首页 >出版文学> The Varieties of Religious Experience>第36章
  CompareLotze’sdoctrinethattheonlymeaningwecanattachtothenotionofathingasitis“initself“isbyconceivingitasitisFORitself,i。e。,asapieceoffullexperiencewithaprivatesenseof“pinch“orinneractivityofsomesortgoingwithit。
  Ifthisbetrue,itisabsurdforsciencetosaythattheegotisticelementsofexperienceshouldbesuppressed。Theaxisofrealityrunssolelythroughtheegotisticplaces——theyarestrunguponitlikesomanybeads。Todescribetheworldwithallthevariousfeelingsoftheindividualpinchofdestiny,allthevariousspiritualattitudes,leftoutfromthedescription——theybeingasdescribableasanythingelse——wouldbesomethinglikeofferingaprintedbilloffareastheequivalentforasolidmeal。Religionmakesnosuchblunder。
  Theindividual’sreligionmaybeegotistic,andthoseprivaterealitieswhichitkeepsintouchwithmaybenarrowenough;butatanyrateitalwaysremainsinfinitelylesshollowandabstract,asfarasitgoes,thanasciencewhichpridesitselfontakingnoaccountofanythingprivateatall。
  Abilloffarewithonerealraisinonitinsteadoftheword“raisin。”withonerealegginsteadoftheword“egg。”mightbeaninadequatemeal,butitwouldatleastbeacommencementofreality。Thecontentionofthesurvival-theorythatweoughttosticktonon-personalelementsexclusivelyseemslikesayingthatweoughttobesatisfiedforeverwithreadingthenakedbilloffare。Ithink,therefore,thathoweverparticularquestionsconnectedwithourindividualdestiniesmaybeanswered,itisonlybyacknowledgingthemasgenuinequestions,andlivinginthesphereofthoughtwhichtheyopenup,thatwebecomeprofound。Buttolivethusistobereligious;soI
  unhesitatinglyrepudiatethesurvival-theoryofreligion,asbeingfoundedonanegregiousmistake。Itdoesnotfollow,becauseourancestorsmadesomanyerrorsoffactandmixedthemwiththeirreligion,thatweshouldthereforeleaveoffbeingreligiousatall。[337]Bybeingreligiousweestablishourselvesinpossessionofultimaterealityattheonlypointsatwhichrealityisgivenustoguard。Ourresponsibleconcerniswithourprivatedestiny,afterall。
  [337]Eventheerrorsoffactmaypossiblyturnoutnottobeaswholesaleasthescientistassumes。WesawinLectureIVhowthereligiousconceptionoftheuniverseseemstomanymind-curers“verified“fromdaytodaybytheirexperienceoffact。
  “Experienceoffact“isafieldwithsomanythingsinitthatthesectarianscientistmethodicallydeclining,ashedoes,torecognizesuch“facts“asmind-curersandotherslikethemexperience,otherwisethanbysuchrudeheadsofclassificationas“bosh。”“rot。”“folly。”certainlyleavesoutamassofrawfactwhich,savefortheindustriousinterestofthereligiousinthemorepersonalaspectsofreality,wouldneverhavesucceededingettingitselfrecordedatall。Weknowthistobetruealreadyincertaincases;itmay,therefore,betrueinothersaswell。Miraculoushealingshavealwaysbeenpartofthesupernaturaliststockintrade,andhavealwaysbeendismissedbythescientistasfigmentsoftheimagination。Butthescientist’stardyeducationinthefactsofhypnotismhasrecentlygivenhimanapperceivingmassforphenomenaofthisorder,andheconsequentlynowallowsthatthehealingsmayexist,providedyouexpresslycallthemeffectsof“suggestion。”
  EventhestigmataofthecrossonSaintFrancis’shandsandfeetmayonthesetermsnotbeafable。Similarly,thetime-honoredphenomenonofdiabolicalpossessionisonthepointofbeingadmittedbythescientistasafact,nowthathehasthenameof“hystero-demonopathy“bywhichtoapperceiveit。Noonecanforeseejusthowfarthislegitimationofoccultistphenomenaundernewlyfoundscientisttitlesmayproceed——even“prophecy。”
  even“levitation。”mightcreepintothepale。
  Thusthedivorcebetweenscientistfactsandreligiousfactsmaynotnecessarilybeaseternalasitatfirstsightseems,northepersonalismandromanticismoftheworld,astheyappearedtoprimitivethinking,bematterssoirrevocablyoutgrown。Thefinalhumanopinionmay,inshort,insomemannernowimpossibletoforesee,reverttothemorepersonalstyle,justasanypathofprogressmayfollowaspiralratherthanastraightline。Ifthiswereso,therigorouslyimpersonalviewofsciencemightonedayappearashavingbeenatemporarilyusefuleccentricityratherthanthedefinitivelytriumphantpositionwhichthesectarianscientistatpresentsoconfidentlyannouncesittobe。
  YouseenowwhyIhavebeensoindividualisticthroughouttheselectures,andwhyIhaveseemedsobentonrehabilitatingtheelementoffeelinginreligionandsubordinatingitsintellectualpart。Individualityisfoundedinfeeling;andtherecessesoffeeling,thedarker,blinderstrataofcharacter,aretheonlyplacesintheworldinwhichwecatchrealfactinthemaking,anddirectlyperceivehoweventshappen,andhowworkisactuallydone。[338]Comparedwiththisworldoflivingindividualizedfeelings,theworldofgeneralizedobjectswhichtheintellectcontemplatesiswithoutsolidityorlife。Asinstereoscopicorkinetoscopicpicturesseenoutsidetheinstrument,thethirddimension,themovement,thevitalelement,arenotthere。Wegetabeautifulpictureofanexpresstrainsupposedtobemoving,butwhereinthepicture,asIhaveheardafriendsay,istheenergyorthefiftymilesanhour?
  Hume’scriticismhasbanishedcausationfromtheworldofphysicalobjects,and“Science“isabsolutelysatisfiedtodefinecauseintermsofconcomitantchange-readMach,Pearson,Ostwald。
  The“original“ofthenotionofcausationisinourinnerpersonalexperience,andonlytherecancausesintheold-fashionedsensebedirectlyobservedanddescribed。
  WhenIreadinareligiouspaperwordslikethese:
  “PerhapsthebestthingwecansayofGodisthatheisTHE
  INEVITABLEINFERENCE。”Irecognizethetendencytoletreligionevaporateinintellectualterms。Wouldmartyrshavesungintheflamesforamereinference,howeverinevitableitmightbe?
  Originalreligiousmen,likeSaintFrancis,Luther,Behmen,haveusuallybeenenemiesoftheintellect’spretensiontomeddlewithreligiousthings。Yettheintellect,everywhereinvasive,showseverywhereitsshallowingeffect。SeehowtheancientspiritofMethodismevaporatesunderthosewonderfullyablerationalisticbookletswhicheveryoneshouldreadofaphilosopherlikeProfessorBowneTheChristianRevelation,TheChristianLifeTheAtonement:CincinnatiandNewYork,1898,1899,1900。Seethepositivelyexpulsivepurposeofphilosophyproperlysocalled:——
  “Religion。”writesM。VacherotLaReligion,Paris,1869,pp。
  313,436,etpassim,“answerstoatransientstateorcondition,nottoapermanentdeterminationofhumannature,beingmerelyanexpressionofthatstageofthehumanmindwhichisdominatedbytheimagination……Christianityhasbutasinglepossiblefinalheirtoitsestate,andthatisscientificphilosophy。”
  Inastillmoreradicalvein,ProfessorRibotPsychologiedesSentiments,p。310describestheevaporationofreligion。Hesumsitupinasingleformula——theever-growingpredominanceoftherationalintellectualelement,withthegradualfadingoutoftheemotionalelement,thislattertendingtoenterintothegroupofpurelyintellectualsentiments。“Ofreligioussentimentproperlysocalled,nothingsurvivesatlastsaveavaguerespectfortheunknowablexwhichisalastrelicofthefear,andacertainattractiontowardstheideal,whichisarelicofthelove,thatcharacterizedtheearlierperiodsofreligiousgrowth。
  Tostatethismoresimply,religiontendstoturnintoreligiousphilosophy——Thesearepsychologicallyentirelydifferentthings,theonebeingatheoreticconstructionofratiocination,whereastheotheristhelivingworkofagroupofpersons,orofagreatinspiredleader,callingintoplaytheentirethinkingandfeelingorganismofman。”
  IfindthesamefailuretorecognizethatthestrongholdofreligionliesinindividualityinattemptslikethoseofProfessorBaldwinMentalDevelopment,SocialandEthicalInterpretations,ch。xandMr。H。R。MarshallInstinctandReason,chaps。viii。toxii。tomakeitapurely“conservativesocialforce。”
  Letusagree,then,thatReligion,occupyingherselfwithpersonaldestiniesandkeepingthusincontactwiththeonlyabsoluterealitieswhichweknow,mustnecessarilyplayaneternalpartinhumanhistory。Thenextthingtodecideiswhatsherevealsaboutthosedestinies,orwhetherindeedsherevealsanythingdistinctenoughtobeconsideredageneralmessagetomankind。Wehavedoneasyousee,withourpreliminaries,andourfinalsummingupcannowbegin。
  IamwellawarethatafterallthepalpitatingdocumentswhichI
  havequoted,andalltheperspectivesofemotion-inspiringinstitutionandbeliefthatmypreviouslectureshaveopened,thedryanalysistowhichInowadvancemayappeartomanyofyoulikeananti-climax,atapering-offandflatteningoutofthesubject,insteadofacrescendoofinterestandresult。IsaidawhileagothatthereligiousattitudeofProtestantsappearspoverty-strickentotheCatholicimagination。Stillmorepoverty-stricken,Ifear,maymyfinalsummingupofthesubjectappearatfirsttosomeofyou。OnwhichaccountIprayyounowtobearthispointinmind,thatinthepresentpartofitIamexpresslytryingtoreducereligiontoitslowestadmissibleterms,tothatminimum,freefromindividualisticexcrescences,whichallreligionscontainastheirnucleus,andonwhichitmaybehopedthatallreligiouspersonsmayagree。Thatestablished,weshouldhavearesultwhichmightbesmall,butwouldatleastbesolid;andonitandroundittheruddieradditionalbeliefsonwhichthedifferentindividualsmaketheirventuremightbegrafted,andflourishasrichlyasyouplease。Ishalladdmyownover-beliefwhichwillbe,Iconfess,ofasomewhatpallidkind,asbefitsacriticalphilosopher,andyouwill,Ihope,alsoaddyourover-beliefs,andweshallsoonbeinthevariedworldofconcretereligiousconstructionsoncemore。Forthemoment,letmedrylypursuetheanalyticpartofthetask。
  Boththoughtandfeelingaredeterminantsofconduct,andthesameconductmaybedeterminedeitherbyfeelingorbythought。
  Whenwesurveythewholefieldofreligion,wefindagreatvarietyinthethoughtsthathaveprevailedthere;butthefeelingsontheonehandandtheconductontheotherarealmostalwaysthesame,forStoic,Christian,andBuddhistsaintsarepracticallyindistinguishableintheirlives。ThetheorieswhichReligiongenerates,beingthusvariable,aresecondary;andifyouwishtograspheressence,youmustlooktothefeelingsandtheconductasbeingthemoreconstantelements。Itisbetweenthesetwoelementsthattheshortcircuitexistsonwhichshecarriesonherprincipalbusiness,whiletheideasandsymbolsandotherinstitutionsformloop-lineswhichmaybeperfectionsandimprovements,andmayevensomedayallbeunitedintooneharmonioussystem,butwhicharenottoberegardedasorganswithanindispensablefunction,necessaryatalltimesforreligiouslifetogoon。Thisseemstomethefirstconclusionwhichweareentitledtodrawfromthephenomenawehavepassedinreview。
  Thenextstepistocharacterizethefeelings。Towhatpsychologicalorderdotheybelong?
  TheresultantoutcomeofthemisinanycasewhatKantcallsa“sthenic“affection,anexcitementofthecheerful,expansive,“dynamogenic“orderwhich,likeanytonic,freshensourvitalpowers。Inalmosteverylecture,butespeciallyinthelecturesonConversionandonSaintliness,wehaveseenhowthisemotionovercomestemperamentalmelancholyandimpartsendurancetotheSubject,orazest,orameaning,oranenchantmentandglorytothecommonobjectsoflife。[340]Thenameof“faith-state。”bywhichProfessorLeubadesignatesit,isagoodone。[341]Itisabiologicalaswellasapsychologicalcondition,andTolstoyisabsolutelyaccurateinclassingfaithamongtheforcesBYWHICH
  MENLIVE。[342]Thetotalabsenceofit,anhedonia,[343]meanscollapse。
  [340]Compare,forinstance,pages200,215,219,222,244-250,270-273。
  [341]AmericanJournalofPsychology,vii。345。
  [342]Above,p。181。
  [343]Above,p。143。
  Thefaith-statemayholdaveryminimumofintellectualcontent。
  Wesawexamplesofthisinthosesuddenrapturesofthedivinepresence,orinsuchmysticalseizuresasDr。Buckedescribed。[344]Itmaybeamerevagueenthusiasm,halfspiritual,halfvital,acourage,andafeelingthatgreatandwondrousthingsareintheair。[345]
  [344]Above,p。391。
  [345]Example:HenriPerreyvewritestoGratry:“Idonotknowhowtodealwiththehappinesswhichyouarousedinmethismorning。Itoverwhelmsme;IwanttoDOsomething,yetIcandonothingandamfitfornothing……IwouldfaindoGREAT
  THINGS。”Again,afteraninspiringinterview,hewrites:“I
  wenthomewards,intoxicatedwithjoy,hope,andstrength。I
  wantedtofeeduponmyhappinessinsolitudefarfromallmen。
  Itwaslate;but,unheedingthat,Itookamountainpathandwentonlikeamadman,lookingattheheavens,regardlessofearth。
  Suddenlyaninstinctmademedrawhastilyback——Iwasontheveryedgeofaprecipice,onestepmoreandImusthavefallen。
  Itookfrightandgaveupmynocturnalpromenade。”A。Gratry:
  HenriPerreyve,London,1872,pp。92,89。
  Thisprimacy,inthefaith-state,ofvagueexpansiveimpulseoverdirectioniswellexpressedinWaltWhitman’slinesLeavesofGrass,1872,p。190:——
  “Otoconfrontnight,storms,hunger,ridicule,accidents,rebuffs,asthetreesandanimalsdo……
  DearCamerado!IconfessIhaveurgedyouonwardwithme,andstillurgeyou,withouttheleastideawhatisourdestinationOrwhetherweshallbevictorious,orutterlyquell’danddefeated。”
  Thisreadinessforgreatthings,andthissensethattheworldbyitsimportance,wonderfulness,etc。,isaptfortheirproduction,wouldseemtobetheundifferentiatedgermofallthehigherfaiths。Trustinourowndreamsofambition,orinourcountry’sexpansivedestinies,andfaithintheprovidenceofGod,allhavetheirsourceinthatonrushofoursanguineimpulses,andinthatsenseoftheexceedingnessofthepossibleoverthereal。
  When,however,apositiveintellectualcontentisassociatedwithafaith-state,itgetsinvinciblystampedinuponbelief,