- Chronological Syllabus:
- The Relation of Pantheism to Religious Evolution
- by James Picton
Primeval Period
When man first emerged, he surely mixed himself with the world. Life was everywhere, but
to man, had not yet taken the form of spirits or magic.
Animism
Many societies adopt some form of ancestor worship. From this led the notion of souls able
to detach themselves from bodies, and therefore to survive death. Later, animism resulted
in a fascination for strange-looking, weird, or imposing objects enshrining some sacred
potency for good or evil, mostly the latter. Both types of animism survive all over the
world in various modified forms, and are traceable even in the doctrines and ritual of
advanced theological and ceremonial religions.
Polytheism
Polytheism is a belief in many personal gods, among whom one may be primary. This is a
higher development of animism, prevalent in Europe down to the fourth and even fifth
century A.D., and in India down to the present time.
Henotheism
Henotheism of the local worship of one god to the neglect of others, while the existence
and local power of the gods of other tribes is not denied. this was the religion of Israel
from the early time until perhaps the seventh century, B.C. Henotheism was also favored by
local populations in ancient Egypt.
Monotheism
Monotheism is the worship of one personal God as the only deity, all others being treated
either as devils or as non-existent. This began to be the religion of Israel from the
seventh century, promoted by its early prophets. Likewise, the monotheism of Mohammed owed
a great deal to Jewish tradition, but if anything is even more intensely "unitarian"
than Judaism and certainly more than the modern form of Christianity with its concept of
the Trinity. Under modern Christianity, the doctrines of Trinity and Incarnation have
prepared the way for a larger conception of Deity.
Pantheism
Pantheism is the idea of the Universe as one living Being, of which all creatures and
things are parts thereof. This religion of the Universe was implicit in animism, much as
the tree is implicit in its seed. So, in one sense Pantheism is prehistoric and co-evolved
with the first emergence of man. Pantheist ideas are common in Vedic literature, and in
various Amerindian religions. Today, with scientific understanding and the aid of the
philosophy of Spinoza, there is a re-emergence of modern Pantheism. In its modernized
form, it is now being readily accepted as a major religion of the people.
Adapted from:
Pantheism: Its Story and Significance by James Picton (London, Archibald Constable & Co.,
1905)
