Chapter I — Religion and Reality
Religion is a natural and universal demand on the part of human nature for the recognition of a supernatural power, Who can meet all the needs of those who are obedient and faithful in their duty to Him.
In other words, we may say that the aim and object of religion is to obey the commands of Him Who is the Creator, Lord and Preserver of the Universe, to worship wholeheartedly, and to enjoy His fellowship Who is the Almighty, Eternal and Omnipresent God.
This infinite Source of Life, Who is the First Cause of visible and invisible things, is Reality.
I. Gradual Development from Idolatry to God
1. In very ancient times people were like the savage and uneducated people of to-day. They did not realise their spiritual needs, or, if they felt them at all, they were not deeply conscious of them. They felt only their bodily wants, and they worshipped, instead of the Creator, His created things, such as the sun, moon, fire, air and water. With the exception of the Hebrews, there was no race in which there was a knowledge of the One True and Living God. Hence, for their bodily needs they worshipped, in the form of idols, those visible things from which they hoped for benefit, or which they dreaded as evil.
2. Later they made images of their gods, and brought offerings and sacrifices before them, and, when even this did not seem sufficient for them, they went a step further and began to worship good and evil spirits, and the spirits of their ancestors. As their spiritual horizon widened, even this failed to meet the calls of their growing spiritual natures, and they were forced to seek and worship a spiritual Being Who, in both worlds, would be able to satisfy all their bodily and spiritual needs and cravings. So God has revealed Himself to them according to their spiritual needs and capacities; "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son" (Heb. i. 1-2).
3. Ancient people used simple and crude forms of stone, bronze or iron implements; but we do not now have to use weapons and implements of that kind, because in our day we have advanced far beyond the culture of their age. It is true that we still retain the senses from which their needs have sprung — hunger, thirst, for instance, are still the same — but the means we use to satisfy those needs have changed with the progress of time. In the same way, although from their historical and religious books we have come to know that their need was the same as ours, it does not mean that we have therefore to adopt their method of idol worship.
The object of learning about the habits of these people is that we may know what means they used, and to what extent they succeeded, when they found themselves engaged in the struggle between good and evil, and with sin and its evil results, in their effort to gain salvation.
In our own time, in a similar way, and to an even greater extent, people find themselves entangled in the difficulties of the struggle between evil and good, in the effort to obtain salvation. Yet there is a progressive revelation of Reality that fits the need, capacity and state of development of every man and every age. This does not mean that there is any change in the Truth or Reality, even though it may appear in varied forms to persons differing in culture and in circumstances. New aspects may be revealed, but the Reality remains the same and unchangeable.
II. "A Man only understands what is akin to Something already existing in himself"
1. Followers of different religions, and people of different temperaments and capacities, believe that by the knowledge, faith and experience which they have, they can fully define and describe Reality; though often their experience is such as to limit even their dreams and visions. The differences, however, which exist among them are only on the surface. In the root idea of Reality which they seek to define there is no difference.
It is as if three men, one wearing red, one blue and one green glasses, are looking at a white flower. To each the flower appears to be of a different colour. All are agreed on the basic truth of the existence of the flower. Their whole argument is about the colour, and as soon as they take off their glasses the real colour of the flower is seen by them all. The beliefs and senses of men are like glasses through which they estimate and examine all existing things. But they cannot understand the Reality as they should, until their hearts have been enlightened by God. For those, however, who are real seekers after truth, He who is the light of the world "which lighteth every man coming into the world" (John i. 9, viii. 12), will lead them on to Reality.
2. When we see a thing from a distance it appears small, and we do not perceive its real nature; but when we have come near to it, by degrees we come to know the thing as it really is. No change has taken place in the thing itself, but our experience and knowledge of it have increased. So, step by step we shall enter into the intimate fellowship of God's immediate presence, and we shall increase in our spiritual knowledge and experience, until we arrive at the full recognition of Reality. "For we shall see Him as He is" (1 John iii. 2; 1 Cor. xiii. 12).
3. The man who has not seen an apple-tree, but has seen only its tiny seed, can never understand that the complete tree, wood, flowers and fruit, is all contained in it. If the seed finds the conditions necessary to its growth, then at the appointed time its real nature will appear; and all its hidden possibilities will come into being, and reach to perfection. Thus the whole problem will be solved. So, leaving everything else out of consideration, man does not even know what qualities and abilities are hidden in him; but if he walks in fellowship with God, and according to His will, then he will continue to obtain all necessary aids for his growth, and will reach that state of perfection for which God created him. Then all difficulties and problems will be solved. "And it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John iii. 2).
4. Trees grow in unlimited space, yet there is a fixed limit beyond which they cannot extend. The force of gravity will not permit them to go one inch beyond their appointed bounds. In the same way, our wisdom, understanding and thoughts are limited to the circumference of a very small circle beyond which it is not possible to reach. In the future world the attractive power is love, and this, instead of hindering, gives every help and support for the growth of the soul towards perfection.
5. It frequently happens that some thinker, working quite independently of others, has arrived at the conclusions that they have already reached. The reason for this is, that the world is like an immense museum filled with a great variety of things. Each visitor that comes in sees the exhibits through the medium of his own experience, and, colouring them with his own feelings and fancies, tells others about them. Each does it in his own way, but the conclusions are the same. On the other hand there are people with some small obliquity in their intellectual vision, and with a want of depth in their spiritual experience, who, in seeking to explain the Reality, have coloured their writings and speeches with their fancies, and have expressed diverse and distorted views. But the Reality is the same.
III. The Senses are the Interpreters between the Soul and External Things
1. Bodily senses and the perceptions of the soul, from their very nature, are nothing in themselves, but act only as interpreters between the soul and other things. As the sweetness of the sweets is not for the sweets themselves, so the perceptions of the senses are not for the senses themselves. Nor is man, as the materialist believes, a piece of automatic mechanism that runs by its own power. Because a machine does not know that it is a machine, and because there is nothing in the brain and nervous system that of itself can produce thoughts and ideas, therefore these work only as the instrument of man's soul.
It is useless to argue with the extreme mechanists, who declare man to be an automaton, for no automaton could establish the theory that he was an automaton. It is useless to argue with those who declare that thinking, feeling, willing and imagining are negligible bubbles on a stream of protoplasm, for no bubble can alter the direction of the current, as ideas can alter the flow of our life. "Ideas have hands and feet," as Hegel said.
2. If man's intelligence and ability depend on the largeness of his brain, which gives him pre-eminence over other creatures, then what does the marvellous ability of the honey-bee and the ant depend on, the size of whose brains may be considered as next to nothing? If they say that this is all instinct, then how do the wonderful roots of trees, in their search for nourishment, spread out in the direction of their food, and turn away from that which would injure them? What is the instinct, or brain, which directs vines and creepers to twine their tendrils round other things and so to support themselves as they climb upwards? Then what quality is there in magnetism that attracts, or repels, even insentient and inanimate things?
This then is the truth: that the Creator Who has granted to insignificant creatures ability according to their need, has Himself made man in His own image and likeness, with understanding like Himself, and this can lead him back to the Creator of the Two Worlds, and into harmony with Him.
3. We know much more than we can ever put into words, because we can never explain the whole of our inner consciousness. Something is always left unexpressed. We have experiences which are beyond our powers of expression, but are not beyond our comprehension.
At times we have an intuition, and lofty thoughts suddenly flash into our minds. These we have not learned from any one, because no one can explain them; nor have we been able to gain knowledge of them in the visible world through our senses. Hence the question arises, How have we been able to come to know these hidden things?
I would say that the proof of this is that our souls are connected with the spiritual and unseen world whose light, without our being aware of it, is reflected in our inner selves. By means of our inner perceptions some truths from that other world come to us, but their proof will be possible by experience only when we enter into that world, which we now see as in a glass darkly.
4. Ants and bees, within the limits of their little worlds, are a wise and hard-working folk; but, outside the circle of their lives, they see higher creatures and men whose existence and nature they can measure only in terms of their own little lives. So in the spiritual world we come in contact with the highest spiritual beings, about whom our knowledge is as small as the ants' knowledge of us. On the other hand, though man is so much superior to the ant, yet he has no complete knowledge of what that insignificant little creature is. In the same way, the knowledge that higher spiritual beings have of us is imperfect. He alone Who created all things has perfect and complete knowledge of every creature.
IV. God and His Creation
1. Before the creation of animate and inanimate things there was space, and, if the whole universe should be destroyed, space would always remain; but it is unthinkable that the universe should be destroyed and that space should remain void. It is not possible that matter came into existence in space by its own creative power, or that living organisms should spring from lifeless matter. Consequently, when we find order and design in the universe, it is a proof of the existence of an Almighty and All-knowing Being, Who, being Infinite and Eternal, created and filled space with existing things, both seen and unseen.
2. There is nothing eternal save God. So we have to face the question that if the Universe is not eternal then it must have been created, and if so, when God created existing things a change must have occurred in Him. But this is impossible, for He is unchangeable. The truth is to be found in this, that before the universe came into being it existed in the knowledge of God. To exist outwardly (objectively), or in His knowledge (subjectively), is the same thing to Him.
On the other hand, if we consider the universe as eternal then God is not the Creator; and if He is not the Creator, He is not Almighty; and if not Almighty He is not God. Such a God is like a strong man, who is the owner of his property and can make use of his possessions, but, being limited in power and knowledge, does not know the real nature of the things he uses. In God such a limitation is contrary to His nature and attributes. But we need say no more. The universe was in His knowledge, and came into being by His creative power. This universe is not commingled in Him, as pantheists hold, but is separate from Him, although it is from Him, and in Him, and will remain in Him for ever.
3. "The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," and countless kinds of created things came into being before Him; and the Spirit of the Lord still broods over human souls in the limitless ocean of space. He alone knows the great and glorious beings who will be manifested, and, becoming perfect like their Creator, will enjoy His presence for ever.
4. In the world there are wholesome things, but bitter poisonous things are also to be found. God is indeed the Creator of these things. But their evil essence is created by the powers of evil. So also God is the Creator of all souls, but the depraved nature that is in men results from their free will. God did not create sin and evil, nor did He incline men towards it, but He left them altogether free to choose their way for themselves. But God, Who is love, can create such a holy and health-giving change in human souls that their evil nature and all their spiritual diseases are removed for ever.
When the root of sin is removed, then its evil effects will disappear from the whole creation, except that the lessons of that sad experience will always remind men of the need for greater watchfulness against sin in their future lives.
It is impossible that anything contrary to God's nature and attributes should remain eternally in the realm within which He is Sovereign.
5. People usually hail with great delight the beauties of nature, such as are seen in fruits and flowers, rivers and lakes, mountains and landscape scenery; but their attention and affections are so engrossed by the natural beauty of things that they fail to get behind them to the Creator, Who, hidden behind the works of His hands, exists screened by His creation.
When the universe is so beautiful, then how glorious must be the Creator Himself! When the gifts of His hands are so sweet, how much more will be His presence Who created all this sweetness! The pity of it is that senseless man is satisfied with the created things, and remains ignorant of his Lord's life-giving and soul-satisfying presence.
6. Animals know their masters, but man, who is more noble than the rest of creation, has sunk lower than the animals, and does not know his Creator. For, blinded by his sinful nature, he fails to recognise his real self. Should he come to know himself or his real nature, then by the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit he will recognise Him also in Whose image he has been created.
V. The Need of Religion
1. While the waves are running over the surface of the water we cannot see our faces in it. In the same way, until the waves of the world's storm have been stilled in the heart of man, he cannot see his real state of spiritual need. When in the calm of meditation the state is recognised, then in his helplessness he clearly perceives his need of God for help and salvation, and, bowing in prayer, yields himself to Him.
2. If the heart is not deceived and is free from the entanglements and seductions of the world, then as the needle of the compass is attracted towards the Pole star, so the heart itself responds to the attraction of God, and turns towards Him. For it is not possible for human nature to be wholly unaffected by the attraction of Infinite Love and Holiness. "No really great man was ever without God" (Seneca).
3. Where people have not reached to a correct knowledge of God, their religion is based on fear and selfishness. I once asked some people of the Lepcha tribe in Sikkim why they had forsaken the true God, and worshipped evil spirits. They replied, "We always live in fear of the harm that evil spirits may do us, so we try to please them. But what use is there in praying to God, or good spirits, or in worshipping them, when there is no danger of their harming us?" They did not know that through our connection with God we can overcome evil spirits, and that God will always protect us from every kind of attack that would bring us harm.
4. An ancient philosopher, feeling dimly the need of God and religion, said: "In the primeval age of disorder and violence, laws might strike crimes committed in the open day but could not touch secret sins hidden in the gloomy depths of conscience. A sage advised that to make men moral they must be made afraid. Let them invent gods who could see and hear all things, cognisant not only of all human actions, but also of men's inmost thoughts and purposes."
Though this philosopher was ignorant of the existence of God, yet hidden away in his nature is clearly seen the reflection of God's being; and behind his thought about inventing a god, God Himself is seen to be actively present. In short, every race, in every age, has in some form or other shown its deep craving for God.
I shall now attempt to write something about the four great religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Muhammadanism and Christianity — with a view to finding out which of these religions is sufficiently universal to satisfy the cravings and needs of the human race, and to what extent it can offer peace to the individual soul, burdened by the sense of its separation from the Eternal God.