The herald., 1895-05-12
}UPERST|T|OUS RELIGIONS
And Religious SuperstitiOns De-
fined at Unity Church
BY RABBI j. VOORSANGER
The Former Establishment Of Facts Upon
Poetic UnreaIity
BY RABBI j. VOORSANGER
And the Latter a Tendency to DisbeIieve the
Ge=u'neness Of Others Worship
N and Practice

Rabbi Jacob Noorsanger in aid of the AS
sociated Charities, and those who were
not hcre missed one OF the most broadly
conceived and powerfully presented lee
lures that have ever been read here.
Commodore r. Il. Haincs presented the
thanks of the Associated Charities to
those who had attended the lectures. and
then presented the speaker, who attacked
his subject without loss of time.
Every day we meet men who are i'm
olied with what are commonly called SUI
perstitions.
People laugh at each other for their fears
and curious notions that are classified
under the general head of superstitlons.
Some OF the stock supersttons in cur
rent use were tnen alluded to, as the thir-
teen at table. the spilling of salt. moving
d. on Friday II tested by the potent light
I OF reason none of these things hold water,
: yet in spite Of all argument they exist.
. and new superstitions are being created
every day.
Superstition must be grounded in hui
man nature itself, that the mind of man
so well balanced that it can safely and
,inerringly proceed from cause to effect.
is habitually swayed by mpressions based
upon unrealities in which lie consdera-
Bile danger to the rational progress Of So
ciety and to the advancement of mankind
upon the pathway of truth and enlight-
enment.
Every superstition is a cloud upon the
sun of reason. To trace its origin is an
impossible task. Poetry. one of the forms
of human speech generally the interpre-
ter pf the emotions. creates realities out
of the unreal intending them to be mere
ly pictures. accessories to the better I'M
press and to teach human reason. Shall we
bold poetry responsible because man has
perm tied himself to accept these accesso-
ries as realities who live and move with
him and influence every action of his ex-
istence? | believe that most ,of our su-
perstitions rest upon that basis.
Turning to religious superstitions we
must be careful lest we tread on danger
Gus ground. In general religious ST.
perstition has the same characteristics Of
any other superstition it makes the un
real real, and crystallizes imaginings il t,
acts.
The first is that the earliest religious
imasinings of mankind were tie flower
beds from which spring the great re-
ligious truths OF the world.
The second is tnat religious practice is
up to this day largely influenced by such
superstitions.
The first is bold assumption. for it
involves the proposition that religion is
based upon natural and not upon I'M
natural or supernatural facts; it further
involves the impoi tant proposition that
the religion of Israel, the monotlieism of
onr fathers, is the grand eliminating
result of centuries of growth and develop
ment. And also, that W. must trace it
from its beginning under conditions that
i'll nowise paItake of the supernatural in
order to estimate its full strength.
20 Can we do this without abating one
iota our loyalty to God and our fealty to
our faith?
Hitherto religion has found its basis in
supernatural revelations its beginnings
re like proem to a grand epos. The
tfliciency of faith rests with many upon
its miraculous revelation. Why must the
strength of religion be tested by super
natnralism? Why must its history be sub
ject to no law CT evidence? We may re-
main with the Holy Scriptures and point
to the sacred traditions which at all
times deserve careful and delicate treat
ment. the traditions which today scarcely
airy historian will accept as facts without
evidence. yet which people are accus
toned to accept as literal truth.
For instance, the Scriptures tell us that
,the 81 irit OF God lowered over the waters
is that figure OF speech, an Oriental
flower, or is it a fact?
! Further on we find group OF ira
ditons clustering around the life OF
Abraham, our first sire.
Are they all facts? Is the God who
speaks to Abraham actually possessed of
Speech as we understand the word, or is
duced to the limits of human conception?
Did Lots wife turn into salt. or is it a
tradition of the men who spoke in para
bles? The Greeks had a similar story,
that of Niobe..
Again. are the traditions grouped about
the exodus sterling facts or the poetic
imaginings OF our sages and singer4?
These questions must be well considered.
One OF the strong weapons of atheism
against revealed religion is that it de-
mands an investigation into fact which
rest upon no natural basis. Meet the
atheist upon his own ground. Give him
proof for proof, argument tor argument.
Tradition is not history nor is it intended
to be. The acceptance of miraculous de-
/ cription as the truth of history is the
acme of religious super sttion.
, Schlieman resuscltated cid Troy from
. the sleep OF ages before his time 4 roy
was believed to be myth. creation OF
, Homeric poets; yet. although Troy has
really existed will any one contend that
all the flowers in the Homeric classics
are realities. are actual facts?
assume that the exodus is one OF the
undeniable- facts OF history, but may not
: the poets have culled some choice flowers
from the garden of their imaginations
wherewth to adorn this important epoch? ?
And yet there are millions who do not
, question the verities of the plaques. the
magnificent poetic version OF the Red sea
obauulIS Inv STuIIllc walls COHbldTN W
the laws of gravitation; the miraculous
. events OF the. desert; and we have been
robbed Of some of our choicest poetry e.
{ cause it was converted into these facts
y What IS more beautiful than that won .
dious tradition OF nation encamped at
: the front of II rock and from the top of
which the voice of Almighty God pro-
nOunced the sacred words. while the elc-
ments themselves thundered a fearful
amen at the beginnings of human legisa-
ton?
: Indeed is it not natural that reverent
and p,ous nation should thus depict the
. first efforts to infusc Il moral conscious
ale. S into barbarous man?'
Z DR.. NoOrsange: continued with a num-
ber of telling illustrative instances. as
Nhat of the water flowing from the rocks ;
Manna dropping from the heavens, etc. -.
'phich. said the speaker. are only exalt-
--! to read. but are they cold history?
.ch traditions are not intended to con-
~ historical facts, and the assum ption
That they are facts is IA species of super
-.Rtit on which can he removed by investi-
&c ton and rational inquiry. What ap-
= plies in the miraculous occurrences in
the sacred literature of Israel applies in
equal deg rec to every group of miracles
unon which systems OF belief have been
founded.
= Each of these poetical effusions of our
lizards is the beginning of long chain of
\ ssmarvels which have been and still are ac-
tscepted as facts. To the rational, yet
\, trustful believer in God, such acceptance
seems unnecessary. inconsistent with the