RATIONALISM AND IDEA OF GOD 213 



reality. But, whatever we may think of these outer 

 components, there they are, and they do affect us 

 for better or for worse. Before such a heterogeneous 

 assemblage as is constituted by the outer components 

 can operate as a single idea, can deserve a single name 

 such as Godj they must be elaborately organized. 



The contribution to the idea of God from within, 

 from the mind of man himself, is its form ; and this 

 form is the outcome of a process of mental organiza- 

 tion every bit as real as the physical organization 

 occurring in the unborn embryo. 



The essential thing about both is, as we have 

 indicated, that unity should arise in spite of diversity, 

 and the resulting entity — organism in the one case, 

 organized idea in the other — should thus be able to 

 act as a single whole. 



The system of ideas which man holds concerning 

 external powers may be thus organized by thinking of 

 it in terms of magic, of ' influence,' manifesting itself 

 in different ways in different operations of Nature ; 

 or in terms of personality, the manifestations of power 

 being supposed to result from the activities of a being or 

 beings more or less similar to ourselves ; or it may be 

 organized, as we shall see, on more scientific lines, by 

 carefully pruning away all parts of it which are 

 either definitely the mere product of our own imagina- 

 tions, or else are not proven. 



Thus what we have called the raw material of 

 Divinity is given in the outer forces of nature, which 



