Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - IV. Racial and religious tolerance
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
102 PROBLEMS CONFRONTING RUSSIA
in Russia was the outcome of the belief in the necessity
for uniformity—one of the fetishes which stand in open and
flagrant opposition to the natural conditions in the life of
man. The greatest importance is placed on the outward
signs of religious uniformity, based on the performance of
certain religious ceremonies. Religious conception,
however, depends to a great extent on the degree of intellectual
development. The highly trained mind is more accustomed
to think in the abstract, while minds of a lower intellectual
order have to revert to symbols, and in general to a
conception of divinity which is full of anthropomorphic features,
appealing to the senses in a more concrete manner.
Moreover, the differences of age, sex, and climate play a great
part in establishing a variety of attitudes towards the
Divinity, and differentiate religious thought far more than
allegiance to different religious denominations. Within the
boundaries of Roman Catholicism, Russian Orthodoxy, or
Protestantism, there are de facto many varieties of belief
and of religious conviction which are disregarded for the
sake of outward uniformity. Such varieties of belief are
only the outcome of the above-mentioned differences in the
conditions of human life—namely, climate, age, or sex—and
should be acknowledged by admitting the necessity for
the same variations in matters of religion due to these
differences.
Of course any religious denomination is bound to adhere
to a certain creed by which the principles of the belief of
that denomination are set forth. But the question as to
whether tolerance or intolerance prevails is decided by the
way in which one religious denomination judges another.
If it bases itself on the principle of " Extra ecclesiam nulla
salus," or on the notorious dictum of Augustine, " Virtutes
paganorum sunt splendida vitia," there can be no question
of tolerance. Surely it ought to be possible for enlightened
and broad-minded people to maintain that they are right
in their particular personal religious conviction, without
condemning those who do not share their views to eternal
perdition.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
