* See Appendices T and V.
After my lecture on Men, Women, and Gods, in Chicago, I was asked how it
would be possible to train children to be good without a belief in the
divinity of the Bible; how they could be made to know it is wrong to be
and steal and kill.
The belief that the Bible is the originator of these and like moral
ideas, or that Christ was their first teacher, is far from the truth;
and it is only another evidence of the duplicity or ignorance of
the Church that such a belief obtains or that such a falsehood is
systematically taught.
It is too easily forgotten that morals are universal, that Christianity
is local. Practical moral ideas grow up very early, and develop with the
development of a race. They are the response to the needs of a
people, and when formulated have in several cases taken the shape of
"commandments" from some unseen power. These necessary practical laws
are by degrees attached to those of imaginary value, and all alike
are held in esteem as of equal moral worth. By this means a ficticious
standard of right and wrong becomes established, and a weakening of
confidence in the valueless part results in damage to that portion which
was originally the result of wise and necessary legislation.*
When children (of whatever age) do this or that "because God said so,"
the precepts taught on this basis, even though they are good, will have
no hold upon the man who discovers that their origin was purely human.
It is a dangerous experiment, and depends wholly upon ignorance for
its success. A firm basis of reason in this world is the only solid
foundation of moral training.
My Chicago questioner proceeded upon the hypothesis that what of
valuable morals are contained in the Bible were a "revelation" to one
people, and that their value was dependent upon this origin. For the
benefit of those who have been similarly** imposed upon, I will cite a
few facts in as short space as possible.
* "Durable morality had been associated with a transitory
religious faith. The faith fell into intellectual discredit,
and sexual morality shared its decline for a short season.
This must always be the natural consequence of building
sound ethics on the shifting sands and rotting foundations
of theology. It is one of those enormous drawbacks that
people seldom take into account when they are enumerating
the blessings of superstition."
--Morley's "Diderot," p. 71.
** Professor Max Muller says that "the consciousness of sin
is a leading feature in the religion of the Veda, so is
likewise the belief that the gods are able to take away from
man the heavy burden of his sins."
Brahmanism, with its two hundred millions of believers, and its Rig-Veda
(Bible) composed two thousand four hundred years before Christ, has its
rigid code of morals; its theory of creation; its teachings about sin;
its revelations; its belief in the ability of the gods to forgive;** its
belief that its bible came from God; and its devotees who believe
that an infinite God is pleased with the toys of worship, praise,
and adulation of man. It has its prayers and hymns, its offerings and
sacrifices. Corresponding with our "Trinity" idea the Brahmin has his
three great gods; and in place of our "angels" he has his infinite
number of little ones.*
Next, Zoroastrianism, certainly twelve hundred years older than Christ,
has its legends (quite as authentic as our own) of miracles performed
by its founder and his followers; its Zend-Avesta (Bible); its "Supreme
Spirit;" its belief in gods and demons who interfere with affairs in
this world and who are ever at war with each other; its sacred fires;
its Lord; its praise; and its pretence to direct communication _in the
past_ with spirits and with gods who gave their Prophet "commandments."**
It lacks none of the paraphernalia of a "divine institution" ready
for business, and we are unable to discount it in either loaves or
fishes. It also has its heaven and hell;*** its Messiah or Prophet; its
arch fiend or devil; its rites and ceremonies.
* See Edward Clodd, F.R.A.S., "Childhood of Religions."
** "In the Gathas or oldest part of the Zend-Avesta, which
contains the leading doctrines of Zoroaster, he asks Ormuzd
[God] for truth and guidance, and desires to know what he
shall do. He is told to be pure in thought, word, and deed;
to be temperate, chaste, and truthful; to offer prayer to
Ormuzd and the powers that fight with him; to destroy all
hurtful things; and to do all that will increase the well-
being of mankind. Men were not to cringe before the powers
of darkness as slaves crouch before a tyrant, they were to
meet them upstanding, and confound them by unending
opposition and the power of a holy life. 'Oh men, if you
cling to these commandments which Mazda has given, which are
a torment to the wicked and a blessing to the righteous,
then there will be victory through them.'"
--Max Muller.
*** "In this old faith there was a belief in two abodes for
the departed: heaven, the 'house of the angels' hymns,' and
hell, where the wicked were sent. Between the two there
was a bridge."
--Ibid.
Professor Max Muller remarks: "There were periods in the history of the
world when the worship of Ormuzd threatened to rise triumphant on the
ruins of the temples of all other gods. If the battles of Marathon and
Salamis had been lost and Greece had succumbed to Persia, the state
religion of the empire of Cyrus, which was the worship of Ormuzd, might
have become the religion of the whole civilized world."
In which case my Chicago friend would have asked, "If you destroy a
belief in Ormuzd, and that he gave the only supernatural moral law to
Zoroaster, how will children ever be taught what is right and what is
wrong, and how can they ever know that it is not right to lie and kill
and steal?"
"Their creed is of the simplest kind; it is to fear God, to live a life
of pure thoughts, pure words, pure deeds, and to die in the hope of a
world to come. _It is the creed of those who have lived nearest to God
and served him faithfullest in every age_, and wherever they dwell who
accept it and practice it, they bear witness to that which makes them
children of God and brethren of the prophets, among whom Zoroaster was
not the least. The Jews were carried away as captives to Babylon some
600 years before Christ, and during the seventy years of their exile
there, they came into contact with the Persian religion _and derived
from it ideas about the immortality of the soul, which their own
religion did not contain. They also borrowed from it their belief in a
multitude of angels, and in Satan as the ruler over evil spirits_." [So
you see that even our devil is a borrowed one, and it now seems to
be about time to return him with thanks. ] "The ease with which man
believes in unearthly powers working for his hurt prepares a people to
admit into its creed the doctrine of evil spirits, and although it
is certain that the Jews had no belief in such spirits before their
captivity in Babylon, they spoke of Satan (which means _an adversary_)
as a messenger sent from God to watch the deeds of men and accuse them
to Him for their wrong-doing. Satan thus becoming by degrees an object
of dread, upon whom all the evil which befell man was charged, the minds
of the Jews were ripe for accepting the Persian doctrine of Ahriman with
his legions of devils. Ahriman became the Jewish Satan, _a belief in
whom formed part of early Christian doctrine, and is now but slowly
dying out. What fearful ills it has caused, history has many a page to
tell_. The doctrine that Satan, once an angel of light, had been cast
from heaven for rebellion against God, and had ever since played havoc
among mankind, gave rise to the belief that he and his demons could
possess the souls of men and animals at pleasure. Hence grew the belief
in wizards and witches, under which millions of creatures, both young
and old, were cruelly tortured and put to death. We turn over the
smeared pages of this history in haste, thankful that from such a
nightmare the world has wakened." *
The world has awakened, but the Church still snores on, confident and
happy in the belief that she has a devil all her own, and that he is
attending strictly to business.
Next we have Buddhism, _which numbers more followers than any other
faith_. It is five hundred years older than Christianity. It has its
prophet or Messiah who was exposed to a tempter,** and overcame all
evil; its fastings and prayers; its miracles and its visions. Of
Buddha's teachings Prof. Max Muller tells us that he used to say,
"Nothing on earth is stable, nothing is real. Life is as transitory as
a spark of fire, or the sound of a lyre. There must be some supreme
intelligence where we could find rest. If I attained it I could bring
light to men. If I were free myself I could deliver the world."
*Clodd, F.R.A.S.
** "Afterward the tempter sent his three daughters, one a
winning girl, one a blooming virgin, and one a middle-aged
beauty, to allure him, but they could not. Buddha was proof
against all the demon's arts, and his only trouble was
whether it were well or not to preach his doctrines to men.
Feeling how hard to gain was that which he had gained, and
how enslaved men were by their passions so that they might
neither listen to him nor understand him, he had well-nigh
resolved to be silent, but, at the last, deep compassion for
all beings made him resolve to tell his secret to mankind,
that they too might be free, and he thus became the founder
of _the most popular religion of ancient or modern times_.
The spot where Buddha obtained his knowledge became one of
the most sacred places in India."
--Clodd.
Buddha, like Christ, wrote nothing, and the doctrines of the new
religion were fixed and written by his disciples after his death.
Councils were held afterwards to correct errors and send out
missionaries. You will see, therefore, that even "revisions" are not a
product of Christianity, and that "revelations" have always been subject
to reform to fit the times.*
* "Two other councils were afterward held for the correction
of errors that had crept into the faith, and for sending
missionaries into other lands. The last of these councils is
said to have been held 251 years before Christ, so that long
before Christianity was founded we have this great religion
with its sacred traditions of Buddha's words, its councils
and its missions, besides, as we shall presently see, many
things strangely like the rites of the Roman Catholic
Church."--Clodd.
I will here give a few of the wise or kind or moral commands of Buddha.
If the first were followed in Christian countries we should be a more
moral and a less superstitious people than we are to-day.
"Buddha said: '_The succoring of mother and father, the cherishing
of child and wife, and the following of a lawful calling, this is the
greatest blessing._'
"'The giving alms, a religious life, aid rendered to relations,
blameless acts, this, is the greatest blessing.'
"'The abstaining from sins and the avoiding them, the eschewing of
intoxicating drink, diligence in good deeds, reverence and humility,
contentment and gratefulness, this is the greatest blessing.'
"'Those who having done these things, become invincible on all sides,
attain happiness on all sides. This is the greatest blessing.'
"'He who lives a hundred years, vicious and unrestrained, a life of one
day is better if a man is virtuous and reflecting.'
"'Let no man think lightly of evil, saying in his heart, it will not
come near unto me. Even by the falling of water-drops a water-pot
is filled; the fool becomes full of evil if he gathers it little by
little.'
"'Not to commit any sin, to do good, and to purify one's mind, that is
the teaching of the Awakened.' (This is one of the most solemn verses
among the Buddhists).
"'Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us! Let us dwell
free from hatred among men who hate!'
"After these doctrines there follow ten commandments, of which the
first five apply to all people, and the rest chiefly to such as set
themselves apart for a religious life. They are: not to kill; not to
steal; not to commit adultery; not to lie; not to get drunk; to abstain
from late meals; from public amusements; from expensive dress; from
large beds; and to accept neither gold nor silver." *
Keep in mind that Buddha lived more than 500 years _before_ Christ.
"The success of Buddhism was in this: It was a protest against the
powers of the priests; _it to a large degree broke down caste by
declaring that all men are equal_, and by allowing any one desiring to
live a holy life to become a priest. _It abolished sacrifices_; made
it the _duty of all men to honor their parents and care for their
children_, to be kind to the sick and poor and sorrowing, and to forgive
their enemies and return good for evil; it spread a spirit of charity
abroad which encompassed the lowest life as well as the highest." **
* Clodd.
** Ibid.
With these before him will a Christian suppose that morals are dependent
upon our Bible?
Of Confucianism, believed by millions to be essential to their
salvation, and one of the three state religions of China, Clodd says:
"On the soil of this great country there is crowded nearly half the human
race, the most orderly people on the globe. This man (Confucius), who
was reviled in life, but whose influence sways the hundreds of
millions of China, was born 551 years before Christ. His nature was so
beautifully simple and sincere that _he would not pretend to knowledge
of that which he felt was beyond human reach and thought_."
What an earthquake there would be if our clergymen where only to become
inoculated with that sort of simple sincerity I His disciples and
followers did that for him as has been done in most other cases.
"The sacred books of China are called the _Kings_, and are five in
number, containing _treatises on morals_, books of rites, poems, and
history. They are of great age, perhaps as old as the earliest hymns of
the Rig-Veda, _and are free from any impure thoughts_. [Which is much
more than can be said of our own sacred books, which are not so old.] In
the Book of Poetry are three hundred pieces, but the design of them all
may be embraced in that one sentence, '_Have no depraved thoughts._'
"At the time when Confucius lived, China was divided into a number
of petty kingdoms whose rulers were ever quarrelling, and although he
became engaged in various public situations of trust, the disorder of
the State at last caused him to resign them, and he retired to another
part of the country. He then continued the life of a public teacher,
instructing men in the simple moral truths by which he sought to govern
his own life. The purity of that life, and the example of veneration for
the old laws which he set, gathered round him many grave and thoughtful
men, who worked with him for the common good."
Confucius said among other wise and moral things: "Coarse rice for food,
water to drink, the bended arm for a pillow--happiness may be enjoyed
even with these; but without virtue, both riches and honor seem to me
like the passing cloud.... Our passions shut up the door of our souls
against God."
What we are pleased to call "the golden rule," and to look upon as
purely Christian, he gave in these words 500 years before Christ was
born: "Tsze-kung said, '_What I do not wish men to do to me, I also wish
not to do to men._' The Master said, 'You have not attained to that.'
"Such is the power of words, that those uttered by this intensely
earnest man, whose work was ended only by death, have kept alive
throughout the vast empire of China a reverence for the past _and a
sense of duty to the present which_ have made the Chinese the most
orderly and moral people in the world."
So much for the great religions that are older than our own and _could
not have_ borrowed from us. So much for the moral sentiments of the
peoples who developed them, and who live and die happy with them to-day.
It leaves only a small part of this globe and a comparatively small
number of its inhabitants who believe in and are guided by the Bible, or
by the morality which has grown side-by-side with it.