The Everlasting ManChesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
Religion
The Everlasting Man
Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
Catholic Church -- Apologetic works; Christianity and other religions; Religion
secretly sacrificing to Moloch as there are still Thugs secretly
sacrificing to Kalee. There would still be a great deal of magic; and a
great deal of it would be black magic. There would still be a
considerable admiration of Seneca and a considerable imitation of Nero;
just as the exalted epigrams of Confucius could coexist with the
tortures of China. And over all that tangled forest of traditions
growing wild or withering would brood the broad silence of a singular
and even nameless mood; but the nearest name of it is nothing. All these
things, good and bad, would have an indescribable air of being too old
to die.
None of these things occupying Europe in the absence of Christendom
would bear the least likeness to Christendom. Since the Pythagorean
Metempsychosis would still be there, we might call it the Pythagorean
religion as we talk about the Buddhist religion. As the noble maxims of
Socrates would still be there, we might call it the Socratic religion as
we talk about the Confucian religion. As the popular holiday was still
marked by a mythological hymn to Adonis, we might call it the religion
of Adonis as we talk about the religion of Juggernaut. As literature
would still be based on the Greek mythology, we might call that
mythology a religion, as we call the Hindu mythology a religion. We
might say that there were so many thousands or millions of people
belonging to that religion, in the sense of frequenting such temples or
merely living in a land full of such temples. But if we called the last
tradition of Pythagoras or the lingering legend of Adonis by the name of
a religion, then we must find some other name for the Church of Christ.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account