46 Evolution and Religion 



Self-Sacrifice 



One difference, however, you will note between this 

 new possibly death-compelling idea which man deifies, 

 and the other enemies of his life which he has hitherto 

 deified. They militated not only against the survival 

 of the individual, but against that of the race as well. 

 This new idea of survival of race as opposed to survival 

 of self, on the other hand, militates against the survival 

 of the individual, but its purpose is that the race may 

 live. This survival of race was, it is true, equally 

 man's object when he offered sacrifice to his other 

 death-compelling enemies. But you will readily see 

 how profoundly the new idea will modify the nature of 

 his sacrifice. Instead of the necessity of laying violent 

 hands upon others, as well as upon himself, and sacri- 

 ficing them, willing or unwilling, for the sake of the 

 general welfare — a thought which often led to un- 

 speakable cruelty, and was summed up in the pithy 

 aphorism, " It is better that one should die rather than 

 that all should perish " — man's central idea becomes 

 now the necessity of sacrificing himself for the good of 

 his family, tribe, or nation. In other words, the idea 

 of sacrifice has begun to give place to that of self- 

 sacrifice. And this would seem to mean a wonderful 

 step forward in man's religio-moral development. 



Human Beliefs 



We come now naturally to the religious beliefs of 

 mankind, great creeds or systems whereby this supreme 



