The Great Religions of the World.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4814, 13 June 1884, Page 2

The Great Religions of the World.

" BKAHMINISM."

There was a. very fair attendance at St. James' Presbyterian Church last night, to hear the Bey. S. J. Neill lecture on the above subject, and the rer. gentleman's remarks appeared to be listened to with interest. He commenced by following up the simile used in his last lecture, that the great religions were like enormous rivers flowing from some great mountain, and said that if Buddhism were likened to the Amazon, Brahminism could be justly described as the Miasissipi, for while the former embraced two-thirds of the earth's inhabitants, the latter included about one-eighth. Buddhism, which dated about 550 years 8.C., was generally regarded as an offshoot from Brahminism, as the latter was fully 1000 years older. It was computed that it was about 5000 years ago, or within 1000 years of the time ascribed to the creation, since the people among whom Brahminism rose went to live in India. About 100 years ago the existence of the Sanskrit (meaning " perfected ") language was discovered in India, and from the fact that this language is the parent of English as well as of nearly all European tongues, philologists infer that the people whose mother tongue was Sanskrit were our forefathers, from whom the Norwegian, as well as the Hindoo, descended. This race is the Aryan, and it has been the conquerors of the world for the past 5000 years. The race is supposed to have dwelt where the I£hi?a desert, near the Caspian Sea, now exists, and to have spread—part to India . and part westward over Europe. The earliest book found of the branch which settled in is the Big-Veda,, or "verse-wisdom" (it being all written in the form of poetry), and from this sprang three other Vedas—Yadjur Veda, prayers in prose; Saina Vedft, chants; and Atharvan Veda, forms of worship. The Big Veda, however, was the parent book, and parti of it are computed to have been

writcen 2400 juara B.G: 'JU contains 1017 hymns, written in 2 line stanzas, and each Brahmin was supposed to learn the whole during his tweire years 'studentship, it being handed down from father to son by memory. Evan to this day there were 1 Brahmins who could repeat the whole of. the hymns. Tho Rig Veda is regarded as the oldest book in the world,' and Brahlainism is tho oldest religion extant. At the date commonly assigned to the deluge, the Aryans had-conquered India, and were writing their sacred verses, an extract from one of which lie read, being -. a prayer to Varana, the god of the sky, for temporal blessings, which is the form of petition generally found in the Rig Veda. From this book also we learn that the Aryans, as would be natural, worshipped the great forces of Nature—chief . being the sun, then the heavens. (Pr Varuna), fire, the earth, and the winds, and to these a great many of the Vedie hymns are addressed.-. As the years roiled on, and the Hindu began to reason on these things, he ascribed all secondary \ matters tothe power of one Supreme ing, who was called Brahm, and thus we come to where Hinduism becomes Brah- - miuism. Ancient Hinduism was, howerer, free from caste in all its phases, and many other evils brought in by priesthood. Of the Veda 9' conception of God, Dr Draper says they recogniso Him as one Supreme Spirit, ruling all things, and without Whom nothing would stand. The teachings of the Vedas had been called Pantheistical, but though admitting that some i passages would bear that interpretation, the lecturer contended that a correct idea of tho meaning of the poets had not in. many instances been given by stitdbnta, and that a great deal of what is described as Pantheistical is the indistinct, dim language of the soul in trying to describe the Infinite. After citing some modern opinions on the Vedas, the lecturer said the historical outline of the Hindu faitl} was briefly: The early Vedic .notionsof nature, the one Supreme God, theuniversal animation, the perpetual changing of all things, the emanation of the soul, transmigration, absorption in the Infinite Spirit, the need of penitential services, and contemplation as helps to union with Brahm, the spirit of the universe. Extracts from „'■ the Vedas, showing that exalted thought was to be found there, were read; and the lecturer passed on . to show the points of similarity between Brahminism and Judaism, or the Jewish religion. He said that one author enumerated nearly 100 points of resem> blance. chief among them being the Hindu story that'a rajah named Tura (which bears a strong resemblance«to Tera, Abraham's father), "was banished, travelled westward, and founded a religion, which afterwards became the Jewish religion; both were old religiong, and both have since been superseded by . other forms; in the story of creation in each the Supreme Being was the moving power ; in each case there was a paradise, a tree and a serpent, aud man's fall, in both cases God occupied six days in the creation, and in both, the soul was the breath of God. In conclusion, the lee turer said that though there were many, weak points in Brahminism, there were some things worth remembering. It was still an active and powerful factor io India, and efforts are now being made to simplify and purify it. The famous Chunder Sen is one laboring in this direction, and he says :—" The future religion of the world which I hare described will be the common religion of all nations, but in each nation it will have an indigenous growth, and assume a distinctive and peculiar character. Wo country will borrow or mechanically imitate the religiou of another country,;but from the depths of the (life ot' each nation its future church will grow up. In common with all other nations we shall embrace the theiatic worship?' creed, and Gospel of the future church. But we shall do this on a strictly national and Indian style. One religion shall,,be acknowledged by all men; one God; shall / be worshipped throughout the length and breadth of the world; tho same spirit of ■/ faith and love shall pervade all hearts; all nations shall dwell 'together in the Father's house; yet each shall have its own peculiar and free mode of action. There shall, in short, be unity of spirit, but diversity of forms; one body-bufc different limbs ; one vast coin muni tyj%ith members laboring in different ways; and according to their respective resources and peculiar tastes, to advance their common cause, • The Fatherhood of God» and the Brotherhood of Man.' "