Excerpt from Spiritism the Origin of All Religions
In presenting this little book to the public, I must ask the kind indulgence of the reader, for it has been the work of my leisure hours; a recreation of the mind from the dry details of law, which teaches us to deal with facts according to law, and to reason out its relations with the many conflicting, interests of mankind. In trying to trace out the origin of these laws customs and usages, it has led me far back into the night of time, when man emerged from the obscurity of barbarism. Like the explorer of some great river, as he ascends he beholds the stream branching off into many little rivers, and they grow less and less, until at last he finds its source in some far-off mountain, fed by the melting of the snows or springs that gush from out the granite rocks.
So it is with law and religion, they both come from the invisible source - the mind of man. One teaches him his relations to his fellow-man, and the other to his Creator; one relates to his social nature, the other to his moral and spiritual nature. They are closely allied and have much to do with each other, the religious status of a people having had much to do in shaping their government and civilization. Where a liberal religion has prevailed the laws have partaken of its nature and the people prospered and were happy; when illiberal it has tyrannized over man and made him a slave to caste and priesthood.
In all religions there are good moral precepts, and if man would live up to them he would be wiser and better, but his animal nature is so strong that it often tempts him to violate them; but they act upon and tend to restrain him. It is contended by some that man could not be governed without a religion. It makes but little difference what a man's religion is, if he be honest and will respect the rights of another. No one should say, "My religion is orthodox and yours is heterodox;" we should all be willing to let every one worship God in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience, for we are all in the fog and know but little of the life to come. We now and then catch a stray bit of evidence that goes to confirm us in the belief of the immortality of the soul.
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