ON ISLAM AND ANIMISM. 



105 



playing any part, and we had to recognize that Mohammedanism, 

 with all its defects, had had to play its part, and God may have 

 recognized its work. 



Mr. Maurice Gregoky described Dr. Zwemer as one of the 

 greatest experts in mission work amongst the Moslems all over the 

 world ; and therefore the lecture would serve as an introduction to 

 questions of deep significance. We were all familiar with Tlie 

 Arabian Nights, a book full of spirits and magic. Even the " bowd- 

 lerized " edition, as we have it, gives some kind of idea of the world 

 in which nineteen-twentieths of the Mohammedans of 1917 live. 



Mr.E. Walter Maunder, F.E.A.S., commented upon one sentence 

 oil p. 88. Dr. Zwemer quoted the following definition : — 



" By animism we understand that stage in human development in 

 which man believes in the parity of all existences so far as their 

 possession of sentient life is concerned." 



" One stage in human development." Was animism a stage in 

 the way up or in the way down 1 There was one great ^\Titer who 

 had dealt with this question, St. Paul, who said that animism was 

 on the way down. When men "knew God, they glorified Him not 

 as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imagina- 

 tions, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves 

 to be wise they became fools." If we go through the whole list of 

 animistic beliefs, and look at them carefully, we shall see evidence 

 of degradation. There was some vitality about animism. Quite 

 so. Take a dead body, and before long life would be found in it. 

 What sort of life ? Maggots and worms. So, when a religious 

 belief was allowed to die, sooner or later corrupt things would fasten 

 upon it. 



We need not go to Egypt or countries of the East to find 

 animism. It could be found here in London among men who had 

 lost faith in Christianity. Only two or three days ago an adver- 

 tisement was sent to the Victoria Institute of a book — an expensive 

 book — advocating belief in a certain form of animism. And this in 

 England in the twentieth centiu-y ! Xot very long ago he gave a 

 lecture, a little way out of London, at a literary institute connected 

 with a large and flourishing chiu:ch. When he was leaving, one of 

 the members, a scientific man, told him that he was taking up 

 seriously the study of the occult, which was simply degraded 



