The Life of the Spirit and the Life of To-dayUnderhill, Evelyn
Religion
The Life of the Spirit and the Life of To-day
Underhill, Evelyn
Spiritual life
"When I see a right man," said Jacob Boehme, "there I see three worlds
standing." Since our aim should be to make "right men" and evoke in them
not merely a departmental piety but a robust and intelligent
spirituality, we ought to explain in simple ways to these older children
something at least of that view of human nature on which our training is
based. The religious instruction given in most schools is divided, in
varying proportions, between historical or doctrinal teaching and
ethical teaching. Now a solid hold both on history and on morals is a
great need; but these are only realized in their full importance and
enter completely into life when they are seen within the spiritual
atmosphere, and already even in childhood, and supremely in youth, this
atmosphere can be evoked. It does not seem to occur to most teachers
that religion contains anything beyond or within the two departments of
historical creed and of morals: that, for instance, the greatest
utterances of St. John and St. Paul deal with neither, but with
attainable levels of human life, in which a new and fuller kind of
experience was offered to mankind. Yet surely they ought at least to
attempt to tell their pupils about this. I do not see how Christians at
any rate can escape the obligation, or shuffle out of it by saying that
they do not know how it can be done. Indeed, all who are not
thorough-going materialists must regard the study of the spiritual life
as in the truest sense a department of biology; and any account of man
which fails to describe it, as incomplete. Where the science of the body
is studied, the science of the soul should be studied too. Therefore, in
the upper forms at least, the psychology of religious experience in its
widest sense, as a normal part of all full human existence, and the
connection of that experience with practical life, as it is seen in
history, should be taught. If it is done properly it will hold the
pupil's interest, for it can be made to appeal to those same mental
qualities of wonder, curiosity and exploration which draw so many boys
and girls to physical science. But there should be no encouragement of
introspection, none of the false mystery or so-called reverence with
which these subjects are sometimes surrounded, and above all no spirit
of exclusivism.
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