Forlong - Rivers of Life

Introductory Chapter.
ship. Now these facts are true to reason; for no missionary attempts to convince by
proofs of Bible historical authenticity, or he is no true follower of Christ and the
apostles, but rather by declamation, invective and excitement of the feelings, through
our passions and fears, such as a Knox knew well how to manipulate. There is no
calmly sitting down to compare history with history, passage with passage, “fact” (so
called) with “fact,” and so to substantiate the Bible, and then similarly to pull down the
Vedas and Avestas. This is not even the way in which a clergyman addresses ourselves, else
would he fast swell the already rapidly increasing band of “seriously religious sceptics.”
No, the “gospels were not intended by their writers,” says a learned and orthodox
author quoted by the Westminster, to be “books of evidence, to convince persons who
did not believe, but to supply records of events, to edify and establish in the faith
those who did.” Throwing thus the gospels aside as evidence, what has the poor
Christian preacher got to rely upon but excitement of the feelings? which should, and,
as I have said, does, act only on the old, and those weakly in intellect, or peculiarly
and not over-much educated. There is no doubt that Sir P. Perring 1 is right, and
that the gospels are rather records of an existing belief which swallowed down anything
concerning its object, than records of facts on which a belief was grounded;
for, says this same reviewer elsewhere, “The historical truth of the (Christian) Creed
is not as yet proved to the satisfaction of the modern inquirer,” and in consequence,
when a real historical foundation is not obtained for any facts, on which any dogmas
or opinions are based, such must fall to pieces either bit by bit in slow disintegration
until the whole structure totters to fall (this, provided the pullers down be mild and
reasonable philosophers and scholars), or, it will come down with crashes before the
assaults of an ignorant rabble.
Boodhism differs from all early Religions, in being the first missionary faith on
earth; and as every true and good man desires to impart to others what he knows is
good and true, and so to do his fellow-men good, and as he also recognises as brothers
the whole family of man, which Boodhism does, it is a better faith than any of its
predecessors, and falls little short of its successors. Even at the present day, when
2500 years old, it stands in numbers at the head of all the faiths of earth.
Max Müller tells us that the numbers belong at present to each faith are, taking the
world as one hundred, thus:—
Boodhists, 31.2 [36½] per cent. 2
Christians, 30.7 [26½] But this is a wide word, embracing many who deny
the Godhead of Christ, and Bible Inspiration.
Mahomedans, 15.7 [16]
Brahmens, 13.4 [12]
Heathens, 8.7 [6¼] This means Fetish worshippers without a book-faith,
not without a god.
Jews 0.3 [¾]
Zoroastrians. 0.01
1 Churches and their Creeds. 1871. By the Rev. Sir P. Perring. Bart. Cambridge.
2 [Figures in square brackets and smaller type from vol. I errata, sourced to “The Censuses for 1881.”
Forlong also there refers the reader to Vol. II. p. 590. — T.S.]
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