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CHAPTER V
THE NAMES OF GOD
Advantage of comparative philology-Root ideas and root words-Soul
names- s-Relation observed between wind, breath, smoke, and the soul
-Roots expressive of force-Names of God expressive of force-Titles
of pre-eminence-Attributive names-Names derived from localization
-The multiplicity of Divine names-Avoidance of using names—
Semitic language a protest against polytheism-Instances of attributes
becoming distinct deities Page 91
CHAPTER VI
THE LAW OF RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT
--
Varieties of religious beliefs The result of natural law-Same law pre-
vails in physics, social life, and politics-Variety produced by simple
means-Dynamics of religion-Belief progressive-Analogy of human
embryo-The motor is a craving after truth-Constant flux in belief
the result-Analogy of language—Accident causes rapid development
or retardation of religious growth-Religion the synthesis of reason and
sentiment-Dogma-Worship-Discipline-The statics of religion—
The double tendency in all religions—Habit--Theocracies—Revelations
-Benefits derived from arrest of too rapid development-Examples of
counter currents-Example of stagnation Page 107
CHAPTER VII
THE ORIGIN OF POLYTHEISM
Difficulty of realizing the state of mind of a savage-The first stage in
primæval religion one of autotheism; then a perception and veneration
of resistances-Classification of resisting forces-Nature worship-
Brute worship-Personification of phenomena—The Greek the typical
polytheist―The names of the sun become distinct solar deities-Moral
deities Astrolatry-Theogonies
Page 135
CHAPTER VIII
THE ORIGIN OF MYTHOLOGY
-
Mythology not the invention of priests-Confusion in myths — The
causes of the rise of myth: 1. Forgetfulness of the signification of
words; 2. Confusion arising from words having several meanings; 3.
Accumulation of similitudes; 4. Philological attempts to explain the
significance of words that are antiquated; 5. Allegories misunder-
stood; 6. Attempts to account for natural curiosities-Brotomorphosis
or Euhemerism
Page 150
CHAPTER IX
IDOLATRY
Idolatry, the worship of a person or object-Forms assumed by idolatry :
1. Fetishism-The philosophy of Fetishism-Obligations owed by
humanity to Fetishism-Defect in Fetishism; 2. Symbolism—All
expressions of ideas are symbolic-Symbolic writing-Symbolic gesture
-Symbolic language—Obligations due to symbolism-Defect in sym-
bolism; 3. Ideolatry--Anthropomorphism
Page 168
CHAPTER X
THEOCRACIES
Three modes of life, the hunting, the pastoral, and the agricultural—Diffi-
culty of passing from one mode to another-Requisites of the agri-
cultural mode: 1. Community of land-Rise of castes-Territorial aris-
tocracies and theocracies; 2. Government-democratic, then feudal,
then monarchic-Theocratic government; 3. Ethics must be based on
authority-Province of prophetism—of theocracies to codify laws—
Theocratic codes very minute-Their object, the destruction of in-
dividuality-This not peculiar to theocracies--Benefits of theocra-
cies
Page 189
CHAPTER XI
THE ETHICS OF RELIGION
The moral sense an intellectual faculty-Arises from the perception
of pleasure and pain, and the belief in causation—-Necessity of ethics
to man- -Growth of the moral faculty-Conscience directed by the law
-Sense of responsibility-Duties to man, to God, to beasts, to self—
Precepts of an ethic code-Jewish code-Mazdæan code-The ethical
bearings of Polytheism-Greek morals-Scandinavian morals-The ethi-
cal bearings of Monotheism-Jewish morals-Mohammedan morals-The
ethical bearings of Pantheism-Aristotle's ethics-The desire of happi-
ness the key to moral activity-This is self-love, a natural instinct—
Ancient confusion of responsibilities-Modern disengagement of duties
and their systematization Page 206
CHAPTER XII
THE ORIGIN OF MONOTHEISM
The mode by which conclusions are reached not generally considered-
Concrete terminology inadequate to express abstract ideas-Tendency
of all religious systems to gravitate into Theism or Pantheism-First
vague ideas of God-Polytheism, its logical difficulties-Escape in the
direction of Monotheism-Absolute unity-Relative unity-The recogni-
tion of natural law-The idea of the unity of this law-The idea of
transcendental knowledge-The idea of the unity of the Creator-The
idea of the infinity of space, and of time-The idea of substance; which
is spiritual or corporeal-The idea of the unity of corporeal substance the
basis of Pantheism; that of the unity of spiritual substance the basis of
Theism-Materialism-Theism and Pantheism not necessarily anta-
Page 236
gonistic
CHAPTER XIII ✔
THE HISTORY OF MONOTHEISM
The Semitic race and monotheism-Jewish monotheistic ideas gradually
developed-Characteristics of Semitic progress-Shape finally assumed
by Jewish theism-Jewish indifference to philosophy and science--
Mohammedan monotheism-Calvinistic monotheism-Classic theism
-Fate-Hindú monotheism-Traces of theism among barbarous races
-Conclusion
Page 258
CHAPTER XIV
PANTHEISM
Theories to account for the existence of the world-The atomic theory-
The evolutive theory-The dualistic theory-The theory of Pyrrhonic ·
idealism-The theory of Hegelian idealism-The theistic theory
of creation-The phusitheistic theory of emanence and immanence
Page 280
CHAPTER XV
THE HISTORY OF THEOSOPHY
The task undertaken by philosophy-Theism and pantheism. 1. Greek
philosophy-The Ionic school-Heraclitus-The Atomists-Empedocles
-Anaxagoras-Pythagoræans-Eleatic school-The Sophists-Socrates
-Plato-Aristotle-Epicurean school-The Stoics-The New Sceptics
-The Neoplatonists. 2. Indian philosophy-Brahmanism-Sankhya
philosophy - Buddhism. 3. Chinese philosophy - Confucianism —
Chinese dualism-Taoism. 4. Christianity. 5. Modern philosophy
-Descartes-Leibnitz- Hobbes-Locke-Hume-Kant-Fichte-
Hegel. Conclusions
CHAPTER XVI
THE IDEA OF EVIL
Page 292
The idea of evil a generalization from the perception of pain-personifica.
tion of evil-The first idea of evil the idea of God-The second stage is
the belief in the capriciousness of the gods-The third stage is dualism
-The fourth stage is Satanism-The fifth stage the denial of the ab-
solute existence of evil-Objections to this theory,
Page 326
CHAPTER XVII
ASCETICISM AND MYSTICISM
Ascetic instinct united with religious instinct-Buddhist ascetics-Ascetic.
ism of the Brahman and Mohammedan-Egyptian abstemiousness—
Jewish and Ssabian fasts-Fasting among Red Indians, and Peruvians,
and Mexicans-Motives for practising austerities-Facts, not motives,
important-Self-denial a law of human nature; Reason why-Polariz-
ation of force-All reformers ascetics-Asceticism may lead to polariz-
ation of force on mind or on feelings-Buddhism an instance of the
former; its deficiencies-Christian mysticism an instance of the latter;
its mischievous effects,
Page 343
CHAPTER XVIII
SACRIFICE
The theory of compensation for wrong done-the basis of criminal law—
Illustrations-Saxon, Indian, Icelandic law-The theory of compensa-
tion applied to religious wrongs-originates sacrifice-Life and honour
the two best gifts--Rites of Moloch and Mylitta-Human sacrifices—
among the Carthaginians—Arabs—Egyptians-Persians-Greek islands
-Greeks-Romans-Gauls and Britons-Germans-Lithuanians-Scan-
dinavians-American Indians-Peruvians-Aztecs-Dahomians-The
prevalence of sacrifice not an evidence of a consciousness of sin-Expi-
atory sacrifices-when instituted-The sense of sin-The demand for
expiation-Vicarious suffering according to natural law-Suffering the
means of obtaining benefits,
Page 368
CHAPTER XIX
SACRAMENTS
The belief in a Divine Person necessitates prayer and sacraments-Man not
perfect without feeling-The religious passion-its expression prayer—
its satisfaction sacrament-Prayer a liberation of force-a necessity of