lecture20-第2节

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by　which　either　God's　cause　or　man's　cause　is　to　be　really



advanced；　then　he　who　lives　the　life　of　it；　however　narrowly；　is



a　better　servant　than　he　who　merely　knows　about　it；　however　much。　



Knowledge　about　life　is　one　thing；　effective　occupation　of　a



place　in　life；　with　its　dynamic　currents　passing　through　your



being；　is　another。







＇332＇　Compare；　e。g。；　the　quotation　from　Renan　on　p。　37；　above。















For　this　reason；　the　science　of　religions　may　not　be　an



equivalent　for　living　religion；　and　if　we　turn　to　the　inner



difficulties　of　such　a　science；　we　see　that　a　point　comes　when



she　must　drop　the　purely　theoretic　attitude；　and　either　let　her



knots　remain　uncut；　or　have　them　cut　by　active　faith。　　To　see



this；　suppose　that　we　have　our　science　of　religions　constituted



as　a　matter　of　fact。　　Suppose　that　she　has　assimilated　all　the



necessary　historical　material　and　distilled　out　of　it　as　its



essence　the　same　conclusions　which　I　myself　a　few　moments　ago



pronounced。　　Suppose　that　she　agrees　that　religion；　wherever　it



is　an　active　thing；　involves　a　belief　in　ideal　presences；　and　a



belief　that　in　our　prayerful　communion　with　them；＇333＇　work　is



done；　and　something　real　comes　to　pass。　　She　has　now　to　exert　her



critical　activity；　and　to　decide　how　far；　in　the　light　of　other



sciences　and　in　that　of　general　philosophy；　such　beliefs　can　be



considered　TRUE。







＇333＇　〃Prayerful〃　taken　in　the　broader　sense　explained　above　on



pp。　453　ff。















Dogmatically　to　decide　this　is　an　impossible　task。　　Not　only　are



the　other　sciences　and　the　philosophy　still　far　from　being



completed；　but　in　their　present　state　we　find　them　full　of



conflicts。　　The　sciences　of　nature　know　nothing　of　spiritual



presences；　and　on　the　whole　hold　no　practical　commerce　whatever



with　the　idealistic　conceptions　towards　which　general　philosophy



inclines。　　The　scientist；　so…called；　is；　during　his　scientific



hours　at　least；　so　materialistic　that　one　may　well　say　that　on



the　whole　the　influence　of　science　goes　against　the　notion　that



religion　should　be　recognized　at　all。　　And　this　antipathy　to



religion　finds　an　echo　within　the　very　science　of　religions



itself。　　The　cultivator　of　this　science　has　to　become　acquainted



with　so　many　groveling　and　horrible　superstitions　that　a



presumption　easily　arises　in　his　mind　that　any　belief　that　is



religious　probably　is　false。　　In　the　〃prayerful　communion〃　of



savages　with　such　mumbo…jumbos　of　deities　as　they　acknowledge；　it



is　hard　for　us　to　see　what　genuine　spiritual　workeven　though　it



were　work　relative　only　to　their　dark　savage　obligations　can



possibly　be　done。







The　consequence　is　that　the　conclusions　of　the　science　of



religions　are　as　likely　to　be　adverse　as　they　are　to　be　favorable



to　the　claim　that　the　essence　of　religion　is　true。　　There　is　a



notion　in　the　air　about　us　that　religion　is　probably　only　an



anachronism；　a　case　of　〃survival；〃　an　atavistic　relapse　into　a



mode　of　thought　which　humanity　in　its　more　enlightened　examples



has　outgrown；　and　this　notion　our　religious　anthropologists　at



present　do　little　to　counteract。







This　view　is　so　widespread　at　the　present　day　that　I　must



consider　it　with　some　explicitness　before　I　pass　to　my　own



conclusions。　　Let　me　call　it　the　〃Survival　theory；〃　for　brevity's



sake。







The　pivot　round　which　the　religious　life；　as　we　have　traced　it；



revolves；　is　the　interest　of　the　individual　in　his　private



personal　destiny。　　Religion；　in　short；　is　a　monumental　chapter　in



the　history　of　human　egotism。　　The　gods　believed　inwhether　by



crude　savages　or　by　men　disciplined　intellectuallyagree　with



each　other　in　recognizing　personal　calls。　　Religious　thought　is



carried　on　in　terms　of　personality；　this　being；　in　the　world　of



religion；　the　one　fundamental　fact。　　To…day；　quite　as　much　as　at



any　previous　age；　the　religious　individual　tells　you　that　the



divine　meets　him　on　the　basis　of　his　personal　concerns。







Science；　on　the　other　hand；　has　ended　by　utterly　repudiating　the



personal　point　of　view。　　She　catalogues　her　elements　and　records



her　laws　indifferent　as　to　what　purpose　may　be　shown　forth　by



them；　and　constructs　her　theories　quite　careless　of　their　bearing



on　human　anxieties　and　fates。　Though　the　scientist　may



individually　nourish　a　religion；　and　be　a　theist　in　his



irresponsible　hours；　the　days　are　over　when　it　could　be　said　that



for　Science　herself　the　heavens　declare　the　glory　of　God　and　the



firmament　showeth　his　handiwork。　　Our　solar　system；　with　its



harmonies；　is　seen　now　as　but　one　passing　case　of　a　certain　sort



of　moving　equilibrium　in　the　heavens；　realized　by　a　local



accident　in　an　appalling　wilderness　of　worlds　where　no　life　can



exist。　In　a　span　of　time　which　as　a　cosmic　interval　will　count



but　as　an　hour；　it　will　have　ceased　to　be。　　The　Darwinian　notion



of　chance　production；　and　subsequent　destruction；　speedy　or



deferred；　applies　to　the　largest　as　well　as　to　the　smallest



facts。　　It　is　impossible；　in　the　present　temper　of　the　scientific



imagination；　to　find　in　the　driftings　of　the　cosmic　atoms；



whether　they　work　on　the　universal　or　on　the　particular　scale；



anything　but　a　kind　of　aimless　weather；　doing　and　undoing；



achieving　no　proper　history；　and　leaving　no　result。　Nature　has　no



one　distinguishable　ultimate　tendency　with　which　it　is　possible



to　feel　a　sympathy。　　In　the　vast　rhythm　of　her　processes；　as　the



scientific　mind　now　follows　them；　she　appears　to　cancel　herself。　



The　books　of　natural　theology　which　satisfied　the　intellects　of



our　grandfathers　seem　to　us　quite　grotesque；＇334＇　representing；



as　they　did；　a　God　who　conformed　the　largest　things　of　nature　to



the　paltriest　of　our　private　wants。　　The　God　whom　science



recognizes　must　be　a　God　of　universal　laws　exclusively；　a　God　who



does　a　wholesale；　not　a　retail　business。　　He　cannot　accommodate



his　processes　to　the　convenience　of　individuals。　　The　bubbles　on



the　foam　which　coats　a　stormy　sea　are　floating　episodes；　made　and



unmade　by　the　forces　of　the　wind　and　water。　　Our　private　selves



are　like　those　bubblesepiphenomena；　as　Clifford；　I　believe；



ingeniously　called　them；　their　destinies　weigh　nothing　and



determine　nothing　in　the　world's　irremediable　currents　of　events。







＇334＇　How　was　it　ever　conceivable；　we　ask；　that　a　man　like



Christian　Wolff；　in　whose　dry…as…dust　head　all　the　learning　of



the　early　eighteenth　century　was　concentrated；　should　have



preserved　such　a　baby…like　faith　in　the　personal　and　human



character　of　Nature　as　to　expound　her　operations　as　he　did　in　his



work　on　the　uses　of　natural　things？　　This；　for　example；　is　the



account　he　gives　of　the　sun　and　its　utility：







〃We　see　that　God　has　created　the　sun　to　keep　the　changeable



conditions　on　the　earth　in　such　an　order　that　living　creatures；



men　and　beasts；　may　inhabit　its　surface。　　Since　men　are　the　most



reasonable　of　creatures；　and　able　to　infer　God's　invisible　being



from　the　contemplation　of　the　world；　the　sun　in　so　far　forth



contributes　to　the　primary　purpose　of　creation：　　without　it　the



race　of　man　could　not　be　preserved　or　continued。　。　。　。　The　sun



makes　daylight；　not　only　on　our　earth；　but　also　on　the　other



planets；　and　daylight　is　of　the　utmost　utility　to　us；　for　by　its



means　we　can　commodiously　carry　on　those　occupations　which　in　the



night…time　would　either　be　quite　impossible。　　Or　at　any　rate



impossible　without　our　going　to　the　expense　of　artificial　light。　



The　beasts　of　the　field　can　find　food　by　day　which　they　would　not



be　able　to　find　at　night。　　Moreover　we　owe　it　to　the　sunlight



that　we　are　able　to　see　everything　that　is　on　the　earth's



surface；　not　only　near　by；　but　also　at　a　distance；　and　to



recognize　both　near　and　far　things　according　to　their　species；



which　again　is　of　manifold　use　to　us　not　only　in　the　business



necessary　to　human　life；　and　when　we　are　traveling；　but　also　for



the　scientific　knowledge　of　Nature；　which　knowledge　for　the　most



part　depends　on　observations　made　with　the　help　of　sight；　and



without　the　sunshine；　would　have　been　impossible。　　If　any　one



would　rightly　impress　on　his　mind　the　great　advantages　which　he



derives　from　the　sun；　let　him　imagine　himself　living　through　only



one　month；　and　see　how　it　would　be　with　all　his　undertakings；　if



it　were　not　day　but　night。　　He　would　then　be　sufficiently



convinced　out　of　his　own　experience；　especially　if　he　had　much



work　to　carry　on