Nevertheless, in the interests of
intellectual clearness, I feel bound to say that religious
experience, as we have studied it, cannot be cited as
unequivocally supporting the infinitist belief. The only thing
that it unequivocally testifies to is that we can experience
union with SOMETHING larger than ourselves and in that union find
our greatest peace. Philosophy, with its passion for unity, and
mysticism with its monoideistic bent, both "pass to the limit"
and identify the something with a unique God who is the
all-inclusive soul of the world. Popular opinion, respectful to
their authority, follows the example which they set.
Meanwhile the practical needs and experiences of religion seem to
me sufficiently met by the belief that beyond each man and in a
fashion continuous with him there exists a larger power which is
friendly to him and to his ideals. All that the facts require is
that the power should be both other and larger than our conscious
selves. Anything larger will do, if only it be large enough to
trust for the next step. It need not be infinite, it need not be
solitary.
Pages:
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906