The evolution of religions
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| The evolution of religions |
Excerpt from the preface:
During a long life occupied mostly in the practice of law, I have spent much of my leisure time, and especially since largely quitting practice in the last few years, in the study of the systems of the religion of the world and of religious literature, both ancient and modem. Bible I have studied most thoroughly, and am well versed in the Buddhist Scriptures, the Zend Avesta of Zoroaster, the Analects of Confucius and Mencius, and the Koran, and have read the Book of Mormon, Brahmanic literature, and history generally, ancient and modem.
In this volume, I have frankly embodied my religious convictions, not for the purpose of making converts to my views or to seek notoriety, but simply to teach the truth according to these convictions. I presume I shall offend many who may read it, and be denounced bitterly by all those whose religious opinions differ from mine and^ are mainly the result of environment and habits rather than convictions, but I have no apologies to make.
The truth will win its way sooner or later. If my conclusions are erroneous, they deserve obscurity; if correct, they must be good and will stand the test of fuller and more critical investigations. For defects of style and dullness of expression, I ask the charity of those who may peruse this book, and courteously ask their pardon for having iinduly indulged, if I have done so, in any harsh or unkind criticism in reference to any denominations, ministers, or religious writers.
Some contents:
I. A General Review of Religions i
Questions fundamental to Judaism and Christianity — Outlines of ancient religions, Zoroastrianism, Brahmanism, Judaism, Confucianism, Christianity, Mohammedanism, and old mythologies — References to Herodotus, Xenophon, Manetho, Demos- themes, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Cicero, Julius Caesar, Seneca — Those great men did not worship idols — Six great religions of the world — Other religions merely abnormal — Melchizedek, priest of the Highest, like unto the Son of God, the prophet of the first religion and teacher of Zoroaster and Abraham — Ahura Mazda or Ormuzd, God of the Zoroastrian religion — Angro-Mainyus, evil God of the Persians, and Satan of the Jews and Christians — Theory of evolution of religions — Apocryphal Books of Bible.
II. Comparisons of Modern Systems of Religions
Buddhism — Its devotees in Asia one-third of the human race — 2d. Christianity — Roman Catholic-Protestant and Greek Church divisions—ad. Confucianism — 4th. Mohammedan- ism— 5th. Judaism— 6th. Zoroastrianism — 7th. Mormonism — Judaism — Christianity — Mohamed and Mormonism — Cognate or related— The ancient Mythological and Polytheistic systems of religion were the evolutions of gross and debasing ideas, fantasies, and superstitions, now extinct — Their Gods and Goddesses were gross, ess limited in power — Legends of the Garden of Eden, the Fall of Adam and Eve, the Serpent, and similar legends in the religions of Egypt, Persia, and India.
III. Ancient Christianity 44
Triumph of Christianity over Roman Idolatry 315 A.D. under Constantine the Great — All churches then independent — No Pope — Arianism or Unitarianism nearly universal — A triune Deity unknown — The doctrines of the early Christians, the same as taught by Arius, Pelagius, Celestius — Trinitarianism established by Council of Nice 325 A.D. and of Carthage 411 a.d. — Admixture of Pagan customs and interpolations and corruptions in the text of Scriptures, dates from those times — Apocryphal Books of Old Testament and Apocalyptic dreams of St. John admitted into Canon — Amazing legends and miracles believed and taught during Dark Ages — A general awakening and restoration of Bible truths in the nineteenth century by teachings of Max Miiller, Dr Channing, Dr Priestley, Theodore Parker, Julius Wellhausen, Strauss, Renan, Rev. I. H. Mills, Dr Savage, Dr Chas. Briggs and others — Jesus divinely sent, but not God — The nineteenth a grand century.
Buddhism — The Trinity, etc 75
Sakya-Manu Gautama or Buddha — Commandments of Buddha — Buddha and Jesus compared — The holy Books — Tri Pitakas, or "Three Baskets," of Buddhism — Development of the world in past 200 years, due to the grand Anglo-Saxon and Germanic branch of the Aryan race — European Christianity from 325 a.d. to 1700, compared to Buddhist and Confucianist countries of Asia — Wars and religious persecutions in Europe during those 1400 years — The quintette of prophets, Zoroaster, Moses, Confucius, Buddha, and Jesus Christ; each inspired of God — The Trinity is not taught in the Bible, and that doctrine has kept Jews and Christians from the religious union — Count Tolstoi's creed — Max Miiller and Dr Briggs teach that inspiration from God was given to the founders of the other monotheistic religions of the world as well as to Jewish prophets and Apostles of Christ —
All religions teach some divine truths — Doctrines of future life and resur- rection not taught in the Old Testament — Many of the books of the Old Testament written by anonymous or pseudonymous authors — Religions of Old and New Testament, not Generis — The Hebrew sacrifices Pagan abominations and not types of Jesus — The Trinity derived from Egyp- tian and Hindoo mythologies and originated with Athanasius and St. Augustine — The Trinity repudiated by Mohammed — Rawlinson's "Historical Evidence of Christianity," unreliable —The dogma of the Trinity, a paralysis in Christian work — No mediator between God and man and no atonement required.
VI. Consideration of Miracles 98
It does not follow that because the history and ethics of the Bible are true, its miraculous narratives are facts and not legends and myths — Miracles of all other religions not believed by Jews and Chris- tians — Argument about miracles — Many Bible miracles considered — If miracles occurred in ancient times, why not now? — If such miracles were performed, God would have surrounded them with such evidence that none could disbelieve—The crossings of the Red Sea and River Jordan, and the miraculous feeding of the Israelites in the Desert of Arabia, considered — In the reign of Josiah, king of Judah, B.C. 634, the Books of the Torah and Prophets had long been lost and for- gotten, and but one copy was accidentally found in all Israel — The Mormons believe in all the miracles related in the Mormon Bible, without any evidence for them — History of the Book of
It does not follow that because the history and ethics of the Bible are true, its miraculous narratives are facts and not legends and myths — Miracles of all other religions not believed by Jews and Chris- tians — Argument about miracles — Many Bible miracles considered — If miracles occurred in ancient times, why not now? — If such miracles were performed, God would have surrounded them with such evidence that none could disbelieve—The crossings of the Red Sea and River Jordan, and the miraculous feeding of the Israelites in the Desert of Arabia, considered — In the reign of Josiah, king of Judah, B.C. 634, the Books of the Torah and Prophets had long been lost and for- gotten, and but one copy was accidentally found in all Israel — The Mormons believe in all the miracles related in the Mormon Bible, without any evidence for them — History of the Book of
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