| China and India are pagan, a word which I deprecate | | | | theoretically absurd and is practically the religion of |
| if it is understood to imply inferiority but which if | | | | many Europeans. In some ways it is more intelligible |
| used in a descriptive and respectful sense is very | | | | and reasonable than monotheism. For if there is only |
| useful. Christianity and Islam are organized religions. | | | | one personal God, I do not understand how anything |
| They say (or rather their several sects say) that | | | | that can be called a person can be so expanded as |
| they each not only possess the truth but that all | | | | to be capable of hearing and answering the prayers |
| other creeds and rites are wrong. But paganism is not | | | | of the whole world. Anything susceptible of such |
| organized: it rarely presents anything like a church | | | | extension must be more than a person. Is it not at |
| united under one head: still more rarely does it | | | | least equally reasonable to assume that there are |
| condemn or interfere with other religions unless | | | | many spirits, or many shapes taken by the |
| attacked first. Buddhism stands between the two | | | | superpersonal world spirit, with which the soul can |
| classes. Like Christianity and Islam it professes to | | | | get into touch? |
| teach the only true law, but unlike them it is | | | | The worship of images cannot be recommended |
| exceedingly tolerant and many Buddhists also worship | | | | without qualification, for it seems to require artists |
| Hindu or Chinese gods. | | | | capable of making a worthy representation of the |
| Popular religion in India and China is certainly | | | | divine. And it must be confessed that many figures in |
| polytheistic, yet if one uses this word in contrast to | | | | Indian temples seem repulsive or grotesque, though a |
| the monotheism of Islam and of Protestantism the | | | | Hindu might say that none of them are so strange in |
| antithesis is unjust, for the polytheist does not | | | | idea or so horrible in appearance as the crucifix. |
| believe in many creators and rulers of the world, in | | | | But the claim of the iconoclast from the times of the |
| many Allahs or Jehovahs, but he considers that there | | | | Old Testament onwards that he worships a spirit |
| are many spiritual beings, with different spheres and | | | | whereas others worship wood and stone is true only |
| powers, to the most appropriate of whom he | | | | of the lowest phases of religion, if even there. Hindu |
| addresses his petitions. Polytheism and image-worship | | | | theologians distinguish different kinds of |
| lie under an unmerited stigma in Europe. We generally | | | | avatâras or ways in which God descends into |
| assume that to believe in one God is obviously | | | | the world: among them are incarnations like Krishna, |
| better, intellectually and ethically, than to believe in | | | | the presence of God in the human heart and his |
| many. Yet Trinitarian religions escape being | | | | presence in a symbol or image (arcâ). |
| polytheistic only by juggling with words, and if Hindus | | | | It may be difficult to decide how far the symbol and |
| and Chinese are polytheists so are the Roman and | | | | the spirit are kept separate either in the East or in |
| Oriental Churches, for there is no real distinction | | | | Europe, but no one can attend a great car-festival in |
| between praying to the Madonna, Saints and Angels, | | | | southern India or the feast of Durgâ in Bengal |
| and propitiating minor deities. | | | | without feeling and in some measure sharing the |
| William James has pointed out that polytheism is not | | | | ecstasy and enthusiasm of the crowd. |