ON ISLAM AND ANIMISM. 



101 



disinclined to accept those beliefs as representing Christianity 

 simply because they were held by people who are nominally 

 Christian. Although Dr. Zwemer set out that certain beliefs were 

 " part of the Moslem creed and ritual," he (the speaker) thought 

 that such a statement could only be justly made if the beliefs in 

 question were part of the acknowledged creed and ritual of Islam. 

 However, he thought the end of the paper — the last paragraph but 

 one — really set out what was its proper conclusion and 

 contention : — 



" We are not so much concerned with the fact of animism in Islam 

 as we are with the failure of Islam to meet animistic practices and 

 overcome them." 



That did appear to stand out from the paper — that Moslems 

 contrived to hold these superstitious opinions along with the pure 

 doctrines of the religion of Islam : — 



" Islam cannot uproot pagan practices or remove the terror of 

 spirits and demon- worship in Sumatra and Java among Moslems. 

 In the conflict with animism, Islam has not been triumphant. 

 Christianity, as Harnack has shown, did win in its conflict with 

 demon- worship in the first straggle, and is winning to-day." 



With these remarks the Chairman declared the subject open for 

 discussion. 



Mr. COLLETT expressed deep indebtedness to Dr. Zwemer for a 

 very instructive paper. He thought he had given the true key to 

 the situation at the very opening, when he said that Islam was 

 derived from Judaism, Christianity, and Paganism. He (the 

 speaker) ventured to suggest that it might have been even more 

 correct to say from corrupt Judaism, corrupt Christianity, and 

 Paganism. There, he thought, we got the real secret of the false 

 and corrupt teachings of Islam. 



There was a very instructive remark on page 91 : 



" In Luxor one drop of the blood is placed on the forehead^ the 

 cheeka, the chin, the palms of the hand, and on the soles of the 

 feet." 



At once his (the speaker's) mind went to Lev. xiv, where we have 

 an account of the Divine instructions for the cleansing of the leper, 

 and he could not help seeing there the true source from which that 



