The sun., 1882-01-08
a Philosophical Theory OF Religion.

race WUOsc NlElllty was exhausted. NJ. w. IL.
| A Philosophical Theory OF Religion.
! Tho celebrated German philosopher,
EDuAED Won HARTMANN has Just published n
book on what hc calls Tie Religious Conscious-
| ness Of Mankind ia he St,I,s If its DereiopD,ent
| tDas lieligi0se Bewusstsen der Menschheit i'm
| Stufeugang sciner Entwickelung.l 1t will.
| doubtless. sooner or later be translated into
| English. but in the meanwhile a sketch OF its
| contents may b. interesting
| When we look abroad over tho world and SEQ
| that in ono part o! /: Christianity prevails in
| another Mohammela lanisn. in another Buddh-
| ism. and in another Brnhmanism; that these
| chief religions are subiivided into sects and
| parties. and arc supplemented with others OF
| less importance. besides countless forms OF
idoiatry and that they have all In tho course OF
! time passed through great and important
| changes. wc cannot help asking How did this
state OF things como to pass? How did tho
world get it, religions in tho lrst place and how
have they arrived ~, their present condition.
| Atheists answer these questions by saying
that nj! religions are but cunning devices OF
priests to obtain power and money. and have
been varied to suit circumstances; Chris
! tians by rho assertion tEat judaism and it. sue
cessor Christianity. were tho direct work OF
God, while all other religions were fabricated by
these answers. say men like Hartmann. salts
n-s the ph.osHphic inquirer. II religion were a
pur" fiction. ii would never have been 80 wide
spread and So enduring rs W. a." IL 10 be: and
II modern Christianity were exclusively the re-
ligion oitrath. the others could not 50 long aud
80 successfully have withstooiit Tho inference
is that all religions have their common origin
in some need OF human nature. and have
grown up and are kept in exstencs In obeii-
| ~,
law are. and how tho result which wa see around
us has been worked out. is n subject which
has been iiscussclb by writer's before Hartmann.
One OF tho latest and best books upon it
which We know OF is Dir. Max Mlller's Lectures
on the Origin and Gro,ott of Religion. He as
serts that religion begins in mans ssnse Oft
infinite and he labors to illustrate tina PROPOSE
ton by the religions Of India. with which he is
SO eminently familiar. The work Of Hartmann
embraces broader field Of view. and is more
searching and thorough in its analysis. Tho
author IL. besides. not so evidently Influenced
rs DR.. Mailer WAS by desire 10 please class
of English readers. but is more iispsssionately
philosophical. as well rs more learned.
Plainly enough. in order 10 un nlcrstand how
the religions .. the world have got to bs what
they are. wa must arst settle how they got TO be
at all. DR.. Miller. rs we have said. attributes
theii origin to IN an, sense oi the Infinite and
in controvsrting less exalted views. he Incl
denttlly Iiotes with appreciation remnrk OF
Hegel. that il the consciousness Of depenl lcnce
constituted religion u log would possess most
religion. As II in answer 10 this sneer. as we'll
as for tho sake OF b-ginnn. al ths beginning OF
tho subiact. Hartmann deyotes his opening
chapter TO tho inquiry. Have beasts religion
and answers 1t in the Affirmative. Hs cites the
admitted fact that beasts exhibit In common
with m sn sociability. compassion. .thanktulness.
remors. sef-deyrtion. AMI ether virtues and
afrertions anl uses it as an argument FOR the
probability. n al events OF their also having 4
religious senrimsnt. This sentiment. OF course.
is less Developed than even in the savage. hut it
il still essentially religious. Th, wild beast
fears the hunter with his desth-dealiug mis-
si.es the savage fears the fetich or god
whom he supppses to be tho cause OF
famin,s, pastiiences. earthquakes. foods. and
other destructive natural phrn0mcna. Tho
domestic animals reverence man as tho savage
r,ysrencas the deity who. h" believes. foeis.
shelters. AMI protests him. and. on o>,asion.
Furnishes him for doing wrpnE aaI rewards
him for dom; GIT. Whom tho Io- licks Ills
master, hand alter he has been fei. or rrouahes
before him at the sight OF tho upliited whip. he
performs m at OF worship which. though un-
intelligent. is as really worship rs the thanks
givings aud obeslnces OF men. Its lack OF
lnteli lisenee. IL may be observed, too, detracts
nothing from its religious character. for men
worship beings whom they esteem as much
superior to them as a man is to a dog.
This Wow it is Hpparsnt. assumes. ms estab-
lishei. the proposition which. as We have SAID.
Dr. Muller AM others l.suute namely. that tho
ground OF the religious consciousness is the
sense Of dspen ien,e. Ii must be remarked
however. on Harmann's side. that eyory-
boiy who has investigated the subject. inelud-
ing also DR.. Mailer. agrees that the earliest
deites Of our Aryan forefathers were tho sun
rain. wind, lightning. nre. frost. and other
similar natural forces which man. In his
Ignorance and his terror. personined as
beings like himself. ani sought TO pr3pitiate
by prayers and other acts of worship. rs
he would seak &c proaitiate n fellow man
who possesssd tho power to do him good
or to work him hIcm. Thanks 10 DR.. Nal
ler's own labors. the EaElish reading public has
become familiar with Naruna. tha heaven
god: Surya the sun god; Iuira. tho rain god
Agni. tho fire. god and all the other dlvnities
mentioned In the Vedas. with the deities of
Groeee aud Rome; and the Aryan deties. We
koow. were but 0srsoninoatisRs TssIsstiv~!E Of