synagogue to protest against the recent outrages in ,russia47 ,to what party do the ,freethinkers belong8 ,are they not all1 everyone of them1 adherents of the party desirous of reform and of religious toleration8 ,with regard to religious persecution generally1 ,christians might study with advantage ,buckle's ,history of ,civilisation in ,england1 or ,lecky's ,history of the ,rise and ,influence of the ,spirit of ,rationalism in ,europe1 or ,c4 ,t4 ,gorham's ,faith3 ,its ,freaks and ,follies 7,rationalist ,press ,association71 or the latest work on the subject1 ,religious ,persecution1 by ,e4 ,s4 ,p4 ,haynes 7,duckworth2 a revised edition has now been issued by the ,r4 ,p4 ,a4 at #f;d474 ,few realise that the favourite method for overcoming the scruples of the heretic--torture--was used in ,england so late as #afdj4 ,pp4 #cga-b1 lines #ca and #a-c4--;,history1 viewed as a whole1 is nothing but a succession of struggles for existence among rival nations4 ,if ,major ,murray had stopped short at offering us a somewhat highly coloured picture of the past and present conditions ruling among ,christian nations1 and at inculcating the necessity of our being in readiness to face the inevitable1 few of us would be found to quarrel1 in the main1 with his conclusions4 ,but when he tells us that ,peace never has been1 and never will be italics are mine1 as long as the passions of mankind endure1 more than a lull between the storms of war1 then the better-informed and peace-loving ,rationalist will beg to differ with him4 ,he feels that this gospel of universal hatred is being carried too far4 ,never is a very long time4 ,major ,murray says3 ,no great nation will ever submit to arbitration any interest that it regards as absolutely vital4 ,did not our ,british forefathers think1 and with more reason1 that men of honour could settle their disputes only by the duel8 ,may we not trust that the decisions of learned and unbiassed judges will be equitable1 and therefore that their acceptance will redound to the honour of the great nations concerned8 ,natural selection1 or1 as we have elsewhere called it1 natural murder1 ceased to have full power over men on the day that man commenced to control his environment4 ,since then he has been constantly engaged in making nature do some work for him1 in altering the environment in which he finds himself instead of letting it alter him4 ,now that he is equipped1 better than ever before in his history1 for this task1 now that he has learnt more of the secrets of ,nature--of her crude and cruel processes--is he going to acquiesce tamely1 and make no use of his knowledge8 ,now the nature of the malady has been diagnosed1 and now the proper remedies have been discovered1 will he not set about the cure8 ,is the struggle for existence1 with all its attendant horrors1 to be perpetuated8 ,does the end--the survival of the fittest--justify the means--over-production and murder8 ,cannot the same and better results be attained by a process less crude1 less cruel8 ,nature procures adaptation to existing environment by methods fraught with untold suffering for the sentient1 and the obvious course is for man to reverse the process1 bringing the environment into harmony with his existing constitution4 ,of a truth1 nature is1 as ,major ,murray reminds us1 red in tooth and claw2 but science is both able and willing to tame the shrew4 ,p4 #cgd1 lines #ae-ai4--,the ,lord mighty in battle is expected to take interest in bloodshed 444 to fight for his people4 ,a parody appearing in an evening paper on ,november #bith1 #aija1 conveys a wholesome lesson on this subject4 ,lest we forget1 ,i quote it at length3-- ,,processional4 ,lord ,god of ,battles1 whom we seek ,on clouds and tempests throned afar1 ,when tired of being tamely weak1 ,we ,maffick into deadly war2 ,if it should chance to be a sin1 ,at least enable us to win4 ,give to the ,churches faith to pray ,for what they know they shouldn't ask1 ,and such abounding grace that they ,may cheerfully perform the task2 ,wave flags and loyally discount ,that fatal ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,give to the people strength to be ,convinced all happens for the best1 ,to see the thing they wish to see1 ,and prudently ignore the rest2 ,so priest and people shall combine ,to gain their ends1 and call them ,thine4 ,p4 #cgd1 lines #bc-d4--;,its ,christianity's impotency to carry out this1 one of its chief missions4 ,in no field of its work1 exclaims ,mr4 ,andrew ,carnegie1 does the ,christian ,church throughout the whole world--with outstanding individual exceptions--so conspicuously fail as in its attitude to war4 ,its silence when outspoken speech might avert war1 its silence during war's sway1 its failure during days of peace to proclaim the true ,christian doctrines regarding the killing of men1 give point to the recent arraignment of the ,prime ,minister1 who declared that the ,church to-day busied itself with questions e4g41 of vestments and candles which did not weigh even as dust in the balance compared with the vital problems with which it was called upon to deal4 7,see reports of the ceremony at which ,mr4 ,carnegie was installed as ,rector of ,st4 ,andrew's ,university47 ,p4 #cgd1 lines #bd-e4--,religion being frequently the actual occasion of1 the strife4 ,from the ,crusades to the ,crimea1 religion has continually been either directly or indirectly the cause of war4 ,protestants1 who may be ready to excuse the wars undertaken to drive the infidels from the ,holy ,land1 will do well to remember that ,pope ,innocent ,,iii41 besides proclaiming the fifth of these crusades1 proclaimed also the infamous crusade against the ,albigenses 7who opposed the corruptions of the ,church of ,rome71 when ,simon de ,montfort and the ,pope's legate1 at the head of half a million of men1 put to the sword friend and foe1 men and women1 saying1 ,god will find his own4 ,in the case of that mischievous and unnecessary blunder1 the ,crimean ,war1 the great masses of the ,russian people saw but a spirited defence of the ,cross against the ,crescent1 wherein1 from their point of view1 the infidel was being supported by renegade ,christians4 ,it was an appeal to the religious emotions of the ,russian peasants--an insincere appeal1 as history has discovered--that lent to the last ,russo-,turkish war a fictitious popularity4 ,p4 #cge1 lines #f-g4--;,every ,rationalist1 every ,freethinker1 is an honest advocate of peace4 ,note these lines by an eminent divine and great dignitary of the ,church1 ,archbishop ,alexander1 of ,armagh3-- ,and when ,i know how noble natures form under the red rain of war1 ,i deem it true ,that ,he who made the earthquakes and the storm perchance made battle too4 ,and these by the gentle ,wordsworth1 the poet of sweet simplicity3-- ,but ,thy most dreaded instrument ,in working out a pure intent ,is man--array'd for mutual slaughter2 ,yea1 ,carnage is ,thy daughter6 ,and compare3 ,the very ideas and efforts which have led men to struggle against the ,papal ,church are exactly those which are exorcising the demon of militarism from the soul of ,france 7,contemporary ,review for ,january1 #aije1 art4 ,france and ,rome74 ,or again the following1 reported in the daily papers3 ,a petition to stop the war between ,russia and ,japan owes its inception to ,signor ,carlo ,romissi1 ,deputy and editor of the ,secolo of ,milan4 ,the petition has penetrated into every workshop1 household1 and school1 and roused the people to a passionate desire for peace1 not only between the belligerents in the ,far ,east1 but between all nations4 ,the ,secolo is the most widely-read ,freethought paper in ,italy4 ,though it may be a long time before our efforts are rewarded1 is that any reason for not making a commencement in the right direction8 ,let me give an instance4 ,the effort now being made to popularise the international language ,esperanto is one such commencement4 ,could not the ,church spare a little of her military ardour 7exhibited in the arm-chair and pulpit7 for supporting peaceful projects of this nature8 ,this one1 at any rate1 among the many to be found on the ,rationalist programme1 is not contrary to her teaching2 but ,i have not as yet heard of any ecclesiastical support to a scheme that will undoubtedly conduce to a better acquaintance between the peoples of different nationalities4 ,it is ,rationalist and liberal-minded philanthropists 7,mr4 ,w4 ,t4 ,stead1 e4g47 who are at present chiefly interested in the movement4 ,during the ,boer ,war one was continually hearing declamations from the pulpit to the effect that war is a necessary evil4 ,for instance1 the late ,bishop of ,calcutta1 ,dr4 ,welldon1 actually advocated war on the ground that it was a means of keeping a nation virile4 ,has the ,boer ,war made us more virile8 ,whatever ,imperial necessity there may have been for it1 owing to blunders in the past and the existing condition of affairs1 the certain effects of it1 so far as we can see1 have been the untimely destruction of some of the flower of our race1 sorrow spread throughout the length and breadth of the land by many bereavements1 the burden of a great debt1 and the unemployed question rendered more acute than ever4 ,the brotherhood of man is a long way off--it may never be reached2 but as an ideal it is better worth having than that of half-a-dozen sullen empires1 trading only within their own boundaries1 and shut up behind high tariff walls over which they peer suspiciously1 scanning one another's exports and imports with jealous eyes1 and making from time to time fawning alliances with one rival1 while harbouring enmity with another1 maintaining millions of men under arms and spending millions of pounds in armaments1 and all the time waiting1 waiting1 waiting for an affrighted sun to rise upon the day of ,armageddon4444 ,but nobler things lie before us and a brighter dawn4 7,see ,mr4 ,birrell's article1 ,patriotism and ,christianity1 in the ,contemporary ,review for ,february1 #aije47 ,,selections ,,from ,a ,,few 7,,of ,,many7 ,,press ,,opinions ,,on ,,earlier ,,editions4 ,written in a temperate spirit4--,times4 ,a well-presented and interesting survey4--,daily ,telegraph4 ,a freshly thought-out discussion of the whole subject4 ,a temperate and well-reasoned study4--,scotsman4 ,a comprehensive survey of many perplexing problems 444 full of cogent criticism and stimulating suggestion4--,tribune4 ,an absolutely sincere and sympathetic contribution to the controversy of our time4--,morning ,post4 ,there is much in this work that deserves close study4--,daily ,mail4 ,it is a very full1 lucid1 and candid work4--,morning ,leader4 ,evidence on both sides is lucidly set forth4--,daily ,graphic4 ,by an able critic 444 is written with moderation and in a spirit of reverent inquiry 444 is manifestly honest1 and the tone is dignified and courteous4--,yorkshire ,post4 ,there is considerable novelty in his presentation of his case4 ,he writes without bitterness or acrimony1 exhibiting1 indeed1 in his treatment a scholarly mind4--,academy4 ,i am glad to see a second and revised edition4--,t4 ,p4's ,weekly4 ,mr4 ,vivian's excellent book4--,observer4 ,deserves attentive consideration4--,john ,bull4 ,a careful and thorough perusal of this book has led us to admire the industry1 carefulness1 and lucidity of the writer4--,london ,argus4 ,all we can do is to commend this book to the serious attention of all who have the welfare of ,christianity--not mere dogma--at heart4--,public ,opinion4 ,a clever and lucid statement of ,rationalism4--,review of ,reviews4 ,every competent critic seems to have recognised the book as one of the few which immediately command recognition1 and which are unhesitatingly added to our classics4--,westminster ,review4 ,illusions must be grappled with and exhibited as such before people can be got to discard them4 ,and as a guide to the performance of that office ,mr4 ,vivian's book is the best that can be named4--,albany ,review4 ,candid and conscientious4--,london ,quarterly ,review4 ,the arguments of ,agnosticism very clearly put4--,guardian4 ,mr4 ,vivian does not aim at bespattering his opponents with mud4--,christian ,commonwealth4 ,ought to be carefully studied by preachers4--,christian ,world4 ,is well worth reading by all who have to do with unbelief4--,methodist ,times4 ,it is a frank and full inquiry into the grounds of modern unbelief1 and a masterly plea for candour in ,christian thought4--,christian ,advocate4 ,calmly-reasoned criticism4444 ,writes in excellent style4--,clarion4 ,mr4 ,vivian's book is an admirable reply to ,when it ,was ,dark4--,new ,age4 ,an interesting and instructive book4--,positivist ,review4 ,this book does much to show where rationalism can rightly influence both our creed and our conduct4--,light 7devoted to the interests of psychical research74 ,i am recommending it to everybody who is interested in the religious problems of the hour4--,the ,reader4 ,comprehensive in scope1 judiciously written1 and embodying an admirable selection of facts4--,literary ,guide4 ,the book is written with marked ability4--,teacher4 ,philip ,vivian is a clear thinker1 who has made a special study both of ,christian evidences and of comparative religions4--,journal of ,education4 ,comprehensive1 systematic1 and strenuous 444 based on much knowledge 444 very capable4--,educational ,times4 ,exhaustive 444 up-to-date 444 claims the respect of thinking people1 and demands the prayerful attention of all ,christian teachers4--,bombay ,gazette4 ,any earnest1 thoughtful man may read the volume with considerable profit4--,daily ,mail1 ,brisbane4 ,thoughtful and evidently earnest work4--,herald1 ,melbourne4 ,clear1 forceful1 fair1 and temperate4--,register1 ,adelaide4 ,well arranged and well written1 and adding to-day's conclusions to the polemics of the past4--,bulletin1 ,sydney4 ,a reliable and useful guide4--,otago ,times1 ,new ,zealand4 ,a healthy tonic for parsons and ,churches4--,cape ,times4 ,a very stirring book4--,star1 ,johannesburg4 ,many of its chapters are of great interest4--,african ,monthly4 ,mr4 ,vivian has brought to his task wide reading and a clear1 judicial mind2 nor has he feared to follow his investigation to a logical end4--,world1 ,toronto4 ,a clever and frank writer4--,world1 ,vancouver4 ,from first to last most interesting and instructive4--,japan ,chronicle4 ,it contains in little space a summary of modern knowledge4--,chicago ,daily ,news4 ,a work of unusual clearness1 dealing with the entire question of the so-called conflict between religion and science4--,american ,review of ,reviews4 ,will appeal to the widest possible range of readers4--,new ,york ,herald4 ,,notes #a ,in the ,june 7#aijf7 number of ,review of ,theology and ,philosophy1 edited by ,professor ,allan ,menzies1 ,d4,d4 #b ,as the ,rev4 ,john ,a4 ,hutton attempts to show in the ,hibbert ,journal1 ,july1 #aije4 #c ,in his address at the ,london ,diocesan ,conference in ,april1 #aijd4 #d ,when addressing a conference of clergy and church-workers at ,blandford on ,september #gth1 #aije4 #e ,in the course of one of those remarkable orations of his which always command the thoughtful attention of the ,house4 ,the speech was reported in the newspapers of ,march #aeth1 #aijd4 #f ,see ,dr4 ,horton's letter to the ,daily ,news1 ,august #bcrd1 #aije4 #g ,the ,rev4 ,charles ,voysey1 in a sermon preached at the ,theistic ,church1 ,swallow ,street1 on ,february #eth1 #aije4 #h ,see pp4 #fc-d4 #i ,quoted from ,what it is to be a ,christian1 a pamphlet written by the ,ven4 ,j4 ,m4 ,wilson1 ,d4,d4 #aj ,eighteen per cent4 was the figure given by ,bishop ,ingram1 speaking of ,londoners1 in his speech at the annual meeting of the ,bishop of ,london's ,fund in #aijd2 but1 according to the strict results of the census1 the figure for ,london is twenty-two or twenty-three per cent4 of the total population4 #aa ,as ,mr4 ,fielding remarks in his book1 ,the ,hearts of ,men 7pp4 #bag-h73 ,to one coming to ,europe after years in the ,east and visiting churches1 nothing is more striking than the enormous preponderance of women there4 ,it is immaterial whether the church be in ,england or ,france1 whether it be ,anglican or ,roman ,catholic or ,dissenter4 ,the result is always the same--women outnumber the men as two to one1 as three to one1 sometimes as ten to one4 #ab ,as a matter of fact1 no distinguished leader among modern biologists has come to any such conclusion4 ,people are apt to forget that1 while ,lord ,kelvin is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished living physicists1 he is not himself a biologist4 #ac ,see ,nature1 ,april #bcrd1 #aijc2 also ,appendix to this work4 #ad ,this assertion is severely criticised by ,mr4 ,joseph ,mc,cabe in the ,hibbert for ,july1 #aije4 ,mr4 ,mc,cabe holds that ,sir ,oliver ,lodge's own conception of life may1 with a far greater show of reason1 be described as a modified survival of an older doctrine 7p4 #gdf74 #ae ,dr4 ,alfred ,russel ,wallace1 the distinguished naturalist and evolutionist1 is another scientist with spiritist convictions1 and his concern for supernatural religion led him to step outside his own domain and make that remarkable attack upon current scientific opinions in astronomical matters which met with such unanimous condemnation 7see the ,fortnightly ,review for ,march and ,september1 #aijc74 #af ,in the ,times1 ,october1 #aijd4 #ag ,at ,exeter ,hall1 in ,march1 #aije1 ,lady ,blount developed her flat-earth theory1 and accused ,newton of want of logic4 #ah ,a book1 edited by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,e4 ,hand 7,george ,allen71 which gives1 perhaps1 the best that can be said by able and fair-minded men1 writing in the light of the latest knowledge and criticism1 in favour of a reconciliation between religion and science4 ,the book contains essays by various authors--,sir ,o4 ,lodge1 ,professors ,thomson1 ,geddes1 and ,muirhead1 the ,rev4 ,p4 ,n4 ,waggett1 the ,rev4 ,john ,kelman1 and others4 #ai ,dr4 ,w4 ,barry1 in his ,ernest ,renan1 is content to attribute the change mainly to ,renan's study of ,kant4 ,but such a theory is inconsistent with ,renan's own statement in his ,reminiscences1 where he expressly declares that questions of history1 not metaphysics1 shook his faith4 #bj ,author of a vituperative libel on agnostics1 called ,atheism and ,faith4 #ba ,the psychical aspect of the belief of such persons is discussed in ,chap4 ,,vi41 #e4 #bb ,canon ,scott ,holland1 in a sermon preached in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral on the first ,sunday after ,epiphany1 #aije4 ,see also ,appendix4 #bc ,the ,secretary of the ,rationalist ,press ,association has received several private letters from clergymen expressing their desire to leave the ,church if they could find some employment4 ,they usually have large families dependent upon them for support4 #bd ,i omit all mention of the trading or domestic classes who often depend directly for their support on strict religionists4 ,the way in which their bread is buttered is bound to enter considerably into their calculations1 and also they have often even less leisure for the study of modern thought than a steady 7temperate7 working man4 #be ,a cheap edition has since been published by the ,r4 ,p4 ,a4 #bf ,anti-,nunquam1 by ,dr4 ,warschauer1 with prefatory note by ,j4 ,estlin ,carpenter1 is considered by many ,churchmen to be an admirable refutation of ,god and ,my ,neighbour4 ,i have seldom read anything less likely to convince4 ,sentence after sentence is open to the gravest exception4 #bg ,see ,appendix4 #bh ,e4g41 in the ,nineteenth ,century and ,after1 see the article on ,the ,present ,position of ,religious ,apologetics1 appearing in the issue for ,october1 #aijc2 or on ,freethought in the ,church of ,england in the issues for ,september and ,december1 #aijd4 ,the answers in the same journal are most unsatisfactory1 and only serve to show how very little1 apparently1 can be said in reply4 #bi ,although the ,church has ever been charitable1 she has made no effort to cure poverty4 ,she is1 she must be1 the ally of those to whom she chiefly owes her power and prestige4 ,jeremy ,taylor is not the only eminent divine who has systematically courted the favour of the influential and rich4 #cj ,essay on ,possibilities and ,impossibilities1 appearing in the ,agnostic ,annual for #ahib4 #ca ,paley's ,evidences--,preparatory ,considerations4 #cb ,in his book1 ,the ,service of ,man4 #cc ,in his notable oration upon the apparitions of ,llanthony4 #cd ,see p4 #acb of ,an ,introduction to the ,study of the ,scriptures1 by the ,right ,rev4 ,w4 ,boyd ,carpenter1 ,bishop of ,ripon4 #ce ,see p4 #bbb of ,some ,elements of ,religion1 ,liddon4 #cf ,see p4 #ea of ,an ,introduction to the ,study of the ,scriptures4 #cg ,extract from a sermon preached in ,st4 ,paul's1 ,finsbury1 on ,november #bcrd1 #aijd4 #ch ,this explanation has been given by the ,rev4 ,samuel ,cox1 and it is quoted with approval by the ,bishop of ,london on p4 #fc of his little work1 ,old ,testament ,difficulties 7,s4,p4,c4,k474 #ci ,see p4 #da of ,old ,testament ,difficulties4 #dj ,article ,genesis4 #da ,miraculum means merely a wonderful thing4 ,it is certainly a proper translation of simeia 7signs7 and terata 7wonders71 as used by ,new ,testament writers4 #db ,by the author of ,supernatural ,religion4 7,longmans1 ,green1 and ,co42 #ahhi47 #dc ,see ,encyclopdia ,biblica1 article ,gospels1 paragraph #ach 7e74 #dd ,see article ,paul in the ,encyclopdia ,biblica4 ,four of the ,pauline ,epistles are1 however1 pretty generally accepted4 ,five are hotly disputed2 ,professor ,loofs1 for example1 rejects them4 #de ,see article ,epistolary ,literature in the ,encyclopdia ,biblica4 #df ,swedenborgians 7the ,new ,jerusalem ,church7 are to be found scattered throughout almost every part of ,christendom4 ,in ,england1 principally in ,lancashire and ,yorkshire1 there are seventy-five societies with #f1jfc registered members4 #dg ,eight persons in all testify to the apparition of the ,virgin ,mary in the ,abbot's meadow at ,llanthony on ,september #aeth1 #ahhj4 #dh ,hodder ,stoughton1 #aijf4 #di ,see p4 #ca of ,what is ,christianity8 7,williams ,norgate1 #aijd74 #ej ,see1 for instance1 art4 ,moses1 ,encyclopdia ,biblica4 #ea ,quoted from a sermon by the ,bishop of ,london in ,fulham parish1 ,christmas ,day1 #aijd4 ,compare this with ,dr4 ,kirkpatrick's remark1 p4 #b of his book1 ,the ,divine ,library of the ,old ,testament3 ,it is true that the critical investigation of the ,bible raises not a few questions of grave difficulty4 #eb ,the adjective 'higher' 7the sense of which is often misunderstood7 has reference simply to the higher and more difficult class of problems1 with which1 as opposed to textual criticism1 the 'higher' criticism has to deal 7see ,preface to ,the ,higher ,criticism1 being three papers by ,s4 ,r4 ,driver1 ,d4,d41 and ,a4 ,f4 ,kirkpatrick1 ,d4,d474 #ec ,see ,appendix4 #ed ,exodus xxxi4 #ah and xxxii4 #af4 ,or1 to be precise1 these having been broken and their fragments considered of no value at the time1 the duplicates carefully prepared and inscribed to the dictation of ,god ,himself 7,exodus xxxix474 #ee ,believed to date from about #hec ,b4,c4 ,the inscription records the victories of ,king ,mesha over the ,israelites4 #ef ,erected in honour of ,ptolemy ,epiphanes1 #ajf ,b4,c4 ,famous as having furnished the first key for the interpretation of ,egyptian hieroglyphics4 #eg ,encyclopdia ,biblica1 art4 ,messiah1 p4 #cjeh1 par4 #b4 #eh ,ibid1 p4 #cjfc1 par #aj4 #ei ,in ,studies in the ,character of ,christ1 by ,rev4 ,c4 ,h4 ,robinson1 ,hon4 ,canon of ,ripon and ,editorial ,secretary to the ,s4,p4,g4 #fj ,enc4 ,bib41 art4 ,nativity1 par4 #aj1 #aa1 #ab4 #fa ,the late ,rev4 ,a4 ,b4 ,bruce1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,apologetics and ,new ,testament ,exegesis1 ,free ,church ,college1 ,glasgow4 #fb ,see ,enc4 ,bib41 art4 ,gospels1 par4 #aci4 #fc ,see ,enc4 ,bib41 art4 ,gospels1 par4 #ach1 where the reasons for this conclusion are explained4 ,see also par4 #ajh4 #fd ,author of various theological works1 ,hulsean ,lecturer1 ,cambridge1 #ahgf2 ,select ,preacher1 ,oxford1 #ahgg4 #fe ,the interpolation in the last chapter of ,st4 ,mark goes back far into the second century4 ,it is important to bear in mind that none of the dates given by ,dr4 ,harnack and other authorities applies to the ,gospels exactly as we now have them4 ,accounts of miracles have been added subsequently6 #ff ,enc4 ,bib41 art4 ,lazarus4 #fg ,ibid1 art4 ,gospels1 par4 #adg4 #fh ,w4 ,c4 van ,manen1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,old-,christian ,literature and ,new ,testament ,exegesis1 ,leyden4 #fi ,spoken in an address to the ,st4 ,paul's ,lecture ,society1 at the opening of a new session in #aijd4 #gj ,the italics in these quotations from ,dr4 ,harnack are mine4 #ga ,fully reported in the ,methodist ,times4 #gb ,the ,greek version1 known as the ,septuagint 7,,lxx471 made in ,egypt in the third and second centuries ,b4,c4 for the use of the numerous body of ,greek-speaking ,jews and proselytes in that country4 #gc ,a ,greek document which is supposed to have existed and then to have been entirely lost 7imagine ,god's ,word lost671 and to contain some of the matter related by ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke1 while omitted by ,st4 ,mark4 ,n4,b4--,while the evangelist ,st4 ,mark is relegated to the position of a translator only1 ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke are taken by orthodox theologians to be mere copyists of ,st4 ,mark and a lost document6 #gd ,see art4 ,gospels1 in the ,enc4 ,bib41 and ,westcott and ,hort1 ,the ,new ,testament in the ,original ,greek4 #ge ,in his address at the ,church ,congress held at ,weymouth in #aije4 #gf ,in his work1 ,verbal ,inspiration4 ,quoted by ,bishop ,colenso in ,the ,pentateuch ,examined4 #gg ,the ,dean of ,canterbury1 speaking on the ,bishop of ,winchester's paper at the ,church ,congress1 #aijc4 #gh ,the ,dean of ,canterbury1 speaking in ,st4 ,mary ,bredin's ,church1 ,canterbury1 ,december #dth1 #aijd4 #gi ,see ,appendix4 #hj ,see ,bk4 ,,viii41 chap4 ii41 par4 #b1 on p4 #cbd1 vol4 i4 ,eusebius 7,oxford3 ,parker ,co474 ,his candour here is deserving of all praise2 but his methods can hardly be termed scientific2 while an impartial perusal of his ,vita ,constantini1 a panegyric on the ,emperor ,constantine1 should be enough to shake the confidence of all but the blindest of his admirers4 #ha ,see p4 #agi1 chap4 xv41 of ,gibbon's ,rome 7,oddy1 #ahji74 #hb ,see ,appendix4 #hc ,in note ,a1 pp4 #db-c1 of his book1 ,the ,study of the ,gospels4 #hd ,at the discussion on ,christian ,science during the ,london ,diocesan ,conference1 ,may1 #aijf4 #he ,see his book1 ,the ,days of ,his ,flesh2 ,hodder ,stoughton1 #aijf4 #hf ,see chap4 xxviii4 of ,the ,historical ,geography of the ,holy ,land1 by the ,rev4 ,george ,adam ,smith1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d42 ,professor of ,o4 ,t4 ,lang41 ,liter41 and ,theology1 etc4 #hg ,the quotation is from ,canon ,c4 ,h4 ,robinson's book1 ,studies in the ,character of ,christ4 #hh ,j4 ,g4 ,frazer 7,fellow of ,trinity ,college1 ,cambridge2 ,hon4 ,d4,c4,l4 ,oxford2 ,hon4 ,,ll4,d4 ,glasgow2 ,hon4 ,litt4 ,d4 ,durham1 etc471 in his ,preface to the second edition of ,the ,golden ,bough4 #hi ,professor ,max ,mller1 in ,the ,science of ,religion1 p4 #dj4 #ij ,the italics are mine throughout this quotation2 also words within brackets 4 #ia ,see ,appendix4 #ib ,we are accustomed to find the legendary and the miraculous gathering1 like a halo1 around the early history of religious leaders1 until the sober truth runs the risk of being altogether neglected for the glittering and edifying falsehood 7,enc4 ,brit41 vol4 iv41 art4 ,buddhism1 p4 #dbd74 ,this process is recognised as a universal rule4 ,what grounds have we for assuming that ,christianity is exempt from it8 #ic ,see ,appendix4 #id ,see ,appendix4 #ie ,zarathustra1 or ,zoroaster1 was possibly a historical person4 ,we are quite in the dark as to the precise date of ,zoroaster4 ,duncker places him about the year #ajjj ,b4,c4 #if ,apol4 ,i4 #ed and ,i4 #ba4 ,quoted in the ,enc4 ,bib41 art4 ,mary4 #ig ,pp4 #gh-i of his important work1 ,divine ,immanence4 #ih ,mexican ,antiquities1 vol4 vi41 pp4 #aig-bjj4 #ii ,egyptian ,belief1 p4 #cgj4 #ajj ,middleton's ,works1 vol4 i41 pp4 #fc1 #fd4 #aja ,rawlinson's ,herodotus1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bfj1 note #c4 #ajb ,see his work1 ,mythology of the ,aryan ,nations1 vol4 ii41 p4 #aac4 #ajc ,mexican ,antiquities1 vol4 vi41 p4 #ie4 #ajd ,myths of the ,new ,world1 p4 #aff4 #aje ,p4 #cic of ,monumental ,christianity1 or the ,art and ,symbolism of the ,primitive ,church as ,witness and ,teachers of the ,one ,catholic ,faith and ,practice4 #ajf ,in his book1 ,bushido1 pp4 #ae-ai and #bd4 #ajg ,p4 #aeb of his book1 ,king ,david of ,israel 7,watts1 #aije74 #ajh ,the ,gods of the ,egyptians1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bbj4 #aji ,ibid41 vol4 i41 ,preface1 p4 xv4 #aaj ,they appear in ,part ,,ii41 pp4 #aga1 #ahc1 #ahh1 #cjj1 and #cjb4 #aaa ,a translation of the ,chinese version of the ,abbinishkramana ,stra4 ,for the probable date1 see ,appendix4 #aab ,see ,herbert ,spencer's ,principles of ,sociology1 ,vol4 ,i41 ,part ,i41 chapter on ,the ,primitive ,man--,emotional4 #aac ,professor ,robertson ,smith1 in ,the ,religion of the ,semites1 p4 #cdg4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,r4 ,smith was a distinguished ,scottish ,biblical scholar and ,orientalist4 ,from #ahha he was associated as joint editor of the ninth edition of the ,encyclopdia ,britannica with ,professor ,spencer ,baynes1 after whose death in #ahhg he was sole editor4 #aad ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson1 in his book1 ,pagan ,christs1 pp4 #cgc-d4 #aae ,for this and the following graphic accounts ,i am indebted to ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,robertson's book1 ,pagan ,christs1 ,part ,,iv4--,the ,religion of ,ancient ,america4 #aaf ,quoted from his celebrated book1 ,the ,golden ,bough4 #aag ,see p4 #ade1 note4 #aah ,see ,appendix4 #aai ,see ,gods of ,cultivation in ,grant ,allen's ,evolution of the ,idea of ,god4 #abj ,see ,appendix4 #aba ,the ,evolution of the ,idea of ,god 7chapter on ,the ,gods of ,cultivation74 #abb ,ibid 7chapter on ,the ,origin of ,gods74 #abc ,principles of ,sociology1 vol4 i4 7chapter on ,primitive ,ideas1 p4 #ajb74 #abd ,principles of ,sociology 7chapter on ,inspiration1 ,divination1 ,exorcism1 and ,sorcery1 p4 #bda74 #abe ,p4 #cff1 vol4 ii4 of ,the ,golden ,bough4 #abf ,anacalypsis1 vol4 #a41 p4 #fch4 #abg ,st4 ,matthew xii4 #dj4 #abh ,see ,appendix4 #abi ,studies in the ,character of ,christ1 vi4 #ajb4 #acj ,encyc4 ,brit41 art4 ,mythology4 #aca ,see ,appendix4 #acb ,see p4 #aag of ,monumental ,christianity4 #acc ,see ,appendix4 #acd ,quoted from ,darwin's ,descent of ,man4 #ace ,the preservation of favourable variations and the rejection of injurious variations ,i call natural selection 7,darwin1 ,origin of ,species1 ed4 #ahfj1 iv474 #acf ,darwin1 ,varieties of ,animals and ,plants1 xx41 #agh4 #acg ,concluding remarks in ,darwin's ,descent of ,man4 #ach ,ibid4 #aci ,see his book containing the aforesaid lectures1 and called ,god's ,image in ,man and its ,defacement in the ,light of ,modern ,denials4 7,hodder and ,stoughton2 #aije47 #adj ,lent by ,mr4 ,reginald ,blunt to the ,chelsea ,public ,library4 #ada ,see ,professor ,huxley's essays1 ,the ,interpreters of ,genesis and the ,interpreters of ,nature and ,mr4 ,gladstone and ,genesis1 appearing in the ,nineteenth ,century for ,december1 #ahhe1 and ,february1 #ahhf1 respectively1 and also in the collection of ,huxley's essays entitled ,essays ,upon ,some ,controverted ,questions4 #adb ,dr4 ,torrey informed a huge audience in the ,albert ,hall recently that he had given up the theory of ,evolution for scientific reasons4 ,people speak of the missing link2 why1 they are all missing6 cried ,dr4 ,torrey4 ,now1 this is nothing more nor less than an untruth1 and ,dr4 ,torrey must know that it is1 if he has studied ,evolution1 as he assures us that he has4 ,here is an example of the way ,christians are misinformed by their spiritual teachers on the subject of ,evolution4 ,but what can you expect of an evangelist who thinks that he is serving ,god's cause by slandering the dead1 as he did in the case of ,colonel ,ingersoll and ,thomas ,paine8 #adc ,see ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,mallock's ,religion as a ,credible ,doctrine1 p4 #agg4 #add ,origin of ,species1 p4 #fe4 #ade ,from ,the ,story of ,creation1 by ,edward ,clodd4 ,chapter on ,the ,origin of ,species1 p4 #ie of the cheap edition4 #adf ,the ,nineteenth ,century1 ,february1 #ahhh1 pp4 #afb1 #afc4 #adg ,pp4 #eai-bj4 #adh ,theism1 by the ,rev4 ,robert ,flint1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 ,f4,r4,s4,e41 ,professor of ,moral ,philosophy1 ,divinity1 etc41 being the ,baird ,lectures for #ahgg4 #adi ,on p4 #ci of his own work1 ,anti-,nunquam4 #aej ,the ,light of ,asia1 ,book the ,first4 #aea ,quoted from ,huxley's ,lectures on ,evolution4 #aeb ,quoted from ,huxley's ,lectures on ,evolution4 #aec ,controverted ,questions1 pp4 #ajj1 #ajb1 #ajc1 #ajd4 #aed ,in ,lectures on ,evolution4 #aee ,quoted from ,the ,interpreters of ,genesis1 in the essays on ,controverted ,questions1 p4 #ia4 #aef ,mr4 ,gladstone and ,genesis1 pp4 #aab-c of ,controverted ,questions4 #aeg ,the ,descent of ,man1 p4 #aj4 #aeh ,the ,nature of ,man1 by ,metchnikoff1 p4 #da4 #aei ,the ,descent of ,man1 p4 #aj4 #afj ,the ,nature of ,man1 p4 #db4 #afa ,man's ,place in ,nature1 p4 #abf4 #afb ,ibid1 p4 #abg4 #afc ,the ,nature of ,man1 p4 #db4 #afd ,man's ,place in ,nature1 p4 #aaa4 #afe ,ibid1 p4 #aci4 #aff ,ibid1 p4 #ajb1 note4 #afg ,pp4 #di-ed4 ,at the late ,international ,congress on ,tuberculosis1 ,professor ,behring paid the highest tribute to ,metchnikoff's labours on phagocytosis4 ,strange indeed are the instruments chosen by ,god for conferring ,his benefits on mankind2 for the author of ,the ,nature of ,man denies ,his existence6 #afh ,described in the ,lancet1 ,january #ahth1 #aijb4 #afi ,the ,nature of ,man1 pp4 #de-dh4 #agj ,the ,descent of ,man1 vol4 i41 p4 #ad4 ,according to the latest authorities1 however1 the human ovum 7when mature7 differs in many respects from other 7especially non-mammal7 ova4 #aga ,see the ,family ,tree of ,life in the ,appendix4 #agb ,it is1 says ,professor ,huxley 7in ,man's ,place in ,nature1 #ahfc1 p4 #fg1 and quoted by ,darwin in his ,descent of ,man1 p4 #ad71 quite in the later steps of development that the young human being presents marked differences from the young ape1 while the latter departs as much from the dog in its developments as the man does4 ,startling as this last assertion may appear to be1 it is demonstrably true4 #agc ,the ,descent of ,man1 vol4 i41 pp4 #ag-ah4 #agd ,see ,the ,nature of ,man1 p4 #fj4 #age ,the ,descent of ,man1 vol4 i41 p4 #bi4 #agf ,the ,evolution of ,man1 vol4 ii41 p4 #gjh4 #agg ,ibid1 #ggd4 #agh ,the ,descent of ,man1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cb4 #agi ,the ,nature of ,man1 p4 #fg4 #ahj ,the ,descent of ,man1 vol4 i41 pp4 #cb-cc4 #aha ,god and ,my ,neighbour1 p4 #acd4 #ahb ,the document and the hostile criticisms concerning it in religious papers are highly instructive4 ,except for the correspondence on the subject in the ,standard during ,may1 #aije1 under the title of ,faith and ,religion1 the general public are not likely to know of the matter4 #ahc ,tylor and ,hartmann1 however1 believe in the animal descent of man1 and therefore in a rise from primitive civilisation4 #ahd ,our ancestors were never molluscs2 worm would be an appropriate word here4 #ahe ,review in the ,church ,times of ,may #cast1 #aije1 of the ,dean of ,westminster's book1 ,some ,thoughts on ,inspiration4 #ahf ,this and the following quotations are from ,advent ,lectures on ,sin1 delivered by ,dr4 ,gore1 then ,bishop of ,worcester1 in ,st4 ,philip's ,church1 ,birmingham4 ,they were reported in the ,church ,times of ,december #dth1 #aath1 and #ahth1 #aijc4 #ahg ,see pp4 #bcd-e4 #ahh ,in an address to the ,students' ,christian ,union of ,owens ,college1 ,manchester1 on ,january #hth1 #aijd4 #ahi ,in his interesting book1 ,problems of ,religion and ,science1 p4 #gj4 #aij ,teleology is the name given to the doctrine of final causes2 the theory of tendency to an end1 or the arrangement of things as they are for a purpose4 #aia ,see ,appendix4 #aib ,contemporary ,review for ,may1 art4 ,the ,scientists and ,common ,sense4 #aic ,under this title there is a pamphlet 7,charles ,h4 ,kelly1 ,paternoster ,row7 by the ,ven4 ,j4 ,m4 ,wilson1 ,archdeacon of ,manchester1 in which the latitudinarian views to which ,i refer are openly expressed4 ,see ,appendix4 #aid ,flint's ,theism1 pp4 #acc-d4 #aie ,theism1 p4 #ajb4 ,this book is a standard apologetic work on ,theism4 ,dr4 ,flint is also the writer of the article on ,theism in the ,encyclopdia ,britannica4 #aif ,see p4 #gc of ,haeckel's ,critics ,answered1 by ,joseph ,mc,cabe4 #aig ,ibid1 p4 #gc4 #aih ,haeckel's ,critics ,answered1 p4 #gd4 #aii ,religion and ,science1 pp4 #hi-ij4 #bjj ,theism1 ,lecture ,,iv4 #bja ,see p4 #gf of ,haeckel's ,critics ,answered4 #bjb ,theism1 p4 #gi4 #bjc ,chapter on ,theism and ,natural ,selection4 #bjd ,religion and ,science1 p4 #hc4 #bje ,religion and ,science1 pp4 #hi1 #ij4 #bjf ,in ,the ,ethics1 ,part i41 appendix4 #bjg ,in his work1 ,divine ,immanence4 #bjh ,divine ,immanence1 pp4 #ga-b4 #bji ,ibid1 pp4 #ga-b4 #baj ,ibid1 pp4 #ga-b4 #baa ,ibid1 pp4 #ga-b4 #bab ,ibid1 p4 #gc4 #bac ,ibid1 p4 #afa4 #bad ,divine ,immanence1 p4 #afa4 #bae ,in the preface to his poem4 #baf ,art4 ,theism in the ,encyclopdia ,britannica4 #bag ,e4g41 see p4 #ae of ,the ,three ,superstitions1 by ,dr4 ,keeling1 an ex-professor of gynecology4 #bah ,theism1 p4 #bde4 #bai ,theism1 p4 #bdf4 #bbj ,in an address at the inaugural meeting of the session of the ,edinburgh ,philosophical ,institution1 held on ,october #cast1 #aije4 #bba ,a ,text-,book of ,apologetics1 by ,charles ,harris1 ,b4,d41 ,lecturer in ,theology and ,parochialia1 ,st4 ,david's ,college1 ,lampeter2 ,examining ,chaplain to the ,bishop of ,llandaff4 7,london3 ,john ,murray1 #aije47 ,a noticeable point about this latest contribution to apologetic literature is that1 though it purposes to deal with all the chief arguments which have been urged against religion1 it leaves the weightiest argument of all--the argument from ,comparative ,mythology--practically untouched4 ,why is this8 #bbb ,theism1 p4 #bbh4 #bbc ,theism1 ,the ,argument from ,order4 #bbd ,theism1 p4 #bbf4 #bbe ,ibid41 p4 #fg4 #bbf ,this description is borne out by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,r4 ,robertson1 ,d4,d41 in ,the ,roman ,catholic ,church in ,italy 7,morgan ,scott71 a book which was accorded a flattering reception in ,january1 #aijc1 by the ,king of ,italy4 ,in ,southern ,italy the ,church's methods remind one of what ,paschal tells us concerning the ,jesuits--how they kept men wicked1 lest1 if they became virtuous1 the priests should lose their hold upon them4 #bbg ,encyclopdia ,britannica1 art4 ,newman1 ,john ,henry4 #bbh ,see art4 ,francis ,william ,newman1 by ,francis ,gribble1 ,the ,fortnightly1 ,july1 #aije4 #bbi ,being an address given at the ,pusey ,house1 ,oxford4 #bcj ,their guiltlessness is made abundantly clear in ,robert ,blatchford's ,not ,guilty1 a book containing a lucid presentment of the case for ,determinism which may be understood of all4 ,there are copious illustrations of heredity and environment--terms the wide application of which must be thoroughly realised4 #bca ,regarding his philosophic position1 however1 see ,appendix4 #bcb ,in his book1 ,rough ,ways ,made ,smooth1 chapter on ,bodily ,illness as a ,mental ,stimulant4 #bcc ,in ,occult ,japan1 by ,percival ,lowell 7,riverside ,press71 there is an interesting account of these practices4 #bcd ,the delusions of the ,christian ,scientists in mixing up religion with psychic healing can only be attributed to their ignorance of modern psychology4 ,those who know better1 and are making money out of it1 are as shamefully imposing upon the credulity of religious folk as is the ,roman ,catholic ,church with her shrines of healing4 #bce ,in the ,december 7#aijd7 ,journal of the ,society for ,psychical ,research a lady gives a vivid description of how she cured herself completely of certain nervous complaints by auto-suggestion4 ,it is interesting to note that she says3 ,i did not believe in the efficacy of this treatment one bit2 ,i just made myself do it2 but ,i felt1 most of the time1 that it was extremely ridiculous4 ,see also ,appendix4 #bcf ,the following is from the ,mikado's ,rescript issued on the conclusion of peace3--,the result is due in a large measure to the benign spirits of our ancestors1 as well as to the devotion and duty of our civil and military officials and the self-denying patriotism of all our people4444 ,we are happy to invoke the blessing of the benign spirits of our ancestors4 ,n4,b4--,the word ,god is conspicuous by its absence2 ancestors' spirits take its place4 #bcg ,international ,journal of ,ethics1 ,april1 #aijd1 p4 #cch1 art4 ,professor ,william ,james's ,interpretation of ,religious ,experience1 by ,james ,h4 ,leuba4 #bch ,an instructive treatise on this subject will be found in ,vol4 ,,ii41 ch4 x41 of ,weismann on ,heredity4 7,clarendon ,press ,series47 #bci ,do you know a hymn tune by ,lord ,crofton1 set to the words1 ,bless'd are the pure in heart8 ,when ,i first heard that tune played ,i shook with emotion4 ,i did not know at that time the words that the tune had been set to2 so it could only have been the music that affected me4 ,at one time ,i confess that ,i myself used to mistake this hysterical element in my nature for religious fervour4 #bdj ,the ,ven4 ,archdeacon ,j4 ,m4 ,wilson1 ,d4,d41 late headmaster of ,clifton ,college--in the ,journal of ,education1 #ahha4 #bda ,in ,three ,essays on ,religion1 p4 #hj of the ,cheap ,reprint issued for the ,rationalist ,press ,association4 #bdb ,as remarked by the ,bishop of ,london in a sermon at ,westminster ,abbey4 ,see cover of ,mr4 ,guy ,thorne's book1 ,when it was ,dark4 #bdc ,quoted from an address delivered by the ,bishop of ,london at ,st4 ,paul's1 as reported in the ,church ,times of ,october #gth1 #aijd4 #bdd ,see footnote p4 #cg of ,the ,religion of ,woman1 by ,joseph ,mc,cabe4 #bde ,professor ,jinzo ,naruse4 ,for the quotation see chap4 xxi4 on ,the ,position of ,women in ,mr4 ,alfred ,stead's recent publication1 ,japan by the ,japanese4 #bdf ,see p4 #ca of the ,rev4 ,herbert ,moore's ,the ,christian ,faith in ,japan4 #bdg ,ibid41 p4 #abi4 #bdh ,we learn this from reliable sources--for example1 from ,w4 ,m4 ,flinders ,petrie and ,gaston ,camille ,charles ,maspro1 the celebrated ,english and ,french ,egyptologists4 #bdi ,the ,religion of ,woman4 #bej ,these remarks are quoted on p4 #ae of ,the ,religion of ,woman from vol4 iii41 p4 #bij1 of ,mrs4 ,cady ,stanton's ,history of ,women's ,suffrage4 #bea ,the ,religion of ,woman1 pp4 #aje1 #ajg1 #aaa4 #beb ,pinchwife1 it will be remembered1 is the anxious husband 7in ,wycherley's comedy1 ,the ,country ,wife7 who held that a woman is innocent in proportion to her lack of knowledge4 ,there are1 of course1 other reasons why a wife's ignorance is deemed desirable4 ,cf4 ,and so far will ,i trust thee1 gentle ,kate4 #bec ,in his sermon at ,st4 ,crantock's on ,august #bgth1 #aije4 #bed ,the ,religion of ,woman1 p4 #gh4 ,this work embodies a complete refutation of the assertion which we have cursorily examined4 ,the truth-seeker desirous of studying other aspects of the ,christian contention is strongly recommended to peruse also ,mr4 ,mc,cabe's brilliant essay1 ,the ,bible in ,europe 7,watts1 #aijg74 #bee ,see his ,notes on ,popular ,rationalism4 #bef ,anti-,theistic ,theories1 ,lecture #e1 on ,comte's ,positivist ,philosophy4 #beg ,approximately #cjj1jjj copies by the end of ,january1 #aijg4 #beh ,in the ,nineteenth ,century and ,after1 ,november1 #aijd4 #bei ,see ,gibbon's ,rome1 vol4 iii41 p4 #bg 7ed4 #ahji74 #bfj ,ibid41 vol4 iii41 p4 #bg4 #bfa ,ibid41 vol4 iv41 p4 #ba4 #bfb ,among his victims were3 his father-in-law 7,a4,d4 #caj72 sister's husband 7#cad72 nephew 7#cai72 wife 7#cbj72 former friend 7#cba72 sister's husband 7#cbe72 own son 7#cbf74 #bfc ,gibbon's ,rome1 vol4 ii41 p4 #ccg 7ed4 #ahji74 #bfd ,the death-bed baptism of ,constantine is described by ,eusebius1 the ,bishop of ,csarea1 in his ,life of ,constantine1 bk4 iv41 chaps4 #fa1 #fb1 #fc1 and #fd4 ,the ,bishop assumes the salvation of ,constantine with the utmost confidence1 and says3 ,he was removed about mid-day to the presence of his ,god1 leaving his mortal remains to his fellow-mortals1 and carrying into fellowship with ,god that part of his being which was capable of understanding and loving ,him4 #bfe ,it has been urged upon me by my ,christian friends that the enormous funds at the disposal of the various ,christian propagandist societies testify to the growth1 not the decay1 of the ,christian faith4 ,if these funds were chiefly derived from the small donations of the many1 there would be something in this argument4 ,such1 however1 is not the case4 #bff ,ammian4 ,marcell4 #a4 xxvii4 c4 #c4 #bfg ,cod4 ,theodos41 ,lib4 xvi4 tit4 ii4 #a4 #bj4 #bfh ,lib4 xvi4 tit4 x4 #a4 #bj1 and tit4 v4 legg4 #dc1 #eb1 #eg1 #fe4 #bfi ,see pp4 #eh-i of the ,beneficial ,influence of the ,ancient ,clergy 7the title under which the ,hulsean ,prize ,essay for #ahej was subsequently published in book form71 by the late ,henry ,mackenzie1 ,b4,a41 scholar of ,trinity ,college1 ,cambridge4 ,other quotations are given in the ,appendix4 #bgj ,the ,gods of the ,egyptians1 ,preface1 p4 xv4 #bga ,ibid4 #bgb ,huxley's ,essays on ,controverted ,questions1 p4 #i1 ,prologue4 #bgc ,gibbon's ,rome1 vol4 ii41 p4 #beg 7ed4 #ahji74 ,in #afch1 forty thousand ,japanese ,christians were put to death in the great ,castle of ,hara1 the ,dutch traders at ,nagasaki supplying cannon and gunpowder to be used against their fellow-,christians4 7,mentioned in ,the ,christian ,faith in ,japan1 p4 #ai1 a book published by the ,s4,p4,g47 ,this wholesale butchery1 however1 marked the destruction1 not the introduction1 of ,christianity4 #bgd ,quoted from page #edc of ,the ,martyrdom of ,man1 seventeenth edition 7#aijc74 #bge ,are we not liable to forget that the most brilliant geniuses may make mistakes sometimes1 either from want of knowledge of facts1 or from a psychological unwillingness to accept them8 ,may not the very subtlety of their intellects aid the work of their own self-deception8 #bgf ,liddon's ,some ,elements of ,religion1 p4 #dh4 #bgg ,flint's ,anti-,theistic ,theories4 #bgh ,see address to the ,royal ,naval ,volunteers by their hon4 chaplain1 the ,bishop of ,london1 reported in the ,church ,times for ,june #bcrd1 #aije4 #bgi ,anti-,nunquam1 p4 #hj4 #bhj ,see his inaugural address at the ,church ,congress1 ,october1 #aijf4 #bha ,see ,anti-,theistic ,theories1 ,lecture vii41 ,are there ,tribes of ,atheists8 #bhb ,the ,descent of ,man1 pp4 #cid-e4 #bhc ,quoted by ,dr4 ,flint in the lecture above referred to4 #bhd ,see ,the ,living ,races of ,mankind1 pp4 #gba-c4 #bhe ,the ,living ,races of ,mankind1 pp4 #gba-c4 #bhf ,ibid4 #bhg ,in a letter to ,dr4 ,frazer4 ,see the ,fortnightly ,review1 ,july1 #aije1 p4 #aga4 #bhh ,the ,golden ,bough1 p4 #gc1 note #a4 ,see also 7as there noted7 ,mission ,scientifique du ,cap ,horn1 vii41 ,anthropologie1 ,ethnographie1 par ,p4 ,hyades et ,j4 ,deniker 7,paris1 #ahia71 pp4 #bec-beg4 #bhi ,the ,golden ,bough1 p4 #fa4 #bij ,ibid4 #bia ,in the ,preface to the second edition of ,the ,golden ,bough4 #bib ,the ,golden ,bough1 p4 #fa4 #bic ,ibid4 #bid ,in his little book called ,magic and ,fetishism 7,constable1 #aijf74 #bie ,the ,golden ,bough1 p4 #gd4 #bif ,see ,preface to the second edition of ,the ,golden ,bough4 #big ,in his interesting and standard work1 ,chinese ,characteristics1 ch4 xxvi4 #bih ,chinese ,characteristics1 p4 #bhi4 #bii ,ibid41 p4 #cjf4 #cjj ,chinese ,characteristics1 p4 #bia4 #cja ,ibid41 pp4 #bib-c4 #cjb ,ibid41 p4 #cac4 #cjc ,chinese ,characteristics1 pp4 #bid and #bie4 #cjd ,also if she heard of ,general ,chaffee's remarks to an ,american ,methodist audience in ,new ,york not long ago4 ,while praising the work of the missionaries1 he told his audience that he met many of the most prominent ,chinamen while at ,pekin1 and he was obliged to say that he did not meet a single intelligent ,chinaman who expressed a desire to embrace the ,christian religion4 7,reported in the ,hong ,kong ,daily ,press of ,may #ith1 #aijc47 #cje ,the classical quotation commonly seen over the door of a temple is3 ,worship the gods as if they were present4 #cjf ,chinese ,characteristics1 pp4 #bii-cjj4 #cjg ,ibid41 p4 #cje4 #cjh ,chinese ,characteristics1 p4 #bhh4 #cji ,see p4 #gh of ,anti-,nunquam4 #caj ,see p4 #afd of ,science and ,education ,essays1 by ,t4 ,h4 ,huxley 7,macmillan ,co42 #ahie74 #caa ,the ,christian ,faith in ,japan1 pp4 #db1 #dc4 #cab ,the ,christian ,faith in ,japan1 pp4 #abh-i4 #cac ,see chapter ii4 of ,conventional ,lies of our ,civilisation1 by ,max ,nordau4 #cad ,ibid4 #cae ,p4 #dci of the ,proceedings of the ,s4 ,p4 ,r4 #caf ,p4 #dda of the ,proceedings of the ,s4 ,p4 ,r4 #cag ,see p4 #dgg of ,the ,relation of ,confirmation to ,baptism1 by ,a4 ,j4 ,mason1 ,d4,d4 7,longmans47 #cah ,at a men's service held in ,st4 ,mary ,bredin's ,church1 ,canterbury1 on ,december #dth1 #aijd4 #cai ,one phase of this failure was well shown by ,oxoniensis1 in his letters which started and ended the ,do ,we ,believe8 correspondence in the ,daily ,telegraph4 ,on the other hand1 we find pronounced unbelievers taking a leading part in wise reforms1 and devoting their lives to researches that will benefit humanity4 #cbj ,this statement is made on the authority of ,darwin and of all our modern naturalists4 ,the theory is established1 and its important message to the human race elaborated1 in such works as ,darwin's ,descent of ,man 7see vol4 i41 chap4 v41 ,the ,development of the ,intellect and ,moral ,faculties71 ,huxley's ,ethical ,lectures 7,science and ,morals1 #ahhf2 ,evolution and ,ethics1 the ,romanes' lecture for #ahic1 etc471 ,clodd's ,story of ,creation 7chap4 xi41 on ,social ,evolution71 ,winwood ,reade's ,martyrdom of ,man1 and ,prince ,kropotkin's ,mutual ,aid4 #cba ,p4 #bfd of ,japan by the ,japanese1 edited by ,alfred ,stead4 #cbb ,pp4 #adg-h of ,lafcadio ,hearn's book1 ,kokoro4 #cbc ,in the ,japan ,times4 ,quoted by ,mr4 ,moore in his book1 ,the ,christian ,faith in ,japan1 p4 #aca4 #cbd ,the ,christian ,faith in ,japan1 pp4 #ec-d4 ,explanations regarding the shortcomings of the ,japanese in the matter of commercial morality will be found in ,professor ,nitobe's ,bushido1 pp4 #fd-gj1 and also1 as there mentioned1 in ,knapp1 ,feudal and ,moral ,japan1 and in ,ransome1 ,japan in ,transition1 ch4 viii4 #cbe ,the ,nineteenth ,century and ,after1 ,february1 #aije1 art4 ,moral ,teaching in ,japan4 ,regarding their native virtues1 see ,appendix4 #cbf ,the ,independent ,review1 ,december1 #aije1 art4 ,the ,religions of ,japan4 #cbg ,see p4 #bba of ,dr4 ,lydston's book1 ,the ,diseases of ,society4 #cbh ,in his book1 ,a ,modern ,utopia1 p4 #add4 ,see also ,appendix to this work4 #cbi ,it may not be out of place to mention here that various ,ethical ,societies in ,england 7and her ,colonies71 ,europe1 and ,america are doing all they can to meet the ethical needs of ,agnostics1 and their efforts deserve far greater support than they have yet received from the wealthy4 ,for this want of sympathy there are many obvious reasons--reasons1 fortunately1 that will disappear in the near future4 ,it will be urged that the truly pious and honest believer finds prayer of the greatest help towards right conduct1 while the unbelieving ethicist is destitute of this aid4 ,i do not propose now to discuss the ethical value of prayer1 or consider the causes of its success and failure2 but ,i would ask the reader to refer to my remarks in ,chapter ,,vi4 on the psychology of prayer4 ,personally1 ,i am of opinion that the practice of auto-suggestion may prove useful to those in need of such assistance1 and that one day 7let us hope at no distant date7 psychical research will lead to the discovery of a complete and scientific method for the toughening of our moral fibres4 ,see also further note in the ,appendix4 #ccj ,mr4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells furnishes us with some novel ideas on this point in his book1 ,a ,modern ,utopia1 chap4 vii41 #b-e4 ,if we cannot prevent degenerates from marrying1 at least we can abolish an environment that assists heredity in their production4 ,see also ,appendix4 #cca ,see pp4 #be-f of ,stanley de ,brath's ,the ,foundations of ,success4 #ccb ,see ,prince ,kropotkin's articles in ,the ,nineteenth ,century and ,after 7,august1 #aijd1 and ,march1 #aije71 entitled ,the ,ethical ,need of the ,present ,day and ,the ,morality of ,nature4 ,anyone wishing to know why we must lead the moral life should not fail to read these instructive articles1 and also ,dr4 ,saleeby's ,evolution3 ,the ,master-,key4 #ccc ,prince ,kropotkin in ,the ,nineteenth ,century and ,after4 #ccd ,rationalism may be defined as the mental attitude which unreservedly accepts the supremacy of reason and aims at establishing a system of philosophy and ethics verifiable by experience and independent of all arbitrary assumptions or authority 7from the ,memorandum of the ,aims and ,objects of the ,rationalist ,press ,association74 #cce ,closing words of ,professor ,huxley's essay1 ,science and ,morals4 #ccf ,essay entitled ,an ,episcopal ,trilogy1 p4 #cab of ,essays on ,controverted ,questions 7,macmillan ,co474 #ccg ,art4 ,why ,live a ,moral ,life8 in the ,agnostic ,annual1 #ahie4 #cch ,art4 ,why ,live a ,moral ,life8 in the ,agnostic ,annual1 #aije4 #cci ,art4 ,why ,live a ,moral ,life8 in the ,agnostic ,annual1 #ahie4 #cdj ,ibid4 #cda ,quoted from his ,autobiography1 entitled ,my ,life3 ,a ,record of ,events and ,opinions 7,chapman ,hall74 #cdb ,art4 ,why ,live a ,moral ,life8 in the ,agnostic ,annual1 #ahie4 #cdc ,ibid4 #cdd ,p4 #aba of ,the ,story of ,creation 7,r4 ,p4 ,a4 ,cheap ,reprint74 #cde ,the ,nineteenth ,century and ,after1 ,august1 #aijd1 art4 ,the ,ethical ,need of the ,present ,day4 #cdf ,quoted from a little volume recently published1 entitled ,the ,japanese ,spirit4 7,constable47 #cdg ,cited by ,mr4 ,l4 ,gulick1 an ,american missionary organiser1 in his work on ,the ,evolution of the ,japanese4 #cdh ,quoted from a leaflet of the ,moral ,instruction ,league4 7,see ,appendix47 #cdi ,quoted from p4 #ejg1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 of ,the ,history of ,english ,rationalism in the ,nineteenth ,century1 by ,a4 ,w4 ,benn 7,longmans1 ,green1 and ,co41 #aijf74 #cej ,in his masterly work1 ,on ,compromise4 #cea ,see p4 #ee of ,the ,bible and the ,child4 #ceb ,bishop ,diggle1 the ,president of the ,church ,congress of #aijf1 in his opening address4 #cec ,ibid4 #ced ,recorded in ,the ,life of ,frances ,power ,cobbe1 as ,told by ,herself4 7,sonnenschein47 #cee ,see #c of the last ,chapter and #b of the present4 #cef ,p4 #cib of ,the ,independent ,review1 ,december1 #aijd4 #ceg ,browning's ,funeral1 a poem by ,mrs4 ,huxley4 ,the last three lines were inscribed1 at ,prof4 ,huxley's request1 upon his grave-stone 7in ,st4 ,marylebone ,cemetery1 ,east ,finchley74 #ceh ,see ,chapter ,i41 p4 #cj4 #cei ,see ,appendix4 #cfj ,an ,agnostic's ,apology1 pp4 #aca1 #acc1 #ach1 of the ,r4 ,p4 ,a4 ,reprint4 #cfa ,spencer's ,principles of ,sociology1 p4 #ih1 ,the ,data of ,sociology4 #cfb ,in his book1 ,the ,hearts of ,men4 #cfc ,see art4 ,is ,man by ,nature ,religious8 by ,h4 ,dundas1 in ,the ,agnostic ,annual for #aijf4 #cfd ,we are speaking now1 remember1 of a religion such as the ,christian faith1 one involving a belief in the supernatural1 and not of religion as ,professor ,huxley defined it--a reverence and love for the ethical ideal1 and the desire to realise that ideal in life4 ,we are not speaking of a mere ethical binding between man and man1 of a religion free from all theology1 such as ,comte's ,positivism4 #cfe ,quoted from pp4 #afi-aga of ,a ,reply to ,dr4 ,lightfoot's ,essays4 #cff ,an ,agnostic's ,apology1 p4 #acg4 #cfg ,in ,chap4 ,,vii41 pp4 #caa1 #cae-af1 and in ,chap4 ,,viii41 #b and #c 7#c7 and 7#d74 #cfh ,quoted from p4 #bg of ,the ,agnostic ,annual for #aijf4 #cfi ,canon ,scott ,holland1 in a sermon preached in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 ,may1 #aijf4 #cgj ,these are the concluding words of a lecture delivered in the ,central ,hall1 ,manchester4 ,the lecture is incorporated with others in a book entitled ,is ,christianity ,true8 7,charles ,h4 ,kelly1 #bf1 ,paternoster ,row1 ,e4,c42 #f;d474 #cga ,see ,appendix4 #cgb ,this view is confirmed by such standard works as ,lecky's ,rise and ,influence of ,rationalism in ,europe1 ,buckle's ,history of ,civilisation in ,england1 ,robertson's ,short ,history of ,freethought1 and ,benn's ,history of ,rationalism in the ,nineteenth ,century4 #cgc ,quoted from a sermon preached by the ,rev4 ,charles ,voysey at the ,theistic ,church1 ,october #bbnd1 #aije4 ,see also ,appendix4 #cgd ,see ,gibbon's ,rome1 p4 #beg1 vol4 ii4 7ed4 #ahji74 #cge ,this warning was pronounced by ,canon ,henson on ,november #afth1 #aije1 when commenting1 in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 upon the ,russian atrocities4 #cgf ,p4 #ceb1 ,vol4 ,i41 of his ,history of ,civilisation in ,england 7,longmans1 ,green1 ,co42 #ahia74 #cgg ,see also ,chap4 ,,vii41 p4 #bha1 note4 #cgh ,on ,sunday1 ,april #acth1 #ahij4 #cgi ,at a gala banquet at ,dresden1 ,october #beth1 #aije4 #chj ,taken from the emperor's speech at the opening of the ,reichstag1 ,november #bhth1 #aije4 ,n4,b4--,christian nations distrust one another's righteousness even when the ,state and the ,church are united and the rulers are defenders of the ,faith4 ,it may be noted also that at the swearing-in of the recruits of the ,potsdam garrison on ,november #adth1 #aije1 they were told to make the ,crucifix their ,generalissimo6 #cha ,in his book1 ,the ,peace of the ,anglo-,saxons1 with an ,introduction by ,field-,marshal ,earl ,roberts1 ,k4,g4 7,watts ,co47 ,observations suggested by this warning will be found in the ,appendix4 #chb ,apart from the extra burden on the workers1 does the ,church1 ,i wonder1 ever thoroughly realise the inevitable effect on public morality of keeping a large body of men from living a normal domestic life8 ,does she realise that diseases hurtful to the race are more prevalent than ever1 and that nowadays prostitution has spread from the garrison towns to the villages8 ,does she realise that her purity campaigns fail to strike at the root of the evil8 #chc ,held in ,lucerne on ,september #aith-#bcrd1 #aije4 #chd ,see ,appendix4 #che ,see ,mr4 7now the ,right ,hon47 ,augustine ,birrell's suggestive article1 ,patriotism and ,christianity1 in the ,contemporary ,review1 ,february1 #aije4 #chf ,the ,tsar is probably sincere in his professions1 and is the helpless tool of his advisers4 ,can we make the same excuse for another potentate--for him of the mailed fist8 #chg ,see ,appendix4 #chh ,butler1 ,analogy1 pt4 ii41 #c4 #chi ,in ,literature and ,dogma4 ,see p4 #ba of the ,r4 ,p4 ,a4 ,reprint4 #cij ,see p4 #ahc of ,the ,hibbert ,journal1 ,october1 #aije4 #cia ,compounds of cyanogen have a close resemblance to living matter4 ,as cyanogen is only produced at an intense heat1 it is surmised that the living substance may have been produced once and for all when the earth was incandescent4 #cib ,p4 #chg of ,the ,independent ,review1 ,december1 #aijd4 #cic ,to those willing to be instructed ,i suggest a perusal of ,doane's ,bible ,myths and their ,parallels in ,other ,religions 7,new ,york3 ,the ,commonwealth ,company71 where they will find some intensely interesting information which has been laboriously gathered from innumerable volumes1 ancient and modern4 ,the few inaccuracies occurring in it are of a trivial nature2 besides1 as the author invariably quotes his authorities1 his statements can be verified and the trustworthiness of his authority for them ascertained4 ,i may add that ,i found this work of considerable assistance at the commencement of my study of ,comparative ,mythology4