pagan and christian creeds-第19部分

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in　this　matter　must　have　been　perfectly　continuous　from　stages　presenting　the　very　feeblest　or　an　absolutely　deficient　animistic　sense　to　the　very　highest　manifestations　of　anthropomorphism；　but　as　there　is　a　good　deal　of　evidence　to　show　that　ANIMALS　（notably　dogs　and　horses）　see　ghosts；　the　inquiry　ought　certainly　to　be　enlarged　so　far　as　to　include　the　pre…human　species。　Anyhow　it　must　be　remembered　that　the　question　is　one　of　CONSCIOUSNESS　that　is；　of　how　far　and　to　what　degree　consciousness　of　self　has　been　developed　in　the　animal　or　the　primitive　man　or　the　civilized　man；　and　therefore　how　far　and　to　what　degree　the　animal　or　human　creature　has　credited　the　outside　world　with　a　similar　consciousness。　It　is　not　a　question　of　whether　there　IS　an　inner　life　and　SUB…consciousness　common　to　all　these　creatures　of　the　earth　and　sky；　because　that；　I　take　it；　is　a　fact　beyond　question；　they　all　emerge　or　have　emerged　from　the　same　matrix；　and　are　rooted　in　identity；　but　it　is　a　question　of　how　far　they　are　AWARE　of　this；　and　how　far　by　separation　（which　is　the　genius　of　evolution）　each　individual　creature　has　become　conscious　of　the　interior　nature　both　of　itself　and　of　the　other　creatures　AND　of　the　great　whole　which　includes　them　all。

Finally；　and　to　avoid　misunderstanding；　let　me　say　that　Anthropomorphism；　in　man's　conception　of　the　gods；　is　itself　of　course　only　a　stage　and　destined　to　pass　away。　In　so　far；　that　is；　as　the　term　indicates　a　belief　in　divine　beings　corresponding　to　our　PRESENT　conception　of　ourselves　that　is　as　separate　personalities　having　each　a　separate　and　limited　character　and　function；　and　animated　by　the　separatist　motives　of　ambition；　possession；　power；　vainglory；　superiority；　patronage；　self…greed；　self…satisfaction；　etc。in　so　far　as　anthropomorphism　is　the　expression　of　that　kind　of　belief　it　is　of　course　destined；　with　the　illusion　from　which　it　springs；　to　pass　away。　When　man　arrives　at　the　final　consciousness　in　which　the　idea　of　such　a　self；　superior　or　inferior　or　in　any　way　antagonistic　to　others；　ceases　to　operate；　then　he　will　return　to　his　first　and　primal　condition；　and　will　cease　to　need　ANY　special　religion　or　gods；　knowing　himself　and　all　his　fellows　to　be　divine　and　the　origin　and　perfect　fruition　of　all。



VII。　RITES　OF　EXPIATION　AND　REDEMPTION

There　is　a　passage　in　Richard　Jefferies'　imperishably　beautiful　book　The　Story　of　my　Hearta　passage　well　known　to　all　lovers　of　that　prose…poetin　which　he　figures　himself　standing　〃in　front　of　the　Royal　Exchange　where　the　wide　pavement　reaches　out　like　a　promontory；〃　and　pondering　on　the　vast　crowd　and　the　mystery　of　life。　〃Is　there　any　theory；　philosophy；　or　creed；〃　he　says；　〃is　there　any　system　of　culture；　any　formulated　method；　able　to　meet　and　satisfy　each　separate　item　of　this　agitated　pool　of　human　life？　By　which　they　may　be　guided；　by　which　they　may　hope；　by　which　look　forward？　Not　a　mere　illusion　of　the　craving　heartsomething　real；　as　real　as　the　solid　walls　of　fact　against　which；　like　seaweed；　they　are　dashed；　something　to　give　each　separate　personality　sunshine　and　a　flower　in　its　own　existence　now；　something　to　shape　this　million…handed　labor　to　an　end　and　outcome　that　will　leave　more　sunshine　and　more　flowers　to　those　who　must　succeed？　Something　real　now；　and　not　in　the　spirit…land；　in　this　hour　now；　as　I　stand　and　the　sun　burns。　。　。　。　Full　well　aware　that　all　has　failed；　yet；　side　by　side　with　the　sadness　of　that　knowledge；　there　lives　on　in　me　an　unquenchable　belief；　thought　burning　like　the　sun；　that　there　is　yet　something　to　be　found。。。。　It　must　be　dragged　forth　by　the　might　of　thought　from　the　immense　forces　of　the　universe。〃

In　answer　to　this　passage　we　may　say　〃No；a　thousand　times　No！　there　is　no　theory；　philosophy；　creed；　system　or　formulated　method　which　will　meet　or　ever　satisfy　the　demand　of　each　separate　item　of　the　human　whirlpool。〃　And　happy　are　we　to　know　there　is　no　such　thing！　How　terrible　if　one　of　these　bloodless　'systems'　which　strew　the　history　of　religion　and　philosophy　and　the　political　and　social　paths　of　human　endeavor　HAD　been　found　absolutely　correct　and　universally　applicableso　that　every　human　being　would　be　compelled　to　pass　through　its　machine…like　maw；　every　personality　to　be　crushed　under　its　Juggernath　wheels！　No；　thank　Heaven！　there　is　no　theory　or　creed　or　system；　and　yet　there　is　something　as　Jefferies　prophetically　felt　and　with　a　great　longing　desiredthat　CAN　satisfy；　and　that；　the　root　of　all　religion；　has　been　hinted　at　in　the　last　chapter。　It　is　the　CONSCIOUSNESS　of　the　world…life　burning；　blazing；　deep　down　within　us：　it　is　the　Soul's　intuition　of　its　roots　in　Omnipresence　and　Eternity。

The　gods　and　the　creeds　of　the　past；　as　shown　in　the　last　chapterwhatever　they　may　have　been；　animistic　or　anthropomorphic　or　transcendental；　whether　grossly　brutish　or　serenely　ideal　and　abstractare　essentially　projections　of　the　human　mind；　and　no　doubt　those　who　are　anxious　to　discredit　the　religious　impulse　generally　will　catch　at　this；　saying　〃Yes；　they　are　mere　forms　and　phantoms　of　the　mind；　ephemeral　dreams；　projected　on　the　background　of　Nature；　and　having　no　real　substance　or　solid　value。　The　history　of　Religion　（they　will　say）　is　a　history　of　delusion　and　illusion；　why　waste　time　over　it？　These　divine　grizzly　Bears　or　Aesculapian　Snakes；　these　cat…faced　Pashts；　this　Isis；　queen　of　heaven；　and　Astarte　and　Baal　and　Indra　and　Agni　and　Kali　and　Demeter　and　the　Virgin　Mary　and　Apollo　and　Jesus　Christ　and　Satan　and　the　Holy　Ghost；　are　only　shadows　cast　outwards　onto　a　screen；　the　constitution　of　the　human　mind　makes　them　all　tend　to　be　anthropomorphic；　but　that　is　all；　they　each　and　all　inevitably　pass　away。　Why　waste　time　over　them？〃

And　this　is　in　a　sense　a　perfectly　fair　way　of　looking　at　the　matter。　These　gods　and　creeds　ARE　only　projections　of　the　human　mind。　But　all　the　same　it　misses；　does　this　view；　the　essential　fact。　It　misses　the　fact　that　there　is　no　shadow　without　a　fire；　that　the　very　existence　of　a　shadow　argues　a　light　somewhere　（though　we　may　not　directly　see　it）　as　well　as　the　existence　of　a　solid　form　which　intercepts　that　light。　Deep；　deep　in　the　human　mind　there　is　that　burning　blazing　light　of　the　world…consciousness　so　deep　indeed　that　the　vast　majority　of　individuals　are　hardly　aware　of　its　existence。　Their　gaze　turned　outwards　is　held　and　riveted　by　the　gigantic　figures　and　processions　passing　across　their　sky；　they　are　unaware　that　the　latter　are　only　shadowssilhouettes　of　the　forms　inhabiting　their　own　minds。＇1＇　The　vast　majority　of　people　have　never　observed　their　own　minds；　their　own　mental　forms。　They　have　only　observed　the　reflections　cast　by　these。　Thus　it　may　be　said；　in　this　matter；　that　there　are　three　degrees　of　reality。　There　are　the　mere　shadowsthe　least　real　and　most　evanescent；　there　are　the　actual　mental　outlines　of　humanity　（and　of　the　individual）；　much　more　real；　but　themselves　also　of　course　slowly　changing；　and　most　real　of　all；　and　permanent；　there　is　the　light　〃which　lighteth　every　man　that　cometh　into　the　world〃the　glorious　light　of　the　world…consciousness。　Of　this　last　it　may　be　said　that　it　never　changes。　Every　thing　is　known　to　iteven　the　very　IMPEDIMENTS　to　its　shining。　But　as　it　is　from　the　impediments　to　the　shining　of　a　light　that　shadows　are　cast；　so　we　now　may　understand　that　the　things　of　this　world　and　of　humanity；　though　real　in　their　degree；　have　chiefly　a　kind　of　negative　value；　they　are　opaquenesses；　clouds；　materialisms；　ignorances；　and　the　inner　light　falling　upon　them　gradually　reveals　their　negative　character　and　gradually　dissolves　them　away　till　they　are　lost　in　the　extreme　and　eternal　Splendor。　I　think　Jefferies；　when　he　asked　that　question　with　which　I　have　begun　this　chapter；　was　in　some　sense　subconsciously；　if　not　quite　consciously；　aware　of　the　answer。　His　frequent　references　to　the　burning　blazing　sun　throughout　The　Story　of　the　Heart　seem　to　be　an　indication　of　his　real　deep…down　attitude　of　mind。

＇1＇　See；　in　the　same　connection；　Plato's　allegory　of　the　Cave；　Republic；Book　vii。


The　shadow…figures　of　the　creeds　and　theogonies　pass　away　truly　like　ephemeral　dreams；　but　to　say　that　time　spent　in　their　study　is　wasted；　is　a　mistake；　for　they　have　value　as　being　indications　of　things　much　more　real　than　themselves；　namely；　of　the　stages　of　evolution　of　the　human　mind。　The　fact　that　a　certain　god…figure；　however　grotesque　and　queer；　or　a　certain　creed；　however　childish；　cruel；　and　illogical；　held　sway　for　a　considerable　time　over　the　hearts　of　men　in　any　corner　or　continent　of　the　world　is　good　evidence　that　it　represented　a　real　formative　urge　at　the　time　in　the　hearts　of　those　good　people；　and　a　definite　stage　in　their　evolution　and　the　evolution　of　humanity。　Certainly　it　was　destined　to　pass　away；　but　it　was　a　step；　and　a　necessary　step　in　the　great　process；　and　certainly　it　was　opaque　and　brutish；　but　it　is　through　the　opaque　things　of　the　world；　and　not　through　the　transparent；　that　we　become　aware　of　the　light。

It　may　be　worth　while　to　give　instances　of　how　some　early　rituals　and　creeds；　in　themselves　apparently　barbarous　or　preposterous；　were　really　the　indications　of　important　moral　and　social　conceptions　ev