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Summary of Lecture by Mr. John Irwin
When the later historical religions, like Christianity, the Hebrew faith and Islam, assimilated older cosmic symbols to their own doctrines, they made every effort to suppress the phallic associations. However, these associations were too powerful in the popular belief and imagination for this attempt at suppression to be entirely successful.
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The most startling part of Mr. Irwin's lecture was when he proved with slides and citation of ancient forgotten texts that phallic associations played an important part in the early stages of the Christian Cross was sometimes worshipped in the form of a phallus until as late as the 12th century, in spite of ruthless efforts of the Church to eliminate the phallic association.
Mr. Irwin explained that this theme was only one aspect of the reinterpretation of the art of the ancient world which he would be developing in his Delhi lectures later in the week under the title "The Origin and meaning of the Buddhist Stupa."
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