太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > lectures14+15 >

第4节

lectures14+15-第4节

小说: lectures14+15 字数: 每页4000字

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!






successive tasks in the history of nations by being blind for the



time to other causes。  Great schools of art work out the effects



which it is their mission to reveal; at the cost of a



one…sidedness for which other schools must make amends。  We



accept a John Howard; a Mazzini; a Botticelli; a Michael Angelo;



with a kind of indulgence。  We are glad they existed to show us



that way; but we are glad there are also other ways of seeing and



taking life。  So of many of the saints whom we have looked at。 



We are proud of a human nature that could be so passionately



extreme; but we shrink from advising others to follow the



example。  The conduct we blame ourselves for not following lies



nearer to the middle line of human effort。 It is less dependent



on particular beliefs and doctrines。  It is such as wears well in



different ages; such as under different skies all judges are able



to commend。







The fruits of religion; in other words; are; like all human



products; liable to corruption by excess。  Common sense must



judge them。  It need not blame the votary; but it may be able to



praise him only conditionally; as one who acts faithfully



according to his lights。  He shows us heroism in one way; but the



unconditionally good way is that for which no indulgence need be



asked。



 



We find that error by excess is exemplified by every saintly



virtue。  Excess; in human faculties; means usually one…sidedness



or want of balance; for it is hard to imagine an essential



faculty too strong; if only other faculties equally strong be



there to cooperate with it in action。  Strong affections need a



strong will; strong active powers need a strong intellect; strong



intellect needs strong sympathies; to keep life steady。  If the



balance exist; no one faculty can possibly be too strongwe only



get the stronger all…round character。  In the life of saints;



technically so called; the spiritual faculties are strong; but



what gives the impression of extravagance proves usually on



examination to be a relative deficiency of intellect。  Spiritual



excitement takes pathological forms whenever other interests are



too few and the intellect too narrow。  We find this exemplified



by all the saintly attributes in turndevout love of God;



purity; charity; asceticism; all may lead astray。  I will run



over these virtues in succession。







First of all let us take Devoutness。  When unbalanced; one of its



vices is called Fanaticism。  Fanaticism (when not a mere



expression of ecclesiastical ambition) is only loyalty carried to



a convulsive extreme。  When an intensely loyal and narrow mind is



once grasped by the feeling that a certain superhuman person is



worthy of its exclusive devotion; one of the first things that



happens is that it idealizes the devotion itself。  To adequately



realize the merits of the idol gets to be considered the one



great merit of the worshiper; and the sacrifices and servilities



by which savage tribesmen have from time immemorial exhibited



their faithfulness to chieftains are now outbid in favor of the



deity。  Vocabularies are exhausted and languages altered in the



attempt to praise him enough; death is looked on as gain if it



attract his grateful notice; and the personal attitude of being



his devotee becomes what one might almost call a new and exalted



kind of professional specialty within the tribe。'199' The legends



that gather round the lives of holy persons are fruits of this



impulse to celebrate and glorify。  The Buddha'200' and



Mohammed'201' and their companions and many Christian saints are



incrusted with a heavy jewelry of anecdotes which are meant to be



honorific; but are simply abgeschmackt and silly; and form a



touching expression of man's misguided propensity to praise。







'199' Christian saints have had their specialties of devotion;



Saint Francis to Christ's wounds; Saint Anthony of Padua to



Christ's childhood; Saint Bernard to his humanity; Saint Teresa



to Saint Joseph; etc。  The Shi…ite Mohammedans venerate Ali; the



Prophet's son…in…law; instead of Abu…bekr; his brother…in…law。 



Vambery describes a dervish whom he met in Persia; 〃who had



solemnly vowed; thirty years before; that he would never employ



his organs of speech otherwise but in uttering; everlastingly;



the name of his favorite; Ali; Ali。  He thus wished to signify to



the world that he was the most devoted partisan of that Ali who



had been dead a thousand years。  In his own home; speaking with



his wife; children; and friends; no other word but 'Ali!' ever



passed his lips。  If he wanted food or drink or anything else; he



expressed his wants still by repeating 'Ali!'  Begging or buying



at the bazaar; it was always 'Ali!'  Treated ill or generously;



he would still harp on his monotonous 'Ali!'  Latterly his zeal



assumed such tremendous proportions that; like a madman; he would



race; the whole day; up and down the streets of the town;



throwing his stick high up into the air; and shriek our; all the



while; at the top of his voice; 'Ali!'  This dervish was



venerated by everybody as a saint; and received everywhere with



the greatest distinction。〃  Arminius Vambery; his Life and



Adventures; written by Himself; London; 1889; p。 69。  On the



anniversary of the death of Hussein; Ali's son; the Shi…ite



Moslems still make the air resound with cries of his name and



Ali's。







'200' Compare H。 C。 Warren:  Buddhism in Translation; Cambridge;



U。S。; 1898; passim。







'201' Compare J。 L。 Merrick:  The Life and Religion of Mohammed;



as contained in the Sheeah traditions of the Hyat…ul…Kuloob;



Boston。 1850; passim。















An immediate consequence of this condition of mind is jealousy



for the deity's honor。  How can the devotee show his loyalty



better than by sensitiveness in this regard?  The slightest



affront or neglect must be resented; the deity's enemies must be



put to shame。  In exceedingly narrow minds and active wills; such



a care may become an engrossing preoccupation; and crusades have



been preached and massacres instigated for no other reason than



to remove a fancied slight upon the God。  Theologies representing



the gods as mindful of their glory; and churches with



imperialistic policies; have conspired to fan this temper to a



glow; so that intolerance and persecution have come to be vices



associated by some of us inseparably with the saintly mind。 They



are unquestionably its besetting sins。  The saintly temper is a



moral temper; and a moral temper has often to be cruel。  It is a



partisan temper; and that is cruel。  Between his own and



Jehovah's enemies a David knows no difference; a Catherine of



Siena; panting to stop the warfare among Christians which was the



scandal of her epoch; can think of no better method of union



among them than a crusade to massacre the Turks; Luther finds no



word of protest or regret over the atrocious tortures with which



the Anabaptist leaders were put to death; and a Cromwell praises



the Lord for delivering his enemies into his hands for



〃execution。〃  Politics come in in all such cases; but piety finds



the partnership not quite unnatural。  So; when 〃freethinkers〃



tell us that religion and fanaticism are twins; we cannot make an



unqualified denial of the charge。







Fanaticism must then be inscribed on the wrong side of religion's



account; so long as the religious person's intellect is on the



stage which the despotic kind of God satisfies。  But as soon as



the God is represented as less intent on his own honor and glory;



it ceases to be a danger。







Fanaticism is found only where the character is masterful and



aggressive。  In gentle characters; where devoutness is intense



and the intellect feeble; we have an imaginative absorption in



the love of God to the exclusion of all practical human



interests; which; though innocent enough; is too one…sided to be



admirable。  A mind too narrow has room but for one kind of



affection。  When the love of God takes possession of such a mind;



it expels all human loves and human uses。  There is no English



name for such a sweet excess of devotion; so I will refer to it



as a theopathic condition。







The blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque may serve as an example。







〃To be loved here upon the earth;〃 her recent biographer



exclaims:  〃to be loved by a noble; elevated; distinguished



being; to be loved with fidelity; with devotionwhat



enchantment! But t

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的