A Neo-pagan Fad

New Zealand Tablet, 15 November 1906, Page 10

A Neo-pagan Fad

s , The 'latest Ejtgl|sh . iHustr'ated''' papers to Hand'" g^ve V process engraving's" of the latest fad of,, the 1 ' wealthy*'""and churchless., lower orders .that constitute the ' smart v sct', s I,t,.is .nothing' jess than" the revival of the wbr~siiip/;6i..fhe;EgypViau plgai^gd^dess^ls-is^ ( So the ff.n- r " >4a^tic.rTheosophic.',culb,iih.%s^Vfpund a. .rival "at .last, in 1 " absurd .i and' idolatrous ceremonies—".,; „ ,-.,'". ', it! '-' " J ■ '■" ,-•-" *■** .-iiv,' Qualia demens "^ ;,,.,. ,. ,', 'ill '" '' \ X\ J "AegyptusypoKtenta. colit'. ". , , '; tfre iibt told;' whether the'.%aders;;o| tlie "iiew . cult— ',', "•lili'e'^'iihdse l^! -oWf-av^id- d'nion^and salb f . and "...abstain,' ".from, Jekhj^^%P y . •.^ u Ho"gsi J '-But^ ,-it' vmat|ers-' .little: , .T^e.j'sgd^, l lssi^>Sfc}s''?k i P n ,"'V n . sa voryv st}nse)'-has long becn;Ja«Uljai^ u w^h.pUiWr'ji/aganV.mo^s— *",' such as< ; liiv^i-c r ei^iwfan*t^ destructibfl, atfd .-.the; practices ofspirityal^pVantasmagqria .j^ay^/^e^'repoUttd; to 'the clksli-"' ing cymbals and the hysier'icftHiQWkor fe'^qr^a^'tes:'; •"Such-''-tbiifgs aT^^wdrkiiiig- possibilities. *to;)thosc: who Jiav-V ;:% ;)qn|; 4 *^he^!^boijr of 'unrestricted - .^private, judsment" inli^ligtog;;^' ! ej^|iiig j:by r re^udiajring - 1 the principle;- of inspuationrand f reducing f Qliristianity. f" to the level of a mere philosophy of fuzziness. 1 ■" ~ x \

r- Disraeli, was keen, enough. to,,see -the,, .drift* of priyate ju;d,gment in -his day,. r , .And he, -/voiced .his." view : "in the concluding, .portioji of -."the ;qllowing"speeciv,^icli : ( he. Jut" . into the: mojith-, of ■Caj:diital (^r.andson^m'ins i 'Lpthai-r^ : r.There is .only one,. Church' an'd^pnl^V op£l religion other- forms ranide phases „ v are mere, phantoms, wit'SipUt . r0.0t,-, .or- substance, . or J^opj^i^t '"iJliat unhappy --Germany,, once.so^ pippiid of jits^Refotmat^n:.";^Wha^liey iOaU's-rthe .leading journal, /tells,,, us"; Ao-%y thait^it^ is :^ a q^QsUon there.,whether "fp'u^fif lhs^qr, thr'eg-four.t'hs 'ft "'the - population, believe M Christ^anityC . i § ( 9me;ppr.tio'irof M it has, alrcady t ;,,gpne,,b3ck," (^ uiijijer4a"n|^"to7N,uniber^^^^^ .^L.Qpk ..at,- this .unfortunate Jand'-^^ng'fand)', '-* 'sjuWivii&d, -parcelled .out tin. ii^initc^scliism^jwith „n^e>^;^r"acles evQiy : day-, and. each more, distinguished* for, the^^' ( 'narrowness . (^pf ' itsj, intellect,, or the loudness of?its,4ungs;^oncp.l!;^land -3o£ -saints and -..scholars, and people in j)TQU^.'piigri'mages, ..and' finding .splace and suppoft^in.', .tlic'^diViiie ot an- eycr-prc,&ent , Church*, "wliicK r ' l^erc ''a "True though a faint type of, the ".beautiful .Ju^s that .awaited man. Why, only jWircis : j^i|^^r^^^J^S^*^ei«ili6ii" s^Lius-b " the Most High have "proa ucM'" throughout tlic worid— Ssu"bject r ' ithe^inostTi'mporitanb&that^lnan; |&hpuld . -possess a 1 clear Ikm^ faitli upon— an "anarchy* of "opiiuon throwing out every monstio"uriaid = TanUstic form, from a caricature- -of /.'the ;Greek- philosophy' ,ato^a r rexiyal - of Fetishism . _' , tf ' *" " * "The revival of Isis worship i's > ..iru^Tfeas^n;^'.suJßciently '-'.mdnstroirs v a nd fantastic- lornW of ''fasMona-Dlc .infidelity;'' ' "'- ""-"- *,-"c'/c. -^ < t fjij —t. •. '..tfi^/r