按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
of the ignorant； to their own enrichment。 They （the Secularists） overleaped themselves by grossly exaggerating a thing that no doubt is partially true。
Thus the subject of religious origins is somewhat complex； and yields many aspects for consideration。 It is only； I think； by keeping a broad course and admitting contributions to the truth from various sides； that valuable results can be obtained。 It is absurd to suppose that in this or any other science neat systems can be found which will cover all the facts。 Nature and History do not deal in such things； or supply them for a sop to Man's vanity。
It is clear that there have been three main lines； so far； along which human speculation and study have run。 One connecting religious rites and observations with the movements of the Sun and the planets in the sky； and leading to the invention of and belief in Olympian and remote gods dwelling in heaven and ruling the Earth from a distance； the second connecting religion with the changes of the season； on the Earth and with such practical things as the growth of vegetation and food； and leading to or mingled with a vague belief in earth…spirits and magical methods of influencing such spirits； and the third connecting religion with man's own body and the tremendous force of sex residing in itemblem of undying life and all fertility and power。 It is clear alsoand all investigation confirms itthat the second…mentioned phase of religion arose on the whole BEFORE the first…mentionedthat is； that men naturally thought about the very practical questions of food and vegetation； and the magical or other methods of encouraging the same； before they worried themselves about the heavenly bodies and the laws of THEIR movements； or about the sinister or favorable influences the stars might exert。 And again it is extremely probable that the third…mentioned aspectthat which connected religion with the procreative desires and phenomena of human physiologyreally came FIRST。 These desires and physiological phenomena must have loomed large on the primitive mind long before the changes of the seasons or of the sky had been at all definitely observed or considered。 Thus we find it probable that； in order to understand the sequence of the actual and historical phases of religious worship； we must approximately reverse the order above…given in which they have been STUDIED； and conclude that in general the Phallic cults came first； the cult of Magic and the propitiation of earth…divinities and spirits came second； and only last came the belief in definite God…figures residing in heaven。
At the base of the whole process by which divinities and demons were created； and rites for their propitiation and placation established； lay Fearfear stimulating the imagination to fantastic activity。 Primus in orbe deos fecit Timor。 And fear； as we shall see； only became a mental stimulus at the time of； or after； the evolution of self…consciousness。 Before that time； in the period of SIMPLE consciousness； when the human mind resembled that of the animals； fear indeed existed； but its nature was more that of a mechanical protective instinct。 There being no figure or image of SELF in the animal mind； there were correspondingly no figures or images of beings who might threaten or destroy that self。 So it was that the imaginative power of fear began with Self…consciousness； and from that imaginative power was unrolled the whole panorama of the gods and rites and creeds of Religion down the centuries。
The immense force and domination of Fear in the first self…conscious stages of the human mind is a thing which can hardly be exaggerated； and which is even difficult for some of us moderns to realize。 But naturally as soon as Man began to think about himselfa frail phantom and waif in the midst of tremendous forces of whose nature and mode of operation he was entirely ignoranthe was BESET with terrors； dangers loomed upon him on all sides。 Even to…day it is noticed by doctors that one of the chief obstacles to the cure of illness among some black or native races is sheer superstitious terror； and Thanatomania is the recognized word for a state of mind （〃obsession of death〃） which will often cause a savage to perish from a mere scratch hardly to be called a wound。 The natural defence against this state of mind was the creation of an enormous number of taboossuch as we find among all races and on every conceivable subjectand these taboos constituted practically a great body of warnings which regulated the lives and thoughts of the community； and ultimately； after they had been weeded out and to some degree simplified； hardened down into very stringent Customs and Laws。 Such taboos naturally in the beginning tended to include the avoidance not only of acts which might reasonably be considered dangerous； like touching a corpse； but also things much more remote and fanciful in their relation to danger； like merely looking at a mother… in…law； or passing a lightning…struck tree； and （what is especially to be noticed） they tended to include acts which offered any special PLEASURE or temptationlike sex or marriage or the enjoyment of a meal。 Taboos surrounded these things too； and the psychological connection is easy to divine： but I shall deal with this general subject later。
It may be guessed that so complex a system of regulations made life anything but easy to early peoples； but； preposterous and unreasonable as some of the taboos were； they undoubtedly had the effect of compelling the growth of self…control。 Fear does not seem a very worthy motive； but in the beginning it curbed the violence of the purely animal passions； and introduced order and restraint among them。 Simultaneously it became itself； through the gradual increase of knowledge and observation； transmuted and etherealized into something more like wonder and awe and （when the gods rose above the horizon） into reverence。 Anyhow we seem to perceive that from the early beginnings （in the Stone Age） of self…consciousness in Man there has been a gradual developmentfrom crass superstition； senseless and accidental； to rudimentary observation； and so to belief in Magic； thence to Animism and personification of nature…powers in more or less human form； as earth…divinities or sky…gods or embodiments of the tribe； and to placation of these powers by rites like Sacrifice and the Eucharist； which in their turn became the foundation of Morality。 Graphic representations made for the encouragement of fertilityas on the walls of Bushmen's rock…dwellings or the ceilings of the caverns of Altamira became the nurse of pictorial Art； observations of plants or of the weather or the stars； carried on by tribal medicine…men for purposes of witchcraft or prophecy； supplied some of the material of Science； and humanity emerged by faltering and hesitating steps on the borderland of those finer perceptions and reasonings which are supposed to be characteristic of Civilization。
The process of the evolution of religious rites and ceremonies has in its main outlines been the same all over the world； as the reader will presently seeand this whether in connection with the numerous creeds of Paganism or the supposedly unique case of Chris