The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-09-17
A NEW RELIGION.

IN many respects ca ingenious re
ligion. It has not, however. me
with the success which its inventor
hoped for. There was no crest diff
Guilty in inducing various men 70 be
lieve that there is nc God and that
there is no future life. This pat O.
the Positivist orsed was so simple
that a Watkins Glen Free Think
er" could understand and accept IT
without difficulty. When, however,
the convert 10 the Religion OF Hu'
mainly was told thsi 10 addition to bis
disbeliefs ne mus: solamnly worship
Humanity, ia accordance with a
ritual almost as elaborate as tha. CT
the church of Rome, be usually de-
clined TO do anything of the kind.
The Humanity worshiped by the
Pesitivists seemed to the unpreiu-
diced mind almost as incOmpreheDsi-
BILE as the God of the Christians. By
Humanity" the Positivists did net
mean the human race. They had
no desire TO worseip Lord Bescons-
field or tteEArchbishop Of Canterbury,
as they would have been compelled
to do had they made the entire
human race. OF which Beaconsfeld
and the aroh ishop were component
parts, the object of their worship.
The Humanity" worshiped by the
Positivists was the "bumsnness" of
man-those characteristics and quail
lilies which constitute mans imam
pess." Obviously this Humanity"
was something that man could see or
hear. It was a pure abstraction,
and consistent atheist who refused
to believe 10 an invisible God could
hardly be expected to believe in
so vague and impAlpAble Human
ity."
Moreover, it was felt By thought
ful rejeoters of the supernatural that
the Religion Of Humanity still! re-
tanned little of the leaVen OF super.
nstGralisn4. IL is easy 10 perceive
that man, if be has no soul, differs
from the bru,es only in degree.
Nevertheless, the Humanity"
worshiped by the Positivists was con-
eeived to be something not possessed
by the brutes. In that case did it
not bear dangerous resemblance to
what the Christians in their ignorant
way were accustomed to call the i'm
mortal, or :the devine part of Man?
The feeling that the Religion OF Hu.
mainly contained an element too
closely resembling the spiritual, if.
not the supernatural, has had 6
influence in hirdering the
growth Of III. Comte's otherwise able
religion. Thus it has come to pass
that the Religion of Humanity, In.
stead Of superseding Christia nity, has
in some places failed to grow ana in |
others has lost what few converts il |
made.
Fortunately for mankind, a clever
Englishman, recognizing the failure
Of the Religion OF humanity" has
invented new and in every respect
admirable religion. To this he has
given the name Of the Religion of
Beast. To some extent it bears 8
,lose resemblance to the Religion OF
humanity, but it does not offer to
he worship OF the faithful al in
,omIr, henslbie abstraction. Used as
he inventor of theIneW religion uses
!, Beast" is term analogous to NJ.
}omte's Humanity" Il means
hose Characterization OF Man which
lie sharesEin common with the beasts.
Beast" in this sense is Synonymous
With the beastliness of our nature.
t includes ou= bodies and their ap
'etites, aud excludes everything that
of the nature of the moral
Qualities. The Religion of Beast
ommends itself to every llaterislist,
'ecause it entirely ignores the spirit.
al and the moral. It is a religion
hat the more ardent atheist can EN-.
race with enthusiasm and that can
ever dwarf mankind by its unnat-
raj restraints.
OF course the, object which is set
etore the .devOtee of the Religion of
Beast is the cultivation OF whatever
; beastlY IN mankind. 1t will have
g ritual framed to give expression
the reverence OF believers for Beast
nd to develop ell our besstly IN.
tiacts. 1t will have its calendar of
ANTS such as St. Ostrich, the
atron OF the ire9uenters OF railway
astsurants; st. Goat, the patron of
etormers OF the school of Bradlauga
I'd Bessnt. and St. Donkey, the
niet saint and patron OF the new re-
glon. By initiating the example OF
rominent beasts the devotee will
lltiyste his own beastliness until rs
eo0mes indistinguishable, so far as
Is qualities and actions are cou-
srned, from Beast. He will be
Einish like swine; thievish ike
le maybe; stupid like the mule, and
laligant ike the cobra. The in
ingioie and undesirable part of
Ian called by the Positivists his hu-
i4uiiy VIII utterly vanish, go thai
zen tnesmOst imaginative devotee of
lie Religion Il Humanity will fail 10
% him anything out tie qualities
Beast.
This Is evidently the religion yaieh
needed TO take the place of Chris
anisy. The Reigiouoi Humanity
n never meet the wants of cur pa-
re, bat the Religion of Bsas. CON
ming all that Is true iD the Religion