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26
THE PRACTICAL PATH.
vengeance, and the like, which led Huxley, one of the most thoughtful of scientists, to observe :
:
"In my opinon it is not the quantity, but the quality, of persons among whom the attributes of divinity are distributed, which is the serious matter. If the divine might is associated with no higher ethical attributes than those which obtain among ordinary men; if the divine intelligence is supposed to be so imperfect that it cannot foresee the consequences of its own contrivances; if the supernal powers can become furiously angry with the creatures of their omnipotence and, in their senseless wrath, destroy the innocent along with the guilty; or if they can show themselves to be as easily placated by presents and gross flattery as any oriental or occidental despot; if, in short, they are only stronger than mortal men and no better, then surely, it is time for us to look somewhat closely into their credentials, and to accept none but conclusive evidence of their existence."-Science and Hebrew Tradition,' p. 258.
The truth of the matter is that the moderns have completely lost sight of the fact that the theological god, or Ishvara, is a pure impersonation of karma, and, therefore, feel baffled in the presence of such statements as those already quoted from the Bible and the Qur'an. It is this impersonation of karmic power, as the ruler of the world, which stands in the way of progress by
* If we do not deny the evidence of our senses, we should perceive that not only is there no necessity for the existence of a ruler of the universe, but that the supposition of such a being is also actually calculated to bring us into violent conflict with the dictates of reason and rationalism. The fact that different substances perform different functions ought to open our eyes, and make us pause before making the sweeping assertion that nothing whatever in the world can ever take place without the order of its extra-supreme ruler. What about the free actions of men and other living beings, and the mechanical action of the substances of nature? In respect of the former, it would certainly be unreasonable and sinful in a divine judge to reward or punish living beings when their actions only flow from him, and the latter, that is the mechanical
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