Therefore; that each has a scientific right to call the
other an atheist; and that, if he refrains, it is only on the ground of
decency and good manners, which should restrain an honourable man from
employing even scientifically justifiable language, if custom has given
it an abusive connotation. While one must agree with Hume, then, it is,
nevertheless, to be wished that he had not set the bad example of
calling polytheists "superstitious atheists." It probably did not occur
to him that, by a parity of reasoning, the Unitarians might justify the
application of the same language to the Ultramontanes, and _vice versa_.
But, to return from a digression which may not be wholly unprofitable,
Hume proceeds to show in what manner polytheism incorporated physical
and moral allegories, and naturally accepted hero-worship; and he sums
up his views of the first stages of the evolution of theology as
follows:--
"These then are the general principles of polytheism, founded in
human nature, and little or nothing dependent on caprice or
accident. As the _causes_ which bestow happiness or misery, are in
general very little known and very uncertain, our anxious concern
endeavours to attain a determinate idea of them: and finds no
better expedient than to represent them as intelligent, voluntary
agents, like ourselves, only somewhat superior in power and wisdom.
The limited influence of these agents, and their proximity to human
weakness, introduce the various distribution and division of their
authority, and thereby give rise to allegory.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189