Excerpt from The Progress of Religious Ideas, Vol. 1 of 3: Through Successive Ages
Milton has expressed this conviction with rare eloquence Though all the winds of doctrine be let loose to play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously to doubt her strength. Let her and falsehood grapple. Who ever knew. Truth put to the worse by a free and open encounter? Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puis sant nation rousing herself. Like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks. Methinks I see her as an eagle muing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazzled eyes at the full mid-day beam; purging and unscaling her long abused sight at the fountain itself of heavenly radiance while the' whole noise of timorous flocking birds, with these also who love the twilight, flutter about, amazed at what she means, and in their envious gabble would prog nosticate a. Year of sects and schisms. What would ye do then! Should ye suppress all this flowery crop of knowledge, sprung up, and yet daily springing up Should ye set an oligarchy of twenty engrossers over it, to bring a famine upon our minds again, when we shall know nothing but what is measured to us by their bushel? Believe it, they who counsel you to such suppressing, do as good as bid you to suppress yourselves.
If scholars should read this book, they may perchance smile at its extreme simplicity of style. But I have written for the popular mind, not for the learned. I have therefore aimed principally at conciseness and clearness. I have recorded dates, and explained phrases, sup posed to be generally understood, because I know there are many in telligent readers not familiar with such dates and phrases, and who cannot conveniently refer to cyclopedias, or lexicons. I am aware of having inserted very many things, which are perfectly well known to everybody. But this was unavoidable, in order to present a continu ous whole, from the same point of view. Doubtless, a learned person could have performed the task far better, in many respects; but on some accounts, my want of learning is an advantage. Thoughts do not range so freely, when the store-room of the brain is overloaded with furniture. In the course of my investigations, I have frequently observed that a great amount of erudition becomes a veil of thick clouds between the subject and the reader. Moreover, learned men can rarely have such freedom from any sectarian bias, as the circum stances of my life have produced in me.
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Paperback. Zustand: New. Print on Demand. This book delves into the fascinating world of ancient religions, examining their origins, practices, and beliefs through a comparative lens. The author takes readers on a journey across time and geography, exploring the intertwined threads of ancient Hindu, Egyptian, Chinese, Chaldean, Persian, Greek, Roman, Celtic, and Hebrew religious traditions. From the mystical anchorites of India to the awe-inspiring pyramids of Egypt, the book explores the shared symbols, rituals, and philosophies that connect these seemingly disparate belief systems. The author unveils the profound influence of pantheism, the belief that God resides in all things, and explores how this idea shaped both the spiritual and social lives of these ancient cultures. The book also dives into the complex concept of transmigration, the belief that the soul is reborn in different forms, and how it fueled the practices of ancestor worship and the strict social divisions of caste systems. By offering a fresh perspective on the rich tapestry of ancient religious thought, this book illuminates the enduring power of religious ideas to shape human civilization. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work, digitally reconstructed using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the original format. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in the book. print-on-demand item. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 9781333297909_0
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