EARLY EVOLUTION OF RELIGION - Recently Updated Pages

THE DEATH-SURVIVAL CONCEPT

workman34 — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:53:51 CDT

The concept of a supermaterial phase of mortal personality was born of the unconscious and purely accidental association of the occurrences of everyday life plus the ghost dream. The simultaneous dreaming about a departed chief by several members of his tribe seemed to constitute convincing evidence that the old chief had really returned in some form. It was all very real to the savage who would awaken from such dreams reeking with sweat, trembling, and screaming.

The dream origin of the belief in a future existence explains the tendency always to imagine unseen things in the terms of things seen. And presently this new dream-ghost-future-life concept began effectively to antidote the death fear associated with the biologic instinct of self-preservation.

Early man was also much concerned about his breath, especially in cold climates, where it appeared as a cloud when exhaled. The breath of life was regarded as the one phenomenon which differentiated the living and the dead. He knew the breath could leave the body, and his dreams of doing all sorts of queer things while asleep convinced him that there was something immaterial about a human being. The most primitive idea of the human soul, the ghost, was derived from the breath-dream idea-system.

Eventually the savage conceived of himself as a double--body and breath. The breath minus the body equaled a spirit, a ghost. While having a very definite human origin, ghosts, or spirits, were regarded as superhuman. And this belief in the existence of disembodied spirits seemed to explain the occurrence of the unusual, the extraordinary, the infrequent, and the inexplicable.

The primitive doctrine of survival after death was not necessarily a belief in immortality. Beings who could not count over twenty could hardly conceive of infinity and eternity; they rather thought of recurring incarnations.

The orange race was especially given to belief in transmigration and reincarnation. This idea of reincarnation originated in the observance of hereditary and trait resemblance of offspring to ancestors. The custom of naming children after grandparents and other ancestors was due to belief in reincarnation. Some later-day races believed that man died from three to seven times. This belief (residual from the teachings of Adam about the mansion worlds), and many other remnants of revealed religion, can be found among the otherwise absurd doctrines of twentieth-century barbarians.

Early man entertained no ideas of hell or future punishment. The savage looked upon the future life as just like this one, minus all ill luck. Later on, a separate destiny for good ghosts and bad ghosts--heaven and hell--was conceived. But since many primitive races believed that man entered the next life just as he left this one, they did not relish the idea of becoming old and decrepit. The aged much preferred to be killed before becoming too infirm.

Almost every group had a different idea regarding the destiny of the ghost soul. The Greeks believed that weak men must have weak souls; so they invented Hades as a fit place for the reception of such anemic souls; these unrobust specimens were also supposed to have shorter shadows. The early Andites thought their ghosts returned to the ancestral homelands. The Chinese and Egyptians once believed that soul and body remained together. Among the Egyptians this led to careful tomb construction and efforts at body preservation. Even modern peoples seek to arrest the decay of the dead. The Hebrews conceived that a phantom replica of the individual went down to Sheol; it could not return to the land of the living. They did make that important advance in the doctrine of the evolution of the soul.

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DEATH--THE INEXPLICABLE

workman34 — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:53:27 CDT

Death was the supreme shock to evolving man, the most perplexing combination of chance and mystery. Not the sanctity of life but the shock of death inspired fear and thus effectively fostered religion. Among savage peoples death was ordinarily due to violence, so that nonviolent death became increasingly mysterious. Death as a natural and expected end of life was not clear to the consciousness of primitive people, and it has required age upon age for man to realize its inevitability.

Early man accepted life as a fact, while he regarded death as a visitation of some sort. All races have their legends of men who did not die, vestigial traditions of the early attitude toward death. Already in the human mind there existed the nebulous concept of a hazy and unorganized spirit world, a domain whence came all that is inexplicable in human life, and death was added to this long list of unexplained phenomena.

All human disease and natural death was at first believed to be due to spirit influence. Even at the present time some civilized races regard disease as having been produced by "the enemy" and depend upon religious ceremonies to effect healing. Later and more complex systems of theology still ascribe death to the action of the spirit world, all of which has led to such doctrines as original sin and the fall of man.

It was the realization of impotency before the mighty forces of nature, together with the recognition of human weakness before the visitations of sickness and death, that impelled the savage to seek for help from the supermaterial world, which he vaguely visualized as the source of these mysterious vicissitudes of life.

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THE PERSONIFICATION OF CHANCE

workman34 — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:53:01 CDT

Anxiety was a natural state of the savage mind. When men and women fall victims to excessive anxiety, they are simply reverting to the natural estate of their far-distant ancestors; and when anxiety becomes actually painful, it inhibits activity and unfailingly institutes evolutionary changes and biologic adaptations. Pain and suffering are essential to progressive evolution.

The struggle for life is so painful that certain backward tribes even yet howl and lament over each new sunrise. Primitive man constantly asked, "Who is tormenting me?" Not finding a material source for his miseries, he settled upon a spirit explanation. And so was religion born of the fear of the mysterious, the awe of the unseen, and the dread of the unknown. Nature fear thus became a factor in the struggle for existence first because of chance and then because of mystery.

The primitive mind was logical but contained few ideas for intelligent association; the savage mind was uneducated, wholly unsophisticated. If one event followed another, the savage considered them to be cause and effect. What civilized man regards as superstition was just plain ignorance in the savage. Mankind has been slow to learn that there is not necessarily any relationship between purposes and results. Human beings are only just beginning to realize that the reactions of existence appear between acts and their consequences. The savage strives to personalize everything intangible and abstract, and thus both nature and chance become personalized as ghosts--spirits--and later on as gods.

Man naturally tends to believe that which he deems best for him, that which is in his immediate or remote interest; self-interest largely obscures logic. The difference between the minds of savage and civilized men is more one of content than of nature, of degree rather than of quality.

But to continue to ascribe things difficult of comprehension to supernatural causes is nothing less than a lazy and convenient way of avoiding all forms of intellectual hard work. Luck is merely a term coined to cover the inexplicable in any age of human existence; it designates those phenomena which men are unable or unwilling to penetrate. Chance is a word which signifies that man is too ignorant or too indolent to determine causes. Men regard a natural occurrence as an accident or as bad luck only when they are destitute of curiosity and imagination, when the races lack initiative and adventure. Exploration of the phenomena of life sooner or later destroys man's belief in chance, luck, and so-called accidents, substituting therefor a universe of law and order wherein all effects are preceded by definite causes. Thus is the fear of existence replaced by the joy of living.

The savage looked upon all nature as alive, as possessed by something. Civilized man still kicks and curses those inanimate objects which get in his way and bump him. Primitive man never regarded anything as accidental; always was everything intentional. To primitive man the domain of fate, the function of luck, the spirit world, was just as unorganized and haphazard as was primitive society. Luck was looked upon as the whimsical and temperamental reaction of the spirit world; later on, as the humor of the gods.

But all religions did not develop from animism. Other concepts of the supernatural were contemporaneous with animism, and these beliefs also led to worship. Naturalism is not a religion--it is the offspring of religion.

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CHANCE: GOOD LUCK AND BAD LUCK

workman34 — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:52:34 CDT

Aside from the natural worship urge, early evolutionary religion had its roots of origin in the human experiences of chance--so-called luck, commonplace happenings. Primitive man was a food hunter. The results of hunting must ever vary, and this gives certain origin to those experiences which man interprets as good luck and bad luck. Mischance was a great factor in the lives of men and women who lived constantly on the ragged edge of a precarious and harassed existence.

The limited intellectual horizon of the savage so concentrates the attention upon chance that luck becomes a constant factor in his life. Primitive Urantians struggled for existence, not for a standard of living; they lived lives of peril in which chance played an important role. The constant dread of unknown and unseen calamity hung over these savages as a cloud of despair which effectively eclipsed every pleasure; they lived in constant dread of doing something that would bring bad luck. Superstitious savages always feared a run of good luck; they viewed such good fortune as a certain harbinger of calamity.

This ever-present dread of bad luck was paralyzing. Why work hard and reap bad luck--nothing for something--when one might drift along and encounter good luck--something for nothing? Unthinking men forget good luck--take it for granted--but they painfully remember bad luck.

Early man lived in uncertainty and in constant fear of chance--bad luck. Life was an exciting game of chance; existence was a gamble. It is no wonder that partially civilized people still believe in chance and evince lingering predispositions to gambling. Primitive man alternated between two potent interests: the passion of getting something for nothing and the fear of getting nothing for something. And this gamble of existence was the main interest and the supreme fascination of the early savage mind.

The later herders held the same views of chance and luck, while the still later agriculturists were increasingly conscious that crops were immediately influenced by many things over which man had little or no control. The farmer found himself the victim of drought, floods, hail, storms, pests, and plant diseases, as well as heat and cold. And as all of these natural influences affected individual prosperity, they were regarded as good luck or bad luck.

This notion of chance and luck strongly pervaded the philosophy of all ancient peoples. Even in recent times in the Wisdom of Solomon it is said: "I returned and saw that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but fate and chance befall them all. For man knows not his fate; as fishes are taken in an evil net, and as birds are caught in a snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them."

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workman34 — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:52:02 CDT

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UB Glossary

CHANCE: GOOD LUCK AND BAD LUCK

THE PERSONIFICATION OF CHANCE

DEATH--THE INEXPLICABLE

THE DEATH-SURVIVAL CONCEPT

THE GHOST-SOUL CONCEPT

THE GHOST-SPIRIT ENVIRONMENT

THE FUNCTION OF PRIMITIVE RELIGION

THE GHOST CULTS

FETISHES, CHARMS, AND MAGIC

Evolution Of Religion Home Page

workman34 — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:51:24 CDT

This site is dedicated to the study of the
"Early Evolution Of Religion"
________________________________________

The evolution of religion from the preceding and primitive worship urge is not dependent on revelation.

The normal functioning of the human mind under the directive influence of the sixth and seventh mind-adjutants

of universal spirit bestowal is wholly sufficient to insure such development. Man's earliest prereligious fear

of the forces of nature gradually became religious as nature became personalized, spiritized, and eventually

deified in human consciousness. Religion of a primitive type was therefore a natural biologic consequence of

the psychologic inertia of evolving animal minds after such minds had once entertained concepts of the supernatural.

This site belongs to the Urantia Family
network of sites
_____________________________
Urantia Family

A World Community, of Urantia Book Readers
Urantia is the ancient name for our planet Earth
______________________________________________
The first site on the Urantia Family network of sites:
Jesus
The second site on the Urantia Family network of sites:
Adam And Eve
The third site on the Urantia Family network of sites:
Early Evolution Of Religion
Site four on the Urantia Family network of sites:
THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF RELIGION

Primitive religion prepared the soil of the human mind, by the powerful and awesome force of false fear,
for the bestowal of a bona fide spiritual force of supernatural origin, the Thought Adjuster. And the divine Adjusters have
ever since labored to transmute God-fear into God-love. Evolution may be slow, but it is unerringly effective.

Project Search Light - Find Urantia

Clicking on the site title,
(top of each page)

will always bring you back to this page.

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Urantia Family now has a private class room.

If anyone would like to use the class room, just send me a PM on
my profile page

with the email address that you would like the invitation sent to.

If you would like to participate in a class, I have a lesson already in place

on site that anyone can take part in, so as to get familiar with the format.

Lesson #1

PAPER 1 - THE UNIVERSAL FATHER

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Lesson #2
PAPER 2 - THE NATURE OF GOD
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This classroom is private and can not be viewed
by anyone that is not on the members page of that site.
All members of the classroom site can post lessons, add questions
to existing lessons and invite new members.
We can all learn from one another.
God Bless

UB Glossary

workman34 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:59:28 CDT

Glossary for The Urantia Book

A
Abaddon (ab' ah don). Chief of staff for the Planetary Prince, Caligastia. Abaddon chose to follow Caligastia's lead and join the rebellion at the time of its occurrence approximately 200,000 years ago. (602,2)[53:1.5]

abandonters (ab ahn don' ters). An order of beings residing on Uversa, created by unrevealed agents of the Ancients of Days and the seven Reflective Spirits. (415,4)[37:9.8]

absoluta (ab soh lew' tah). Space potency; a phase of force-energy which is a prereality, considered to be the free space presence of the Unqualified Absolute, and is responsive only to the grasp of the Universal Father. (469,3)[42:2.3]

absolutum (ab soh lew' tum). Materialistic composition of Paradise not found elsewhere in creation. (120,1)[11:2.6].

absonite (ab' sun ite). Level of reality between the finite and the absolute which is characterized by things and beings without beginning or ending and by time/space transcendence. (2,7)[0:1.7].

absoniters (ab' sun eye ters). Eventuated beings existing on the absonite level. (2,7)[0:1.7].

absonitize (ab sahn' i tize). To come into existence on the absonite level. (352,3)[31:9.10].

absonity (ab sahn' i tee) . The absonite level of reality. (14,5)[0:11.7].

Adamites (ad' am ites). 1. The Material Sons and Daughters, the Adams and Eves; a reproducing form of Sonship, created by the Creator Son, who function mainly on the system capital (see Jerusem and pages 580-588) . 2. The progeny of Adam and Eve on Urantia, the violet race, especially that centered in the second garden under the leadership of Jansad after the death of Adam (see Jansad). (868,1)[78:0.1].

Adamson (ad' am son). The first-born son of Adam and Eve on Urantia born in approximately 35,900 B.C. (834,4)[74:6.2].

Adamsonites (ad' am son ites). The descendents of Adamson and Ratta. (861,1)[77:5.1].

agondonters (agg ahn don' ters). Ascending will creatures from planets spiritually isolated by rebellion, and who, therefore, have gained valuable experience in the exercise of faith and the development of confidence in cosmic reliability, for they must learn to believe without seeing. (578,6)[50:7.1].

Alvoring (al' vor ing). A local universe neighbor of Nebadon. (360,1)[32:2.12]

Amadon (am' ah don). A human descendant of Andon and Fonta who was the loyal associate of Van in advocating the rejection of Lucifer's Manifesto approximately 500,000 years ago. (761,8)[67:8.1].

Amadonites (am' ah don ites). The 88 Andonites of mortal status who remained loyal to Van and Amadon during the Lucifer rebellion. (759,6)[67:6.3].

Amenemope (ah men e moh' puh). An Egyptian teacher and seer who, in the post-Melchizedek period (see Machiventa), taught among other things that God-consciousness is the main factor which determines conduct. (1046,2)[95:4.1].

Amenhotep (ah men hoh' tep). An Egyptian ruler who lived in 1,500 B.C. and who had an understanding of the soul and spirit as separate indwelling aspects for favored individuals. (1215,5)[111:0.5].

Amosad (am' o sad). A leader of the Sethite priesthood who lived in approximately 15,000 B.C. see Seth). (872,5)[78:5.1].

Anaxand (an' ax and). A young Greek shipyard worker who was taught by Jesus in A.D. 22 about how he might overcome the evil of his unjust foreman with good. (1430,2)[130:2.4].

Andites (an' dites). A human race derived from the impregnation of the best human strains (especially Nodite) with Adamic life plasm. (851,6)[76:4.8].

Andon (an' don). The first male human being, whose initial expression of human will choice occurred when he was ten years old, in 991,474 B.C. Andon was killed during an earthquake 32 years later at the age of 42. (See Fonta) (711,1)[63:0.1]

Andonic (an don' ick). Of or pertaining to the Andonites. (713,7)[63:4.1].

Andonites (an' doh nites). The first primitive human beings descended from and including Andon and Fonta. (713,3)[63:3.3].

Andovontia (an doh vahn' chah). The name of the tertiary Universe Circuit Supervisor stationed in our local universe. (413,6)[37:8.3].

Andronover (an drahn' oh ver). The spiral nebula from which our solar system was born. (168,2)[15:3.6].

Ang (like ang in anger). One of the 100 corporeal members of the staff of the Planetary Prince, Caligastia. The members of this corporeal corps were ascendant mortals who had reached Jerusem and who volunteered to be separated from their Adjusters to serve on Urantia in this capacity. Ang was the head of the council on food and material welfare. (745,8)[66:5.2].

Angamon (ang' ah mon). A leader of the Stoics in Rome with whom Jesus talked about true values sometime during A.D. 22-23. (1456,4)[132:1.1].

Angona (an goh' nah). A massive stellar system whose passage near our sun helped create our solar system (see Monmatia). (465,6)[41:10.1].

Anova (ah noh' vah). The oldest inhabited world of the system of Satania, the system to which our planet, Urantia, also belongs. (559,5)[49:0.5].

Ascendington (ah sen' ding ton). One of seven sacred satellite spheres of the Father in circuit around Paradise. This particular world is the rendezvous sphere for the ascendant creatures of time who are traversing Havona on the way to Paradise. (147,2)[13:1.21].

Assuntia (as sun' chah). A neighboring local system in the constellation of Norlatiadek. (456,5)[41:2.1].

Avalon (av' ah lon). A local universe neighbor of Nebadon. (360,1)[32:2.12]. The first group of seraphim created in Nebadon were trained by a corps of seraphim from Avalon. (420,6)[38:5.1]; a volunteer commission of surgeons from Avalon directed the implantation of Andonic life plasm into the material bodies prepared for use by the Jerusem ascendant mortals who volunteered for service as the 100 corporeal members of Prince Caligastia's staff. (742,4)[66:2.4].

Avonals (av' on als). One of three descending orders of revealed Paradise Sons of God; also known as Magisterial Sons. (223,3)[20:1.1].

B
Bablod (bab' lahd). The name given the location, northeast of Dalamatia, of the "tower of Babel" whose designer was Bablot, approximately 150,000 years ago. (858,2)[77:3.1].

Bablot (bab' laht). A descendant of Nod who developed a plan to erect a pretentious temple to memorialize the Nodite race. (858,2)[77:3.1]

Badonan (bah' doh nan). A great-great-grandson of Andon and Fonta whose tribe of descendants lived in approximately 991,000 B.C. in the northwestern area of India. (719,7)[64:2.4].

Badonites (bah' doh nites). Members of the Badonan tribe. (720,2)[64:3.1].

Bautan (baw' tan). A student in Gautama's Benares school who communicated to Gautama the Salem missionary traditions of Melchizedek's covenant with Abraham. (1035,5)[94:7.5].

Bon (bahn). One of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff (see Ang). Bon headed the board of animal domestication and utilization. (746,2)[66:5.4].

C
C aligastia (cal i gas' chah). A secondary Lanondek Son who served as Planetary Prince of Urantia until he betrayed his trust and joined the Lucifer rebellion approximately 200,000 years ago. (572,1)[50:0.1].

Cano (kay' noh). A brilliant leader of a Nodite colony near the Garden of Eden with whom Eve was encouraged by Serapatatia to mate, thereby causing the Adamic default approximately 37,800 years ago. (841,7)[75:3.7].

chronoldeks (kron ahl' deks). An order of frandalanks, or Master Physical Controllers, who register time as well as quantitative and qualitative energy presence (see frandalanks). (328,6)[29:4.30].

Cymboyton (sim boy' ton). A wealthy Urmia merchant at whose school of religion Jesus taught in the spring of A.D. 25. (1485,4)[134:3.2].

D
Dalamatia (dal ah may' shah). The headquarters city of the Planetary Prince, once situated on the Persian Gulf in Mesopotamia, approximately 500,000 years ago. This city was named after Daligastia. (743,2)[66:3.1].

Daligastia (dal i gas' chah). A secondary Lanonandek Son who served as the primary assistant to Caligastia, former Planetary Prince of Urantia. (742,2)[66:2.2]

Dan (like ran). One of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff (see Ang). Dan headed the group of advisers regarding the conquest of predatory animals. (746,5)[66:5.7]

Danite (dan' ite). A member of that segment of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff which was headed by Dan. Two Danites discovered the non-sexual liaison which produced the primary midway creatures (see Midwayers). (744,9)[66:4.10].

Daynals (day' nahls). One of three descending orders of revealed Paradise Sons of God. Of origin in the Trinity, they are also known as Trinity Teacher Sons. (230,3)[20:7.1].

Dilmat (dill' maht). An ancient Sumerian city located near the site of an earlier Nodite city, Dilmun, near the Persian Gulf in Mesopotamia. (860,1)[77:4.6].

Dilmun (dill' mun). An ancient Nodite city founded after the submergence of Dalamatia; the racial and cultural headquarters of the descendents of Nod. (858,2)[77:3.1].

Divinington (di vin' ing ton). One of seven sacred satellite spheres of the Father in circuit around Paradise. This world is the Paradise rendezvous of Thought Adjusters. (144,4)[13:1.4].

E
E dentia (e den' chah). The headquarters world of Norlatiadek, the constellation to which our system belongs. (174,6)[15:7.6].

Eber (ee' burr). An officer of the Sanhedrin who, when sent to arrest Jesus after his first temple talk, refused to do so. (1791,4)[162:2.6].

Ellanora (ell ah nor' ah). A young woman on the planet of Panoptia whose leadership during the Lucifer Rebellion ensured that not a single Panoptian joined with the planet's apostate Planetary Prince. (607,2)[53:7.1].

Endantum (en dan' tum). The constellation headquarters planet on which Michael experienced his sixth bestowal as a morontia mortal. (1315,4)[119:6.1].

Enos (ee' nohs). Grandson of Adam and Eve; son of Seth, Adam and Eve's eldest surviving second garden son; co-founder with Seth and his own son, Kenan, of the Sethite priesthood. (849,7)[76:3.4].

Ensa (en' sah). The name of the minor sector of the superuniverse of Orvonton to which our local universe, Nebadon, belongs (see Orvonton). (174,8)[15:7.8].

Enta (en' tah). One of Jesus' mother Mary's female ancestors. (1345,1)[122:1.2].

eternaliter (ee ter nahl' i-ter). A being of eternal existence and nature. (1271,2)[116:3.4].

Eventod (ee' von tahd). The name by which Michael was known during his fifth bestowal as an ascending mortal on Uversa, headquarters world of the superuniverse of Orvonton. (1314,4)[119:5.1].

Eveson (eev' sun). The second-born son of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, born in approximately 35,900 B.C. (834,4)[74:6.2].

F
Fad (like bad). One of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff (see Ang). Fad headed the faculty on dissemination and conservation of knowledge. He remained loyal to Michael during the rebellion. (746,7)[66:5.9].

fandors (fan' doors). Large birds trained to carry human passengers; became extinct approximately 30,000 years ago. (746,4)[66:5.6].

Fanoving (fan' oh ving). A local universe neighbor of Nebadon. (360,1)[32:2.12].

finaliters (fie nal' i ter). Members of the Mortal Finaliter Corps. The corps consists primarily of beings who are Father-fused and also includes Havona natives and Gravity Messengers. Ascendant mortals become a part of this corps when they have ascended to the sixth stage of spirit being, have become residents of Paradise, and have completed the progressive course in divinity and absonity. (345,1)[31:0.1].

Fonta (fahn' tah). The first female human being, whose initial expression of human will choice occurred when she was ten years old, in 991,474 B.C. Fonta was killed during an earthquake 32 years later at the age of 42 (see Andon). (711,1)[63:0.1].

Fortant (for' tant). A secondary Lanonandek Son who for 1,900 years served on the staff of Lanaforge, the System Sovereign who replaced Lucifer. Fortant now serves on Jerusem as the bestowal director. (512,7)[45:3.7].

frandalanks (fran' dah lanks). Beings of the order of Master Physical Controllers who function as living gauges of all forms of force-energy in the universes. (328,5)[29:4.29].

G
Gadiah (ga die'ah). A young Philistine truth-seeker working in Joppa with whom Jesus, in A.D. 22-23, discussed the story of Jonah and the whale and good and evil. (1428,1)[130:1.1].

Galantia (ga lan' chah). The ascended superangel who maintains the Jerusem headquarters of the Brilliant Evening Stars, a local universe class of superangels brought into being by the Creator Son and Creative Spirit (see Gavalia). (407,6)[37:2.6].

Ganid (gay' nid). The 17-year-old son of a wealthy Indian traveler with whom Jesus traveled around the Mediterranean basin A.D. 22-23 (see Gonod). (1422,6)[129:2.9].

Gavalia (ga vale' yah). The first-born and head of the Brilliant Evening Stars, who for the past 1,900 years has been assigned to ascendent mortal ministry. Gavalia's associate, Galantia, currently maintains the Jerusem headquarters of this class of local universe superangels. (407,6)[37:2.6].

Glantonia (glan toh' nee ah). A neighboring local system in the constellation of Norlatiadek. (456,5)[41:2.1].

Godad (goh' dad). A sixth-century B.C. hermit whose instructions concerning the traditions of the Melchizidek missionaries were ignored by Gautama Siddhartha Buddha. (1035,4)[94:7.4].

Gonod (goh' nahd). A wealthy Indian traveler and father of Ganid with whom Jesus traveled around the Mediterranean basin A.D. 22-23 (see Ganid). (1422,6)[129:2.9].

gradant (gray' dant). The standard weight measure on Jerusem which is equivalent to ten ounces of weight on Urantia. (519,3)[46:1.2].

Grandfanda (grand fahn' da). The first ascendent mortal to reach Havona. He was a pilgrim from a planet in superuniverse number one. (270,5)[24:6.7].

gravita (gra vee' tah). The name given to energy-matter of dual constitution, which is responsive to linear gravity, and which is the basis of the physical systems of the superuniverses. (126,3)[11:8.7].

H
Hanavard (han' a vard). A primary Lanonandek Son who is currently serving as the high counselor and acting chairman of the executive council of the Satania system. (512,8)[45:3.8].

Hap (like lap). One of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff see Ang). Hap headed the council of the college of revealed religion. (747,3)[66:5.13].

Havona (hah vohn' ah). The central and divine universe, an eternal, wholly created, and perfect planetary family containing one billion worlds arranged in seven concentric circuits contiguous to and surrounding Paradise. (152,1)[14:0.1].

Henselon (hen' se lahn). A local universe neighbor of Nebadon. (360,1)[32:2.12].

Hesunanin (heh soo nan' in). The first name of Onamonalonton. (1008,5)[92:5.3].

Holdant (hole' dant). A tertiary Lanonandek Son who is currently serving in the Satania system government as custodian of the system; controller and holder of all interned spirits above the mortal level. (512,5)[45:3.5].

J
Jansad (jan' sad). The son of Eveson second-born of Adam and Eve, who became the successor of Adam as head of the Adamite tribes. (849,6)[76:3.3].

Jaram (jay' ram). A Hittite student of Melchizedek who extended to Abraham Melchizedek's invitation to come to Salem and hear the teachings of monotheistic truth. (1019,2)[93:5.5].

Jerusem (jeh roo' sem). The headquarters world of Satania, our local system. (174,5)[15:7.5].

Jerusemites (jeh roo' sem ites). Beings domiciled on Jerusem. (511,6)[45:2.6].

K
Katro (cat' row). The head of the family with whom Melchizidek lived for more than 30 years. (1016,7)[93:3.5].

Kenan (kee' nan). Great-grandson of Adam and Eve; grandson of Seth, Adam and Eve's first-born son in the second garden who, as a founding member of the Sethite priesthood, instituted the foreign missionary service to other tribes in the Mesopotamian area in approximately 35,000 B.C. (849,7)[76:3.4].

Kopet Dagh (koh' pet dahzh). A mountain range east of the southern end of the Caspian Sea within which a high Adamite civilization flourished for 7,000 years from the times of Adamson and Ratta. (862,4)[77:5.10].

L
Lanaforge (lan' ah forge). A primary Lanonandek Son who succeeded Lucifer as System Sovereign. (511,2)[45:2.2].

Lanonandek (la non' an deck). The third order of Local Universe Sons of God brought into existence by the Creator Son and Creative Spirit. The initial complement of twelve million Lanonandeks, after passing through the Melchizidek University, were divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary orders. Primary Lanonandeks often serve as System Sovereigns; secondary Lanonandeks often serve as Planetary Princes; tertiary Lanonandeks function in subordinate and assistant roles. (392,1)[35:8.1].

Laotta (lay aht' tah). A Nodite woman, head of the western Garden of Eden school, with whom Adam chose to mate after Eve had defaulted in their planetary mission (see Serapatatia). (843,4)[75:5.2].

Loyalatia (loy al ay' shah). The seraphim who warned a human seer not to worship the angels since they are simply fellow servants with the mortal races. (419,5)[38:2.5].

Lut (like nut). One of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff (see Ang). Lut headed the guardians of health and life commission. (747,7)[66:5.17].

Lutentia (lew ten' chah). The rebellious and subsequently deposed System Sovereign of Palonia into whose position Michael was appointed as part of Michael's second bestowal experience, as a Lanonandek Son. (1311,1)[119:2.2].

M
Machiventa (mack i ven' ta). The first name of the Melchizedek Son who incarnated on Urantia during the times of Abraham in approximately 2,000 B.C. Also referred to as the "Sage of Salem." (see Melchizedek). (1014,1)[93:0.1].

Majeston (mah jes' tahn). The 50th Reflective Spirit; of divine Trinity origin, he was created by the Supreme Being in functional liaison with the Deity Absolute; chief of reflectivity in the Grand Universe with headquarters on Paradise. (199,5)[17:2.1].

Malavatia (mal a vay' shah). The first name of a Melchizedek Son who was one of the authors of the Urantia Papers. (496,2).

Malvorian (mal vor' ee an). The first of the order of Graduate Guides and the being who greeted and acted as guide for the first mortal ascender, Grandfanda, when he reached the outer circuit of Havona. (270,4)[24:6.6].

Manotia man oh' shah). The name of a supreme seraphim of Nebadon, created by the Creative Spirit, who has ascended to the position of associate chief of seraphim on Urantia. The seraphim associated with a Melchizedek Son in the work of preparing Paper 39, "The Seraphic Hosts." (426,2)[39:0.2].

Manovandet (mah noh van' det). The first name of a Melchizedek Son who was once attached to the receivership of Urantia after the rebellion and who authored Paper 53, "The Lucifer Rebellion." (612,2).

Mansant (man' sant). A great mortal teacher during the post-Planetary Prince age on Urantia who taught veneration of the "Great Light." Mansant now serves on the Urantia Advisory Council as one of the four and twenty counselors. (513,2)[45:4.1].

Mansonia (man sohn' ee-ah). The name given to each of the seven satellites which orbit world number one of the fifty-six worlds encircling Jerusem, the capital sphere of Satania. These seven satellites e.g. Mansonia number one, two, etc.) are the mansion worlds devoted to the transitional culture of ascending mortals. Also refers to the mansion world experience or career. (530,1)[47:0.1].

Mansurotia (man sue roh' shah). A tertiary Lanonandek Son who serves in the Satania system government as first assistant Sovereign to Lanaforge, the System Sovereign; Mansurotia sits on the Jerusem executive council, the supreme advisory body of Satania. (512,3)[45:3.3].

Mantutia (man tue' shah). The first name of the Melchizedek Son who directed the twelve Nebadon personalities who authored those papers concerning the Local Universe and the history of Urantia. (648,6)[56:10.23].

Mardus (mar' dus). The leader of the Cynics of Rome who, in interactions with Jesus sometime during A.D. 22-23, learned about good and evil. (1457,4)[132:2.1].

Mek (like deck). One of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff see Ang). Mek headed the planetary council on art and science. (748,3)[66:5.22].

Melchizedek (mel kizz' uh deck). The first of the four orders of descending sonship designated as Local Universe Sons of God, created by the Creator Son and Creative Spirit in collaboration with the Father Melchizedek in the early days of populating the local universe of Nebadon. The Father Melchizedek was created by the union of the Creator Son and the Creative Spirit. These Sons, who number more than ten million in the local universe, are self-governing and are primarily devoted to education and experiential training. (384,1)[35:0.1].

midsonite (mid' son ite). Worlds on which the Melchizedeks have functioned as life carriers. (400,5)[36:4.1].

midsoniters (mid' son eye ters). The progeny of the union between a Melchizedek and a Material Daughter. (400,5)[36:4.1].

Midwayers (mid' way ers). Creatures who appear on most inhabited worlds, and always on life-experiment decimal worlds such as Urantia. They exist and function in the realm "midway" between human and angel and appear in two types, 1) primary midwayers, who, on Urantia, are produced by the members of the corporeal staff of the Planetary Prince; 2) secondary midwayers, who, on Urantia, were produced by the sixteen invisible children of Adamson and Ratta. Midwayers are the permanent inhabitants of a world until released for the ascendant experience during the times of light and life. (424,1)[38:9.1].

Monmatia (mahn may' shah). The universe name for Urantia's solar system which was formed over four billion years ago (see Angona). (655,6)[57:5.1].

monota (moh noh' tah). The living, nonspirit energy of Paradise. (471,2)[42:2.18].

morontia (moh rahn' chah). That phase of universe reality intervening and bridging the gulf between the material and spiritual realms of the universe. This realm of morontia progression and experience takes place in the local universe and ranges from the transition spheres orbiting Jerusem up through Salvington. Morontia refers to material, mindal, and spiritual realities, and to the soul. (541,1)[48:0.1].

mota (moh' tah). The wisdom of the morontia level of reality. The mindal mechanism for the comprehension of cosmic meanings and the interrelationships of the universe. (556,1)[48:7.1].

N
Nabodad (nab' oh dad). One of the Salem teachers and missionaries. The leader of the Salem missionary school at Kish, whose ill-advised efforts at social reform led to the defeat of the Melchizedek teachings in Mesopotamia. (1043,1)[95:1.6].

Nabon (nay' bahn). A Greek Jew and a leader of the Mithraic mystery cult in Rome who had many conferences with Jesus, during the latter's Mediterranean tour. He was most lastingly impressed with a discussion of truth and faith. (1459,1)[132:3.1].

Nambia (nam' bee ah). The first-born Life Carrier in Nebadon, who serves with Gabriel and the Father Melchizedek as director of this order of local universe sonshipage. (396,3)[36:1.2]

Nebadon (neb' ah dahn). The name of our local universe, which is governed by our Creator Son, Michael, together with his Creative Mother Spirit consort. Salvington is the headquarters sphere. (1,5)[0:0.5].

Nod (nahd). One of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff see Ang). Nod headed the commission on industry and trade, and became leader of those 60 staff members who joined the rebellion. (747,1)[66:5.11].

Nodites (nahd' ites). Descendants of the rebel members of Caligastia's corporeal staff who derived their name from their leader, Nod. (821,4)[73:1.1].

Nog (like bog). A false god of those remnants of the lowest Sangik races occupying Dalamatia at the time of the flood which engulfed the city 162 years after the planetary rebellion. (759,3)[67:5.5].

Norlatiadek (nor lash' ee ah dek). The constellation to which Urantia belongs. Constellations represent the 100 primary divisions of local universes and link the systems to local universe administration. (485,1)[43:0.1].

O
Omniaphim (ahm' nee ah fim). The fourth class of ministering spirits of the grand universe, created by the Infinite Spirit in concert with the Seven Supreme Executives, and who serve as the exclusive servants and messengers of the Supreme Executives. (285,2)[26:1.1].

Onagar (ahn' ah gar). The great leader of the Andonic tribes who taught worship of the "Breath Giver to men and animals" approximately ten thousand years after Andon and Fonta. Onagar currently serves on the Urantia Advisory Council as one of the four and twenty counselors. (715,1)[63:5.1].

Onamonalonton (ahn' a mahn a lahn' tahn). The leader and spiritual deliverer of the red race who taught about the "Great Spirit" 65,000 years ago in the redwood forests of California. (723,6)[64:6.7].

Orlandof (or' lan doff). A teacher of the blue race who, 500 years after the downfall of Caligastia, led his tribes back to the worship of the "Supreme Chief." Orlandof currently serves on the Urantia Advisory Council as one of the four and twenty counselors. (725,4)[64:6.23].

Orvonon (or' voh nahn). The great leader and teacher of the indigo race who taught worship of the "God of Gods" and who currently serves on the Urantia Advisory Council four and twenty counselors. (725,7)[64:6.26].

Orvonton (or vahn' tahn). The seventh of the seven superuniverses which, in conjunction with the Paradise/Havona system, comprise the grand universe of time and space. Orvonton is divided into 10 major sectors, each of which is divided into 100 minor sectors. Each minor sector contains 1,000 local universes, each of which is comprised of 100 constellations. Each constellation is comprised of 100 local systems, each of which is comprised of a potential of 1,000 inhabited worlds. Urantia is the 606th of the 619 currently inhabited worlds in the system of Satania. (167,3)[15:2.12].

P
Palonia (pa lohn' ee ah). The system in which Michael made his second bestowal, as a primary Lanonandek Son serving as System Sovereign. (1311,4)[119:2.5].

Panoptia (pah nahp' shah). The only world among the 38 rebellion-touched planets in the Satania system whose peoples refused to join their Planetary Prince in allying with the Lucifer rebels (see Ellanora). (607,2)[53:7.1].

Porogia (poh roh' gee ah). A neighboring local system in the constellation of Norlatiadek. (456,5)[41:2.1].

Porshunta (pore shun' tah). The leader and master mind of the orange race who ministered from their headquarters at Armageddon approximately 300,000 years ago. Porshunta serves today on the Urantia Advisory Council as one of the four and twenty counselors. (724,2)[64:6.12].

Portalon (port a' lahn). A local universe neighbor of Nebadon. (360,1)[32:2.12].

R
Rantowac (ran' toh wahk). A wise man of the red race who was the first human being on Urantia to reach the third psychic circle and receive a personal guardian seraphim. (1242,5)[113:2.2].

Rantulia (ran too' lee ah). A neighboring local system in the constellation of Norlatiadek. (456,5)[41:2.1].

Ratta (rat' tah). A pure-line descendent of the Caligastia's corporeal staff who married Adamson, the first-born son of Adam and Eve, during the times of the second garden in approximately 33,000 B.C. Together they had a family of sixty-seven children and were grandparents to the secondary order of midwayers. (861,1)[77:5.1].

Rodan (roh dan'). A Greek philosopher from Alexandria whose discussions with Nathaniel and Thomas led him to become a committed believer in and teacher of the gospel of the kingdom. (1772,1)[160:0.1]

S
Sadib (say' dib). A tertiary Lanonandek Son who serves in the Satania system government as second assistant Sovereign to Lanaforge, the System Sovereign. (512,4)[45:3.4].

Salsatia (sal say' shah). One of the higher spirit orders in the family of the Infinite Spirit, Salsatia serves as the Nebadon Census Director with headquarters on Salvington and registers the existence marked by birth and death) of all will creatures in the local universe (see Usatia). (413,7)[37:8.4].

Salvington (sal' ving ton). The headquarters sphere of the local universe of Nebadon, personal home of the Creator Son, Michael, and the Creative Spirit (see Nebadon; Orvonton). (358,5)[32:2.3].

Sandmatia (sand may' shah). A neighboring local system in the constellation of Norlatiadek. (456,5)[41:2.1].

Sangik (san' gik). The Badonite family, descended from Andon and Fonta, in which the ancestors of the six colored races of Urantia were born in approximately 498,000 B.C. (722,6)[64:6.1].

sanobim (san' oh bim). The lowest order of angels, created by the Creative Mother Spirit, who serve in functional union with cherubim as routine spirit workers and aids of the seraphic ministers. (422,1)[38:7.1].

Sansa (san' sah). The daughter of Adam and Laotta, stepsister of Cain son of Eve and Cano), who was raised by Adam and Eve after Laotta died in childbirth. Sansa later married Sargan. (847,2)[76:0.2].

Sanselon (san' se lahn). A local universe neighbor of Nebadon. (360,1)[32:2.12]

Sargan (sahr' gan). Chief of the northern blue races and husband of Sansa. (847,2)[76:0.2].

Satania (sah tane' ee ah). The administrative system of approximately 1,000 inhabitable planets to which Urantia belongs; one of the 10,000 such systems in Nebadon. Jerusem is the capital sphere of the Satania (see Orvonton). (359,6)[32:2.9].

Sato (say' toh). An Andite of direct descent from Adamson and Ratta who, in approximately 10,000 B.C., led a group of his people from Mesopotamia to Greece. In settling there, these Andites became the progenitors of the Greek peoples. (895,3)[80:7.3].

seconaphim (se cahn' a fim). The ministering angels of the superuniverses; children of the Reflective Spirits assigned to the headquarters of each of the superuniverses. Due to their origin, these angels evidence reflectivity as an inherent part of their natures, and in so doing confirm the reality of the universal presence of the infinite mind of the Conjoint Actor. The seconaphim are also retentive personalities, acting as the living records of everything of true spiritual value in their domains. (307,3)[28:3.1].

secoraphic (se coh raff' ick). Of or pertaining to the seconaphim and their activities (see seconaphim). (307,3)[28:3.1].

segregata (seg ree gay' tah). Pure energy at the pregravity response stage of cosmic force. (126,1)[11:8.5].

Serapatatia (sair ah pah tay' shah). The Nodite leader descended from Caligastia's defaulted corporeal staff) manipulated by Caligastia to entrap Eve into the default of the Adamic mission by mating with Cano (see Cano; Laotta). (840,3)[75:2.1].

Seraphington (seh raff' ing ton). One of the seven sacred life spheres of the Father which orbit the innermost circuit around Paradise. It is the home world of the vast hosts of beings created by the Eternal Son and the Infinite Spirit as well as the destiny sphere of all the orders of angelic hosts. (146,8)[13:1.19]

servital (sur' veh tal). An order of central universe Havona) creatures, of origin in the collaboration of the Seven Master Spirits and the Seven Supreme Power Directors, whose service ministry to ascendent mortals in the superuniverses qualifies them for translation into Graduate Guides beings who greet and guide ascendent creatures through the Havona experiential regime). Also known as Havona Servitals. (273,3)[25:1.1]

Seth (seth). The eldest son of Adam and Eve born in the second garden, Seth founded the Sethite priesthood whose ministry included religion, education, and health. (849,7)[76:3.4].

Shabattum (shah batt' um). The seventh day of the week. Its origin as a day of honor began with the Adamites, and during later times in Mesopotamia its observance became heavy-laden with taboos and rituals. (1042,3)[95:1.2].

Singlangton (sing lang' ton). A great leader and teacher of the yellow race who was the first of the yellow men to teach the worship of "One Truth." Singlangton also serves currently on the Urantia Advisory Council as one of the four and twenty counselors. (724,4)[64:6.14].

Solitarington (sahl i tair' ing ton). One of the seven sacred life spheres of the Father which orbit the innermost circuit around Paradise. Solitarington is the home of a host of beings of origin in the conjoint action of the Universal Father and the Infinite Spirit, as well as the home sphere of the Solitary Messengers and other superangelic orders. (146,4)[13:1.15].

Solonia (soh lone' ee ah). The chief of the fifth order of angels, the planetary helpers, who was on duty during the time of Adam and Eve and who proclaimed Eve's default of the divine plan and requested the return of the Melchizedek receivers to Urantia. Solonia, also known as the "voice in the Garden," was responsible for Papers 73-76. (583,4)[51:3.5].

Sonarington (so nar' ing ton). One of the seven sacred life spheres of the Father which orbit the innermost circuit around Paradise. It is the personal receiving world of the Eternal Son and Paradise headquarters of the accredited and approved ascending and descending Sons of God. (145,2)[13:1.7].

Sonta-an (sahn' tah an). The name Fonta used for Andon meaning "loved by mother." (711,3)[63:0.3]. Sonta-en (sahn' tah en). The name Andon used for Fonta meaning "loved by father." (711,3)[63:0.3].

Sontad (sahn' tad). The first of 19 children born to Andon and Fonta. Assisted by his eldest sister, he assumed leadership of the family clan when his parents died. (713,1)[63:3.1].

Sortoria (sohr toh' ree ah). A neighboring local system in the constellation of Norlatiadek. (456,5)[41:2.1].

Spiritington (spir-it' ing ton). One of the seven sacred life spheres of the Father which orbit the innermost circuit around Paradise. This is the Paradise home of those high beings exclusively representative of the Infinite Spirit. (145,4)[13:1.9].

spironga (spy wron' gah). A spirit offspring of the Bright and Morning Star Gabriel and the Father Melchizedek, these dual origin beings are a stationary order who are natives of and spirit helpers in the local universe. (331,2)[30:1.6].

Splandon (splan' dahn). The name of the major sector of the superuniverse of Orvonton to which our local universe, Nebadon, belongs. Its capital sphere is called Umajor the fifth (see Orvonton). (174,9)[15:7.9].

spornagia (spor nay' gee ah). An animal order of creatures responsible for the care and cultivation of the landscapes of the headquarters worlds in the local universe. They are the only creatures to experience actual reincarnation. (527,6)[46:7.2].

Sudna (suhd' nah). A Havona Servital on record as having been embraced by the Father and translated to the status of Graduate Guide (see servital). (271,3)[24:7.4].

superaphic (sue per aff' ick). Of or pertaining to the beings and activities of the highest order of central universe ministering spirits, the supernaphim. (286,6)[26:2.1].

supernaphim (sue per' nah fim). The highest order of central universe ministering spirits. Created in three orders, primary offspring of the Conjoint Actor, secondary of origin in the Seven Master Spirits, and tertiary of origin in the Seven Spirits of the Circuits, these beings minister on Paradise and in Havona. (286,6)[26:2.1].

susatia (sue say' shah). Dual-origin and stationary offspring of the Creator Son and the Creative Spirit, these beings are the permanent citizens of Salvington, assist in its administration, and are associated with the ascendant citizens of the local universe. (331,3)[30:1.7]

T
Tabamantia (tab ah man' chah). An agondonter finaliter who survived the experience of the first rebellion ever in the universes of time and space. Tabamantia currently serves as chief of universe directors responsible for the periodic inspection of all life-modification worlds in the local universe of Nebadon. (565,6)[49:5.5].

Teherma (teh her' mah). A Persian businessman in Amathus in early A.D. 27 who, despite Simon Peter's fumbled attempts to present the gospel teachings, responded to Jesus and entered the kingdom. (1592,3)[141:6.1].

Tenskwatawa (tens kwah' tah wah). A teacher of the Shawnee Indian Nation who in the early 1800's accurately predicted the eclipse of the sun, thereby contributing to the evolutionary process of replacing shamanic conjuring with science. (988,5)[90:2.9].

tertiaphim (tur' she ah fim). The second order of angelic ministering spirits of the superuniverses who are children of the Infinite Spirit. Tertiaphim function as the staff of the Creator Son until the Bright and Morning Star is personalized. These high angels act as liaison ministers between the Creator Son and the Ancients of Days. (306,4)[28:1.1].

Tiglath (tig' lath). The young man whom Jesus picked to accompany and assist him during his six-week sojourn on Mount Hermon in A.D. 25 when he completed psychic circle mastery, the full realization of his divine nature, the settlement of the Lucifer Rebellion, and his attainment of sovereignty over the local universe. (1492,8)[134:8.1].

tranosta (trah nohs' tah). The transcendental energy system operating from the upper level of Paradise in connection with absonite peoples. (471,1)[42:2.17].

triata (try ah' tah). The energy-matter systems of Havona, which are threefold in organization and are responsive to linear gravity. (126,3)[11:8.7].

triodity (try odd' i tee). Any of several triune relationships on the level of the existential absolutes, not including the Father, which are directly involved in the cosmic appearance of the experiential Deities Supreme, Ultimate, and Absolute). (1151,1)[104:5.1].

Tut (like but). One of the 100 corporeal members of Caligastia's staff (see Ang). Tut headed the governors of advanced tribal relations. (748,2)[66:5.21]

U
Ultimata (uhl tee may' tah). Energy systems disclosing response to Paradise absolute gravity, but not to linear gravity. (126,2)[11:8.6].

ultimaton (uhl' tim ah tahn). An energy particle which is the primary unit of material existence, 100 of which combine to form a single electron. Ultimatons are not responsive to linear gravity, but are subject to Paradise gravity. (472,1)[42:3.3].

Umajor (you may' jor). The architectural sphere which is the capital of Splandon, the major sector of our superuniverse of Orvonton to which Nebadon belongs. Full name is Umajor the fifth (see Orvonton). (174,9)[15:7.9].

Uminor (you my' nor). The architectural sphere which is the capital of Ensa, the minor sector of our superuniverse of Orvonton to which Nebadon belongs. Full name is Uminor the third (see Orvonton). (174,8)[15:7.8].

Univitatia (you nih vih tay' shah). A residential order of nonreproducing beings, created by the Creator Son and Creative Spirit, who constitute the permanent population of and minister to the constellation headquarters worlds. (414,9)[37:9.4].

Urantia (you ran' chah). The name by which our world planet is known in the universes (see Orvonton). (1,1)[0:0.1].

Usatia (you say' shah). The chief of all Census Directors in Orvonton. Census Directors are high beings created by the Infinite Spirit . They register the existence birth and death) of all will creatures in the universe of universes (see Salsatia). (267,3)[24:2.5].

Uversa (you vur' sah). The architectural and headquarters world of the seventh superuniverse, Orvonton, of which our local universe, Nebadon, is a part. Those members of the Urantia revelatory commission who were superuniverse personalities came from Uversa (see Orvonton). (1,5)[0:0.5].

V
Van (like can). One of the 100 members of the corporeal staff of Caligastia's staff see Ang). Van headed the supreme court of tribal coordination and racial cooperation. He was one of the 40 members of the 100 who did not join the rebellion, remaining loyal to Michael's government. Van remained on the planet, in cooperation with Amadon, until the arrival of Adam and Eve, a period of almost 150,000 years during which time these two leaders were sustained by Melchizedek life ministry and the tree of life. (757,4)[67:4.1].

Vanites (van' ites). The descendants of Van who were in turn the ancestors of the Assyrians in the regions of northern Mesopotamia near Lake Van and Mount Ararat. (860,4)[77:4.9].

Veluntia (vee luhn' chah). One of the largest suns in Orvonton. (460,3)[41:4.6].

Vevona (vee voh' nah). Chief, during Adam's time, of the souls of peace, a corps of seraphic ministers belonging to the angelic order of planetary helpers. Vevona was the angel who announced to the worlds the birth of Michael as the human Jesus, and who now serves on the staff of the resident governor general. (437,4)[39:5.5].

Vicegerington (vice jair' ing ton). One of the seven sacred life spheres of the Father which orbit the innermost circuit around Paradise. This is the home sphere of those beings who take origin in the actions of the Father and the Son. (145,6)[13:1.11].

Vilton (vill' ton). A tertiary Lanonandek Son now serving under Lanaforge as secretary of the Lanonandek ministry of Satania. (512,1)[45:3.1].

Vorondadek(voh rahn' da deck). The second order of local universe Sons of God created by the Creator Son and the Creative Spirit. These beings, one million in number in Nebadon, are also known as "Constellation Fathers" since they serve in threes as heads of the 100 constellation governments in the local universes in addition to other local universe functions. (389,5)[35:5.1].

W
Wolvering (wool' vur ing). A local universe neighbor of Nebadon. (360,1)[32:2.12].

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FETISHES, CHARMS, AND MAGIC

workman34 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:58:50 CDT

The concept of a spirit's entering into an inanimate object, an animal, or a human being, is a very ancient and honorable belief, having prevailed since the beginning of the evolution of religion. This doctrine of spirit possession is nothing more nor less than fetishism. The savage does not necessarily worship the fetish; he very logically worships and reverences the spirit resident therein.

At first, the spirit of a fetish was believed to be the ghost of a dead man; later on, the higher spirits were supposed to reside in fetishes. And so the fetish cult eventually incorporated all of the primitive ideas of ghosts, souls, spirits, and demon possession.

1. BELIEF IN FETISHES

Primitive man always wanted to make anything extraordinary into a fetish; chance therefore gave origin to many. A man is sick, something happens, and he gets well. The same thing is true of the reputation of many medicines and the chance methods of treating disease. Objects connected with dreams were likely to be converted into fetishes. Volcanoes, but not mountains, became fetishes; comets, but not stars. Early man regarded shooting stars and meteors as indicating the arrival on earth of special visiting spirits.

The first fetishes were peculiarly marked pebbles, and "sacred stones" have ever since been sought by man; a string of beads was once a collection of sacred stones, a battery of charms. Many tribes had fetish stones, but few have survived as have the Kaaba and the Stone of Scone. Fire and water were also among the early fetishes, and fire worship, together with belief in holy water, still survives.

Tree fetishes were a later development, but among some tribes the persistence of nature worship led to belief in charms indwelt by some sort of nature spirit. When plants and fruits became fetishes, they were taboo as food. The apple was among the first to fall into this category; it was never eaten by the Levantine peoples.

If an animal ate human flesh, it became a fetish. In this way the dog came to be the sacred animal of the Parsees. If the fetish is an animal and the ghost is permanently resident therein, then fetishism may impinge on reincarnation. In many ways the savages envied the animals; they did not feel superior to them and were often named after their favorite beasts.

When animals became fetishes, there ensued the taboos on eating the flesh of the fetish animal. Apes and monkeys, because of resemblance to man, early became fetish animals; later, snakes, birds, and swine were also similarly regarded.

At one time the cow was a fetish, the milk being taboo while the excreta were highly esteemed. The serpent was revered in Palestine, especially by the Phoenicians, who, along with the Jews, considered it to be the mouthpiece of evil spirits. Even many moderns believe in the charm powers of reptiles. From Arabia on through India to the snake dance of the Moqui tribe of red men the serpent has been revered.

Certain days of the week were fetishes. For ages Friday has been regarded as an unlucky day and the number thirteen as an evil numeral. The lucky numbers three and seven came from later revelations; four was the lucky number of primitive man and was derived from the early recognition of the four points of the compass. It was held unlucky to count cattle or other possessions; the ancients always opposed the taking of a census, "numbering the people." Primitive man did not make an undue fetish out of sex; the reproductive function received only a limited amount of attention. The savage was natural minded, not obscene or prurient.

Saliva was a potent fetish; devils could be driven out by spitting on a person. For an elder or superior to spit on one was the highest compliment. Parts of the human body were looked upon as potential fetishes, particularly the hair and nails. The long-growing fingernails of the chiefs were highly prized, and the trimmings thereof were a powerful fetish. Belief in skull fetishes accounts for much of later-day head-hunting. The umbilical cord was a highly prized fetish; even today it is so regarded in Africa. Mankind's first toy was a preserved umbilical cord. Set with pearls, as was often done, it was man's first necklace. Hunchbacked and crippled children were regarded as fetishes; lunatics were believed to be moon-struck. Primitive man could not distinguish between genius and insanity; idiots were either beaten to death or revered as fetish personalities. Hysteria increasingly confirmed the popular belief in witchcraft; epileptics often were priests and medicine men. Drunkenness was looked upon as a form of spirit possession; when a savage went on a spree, he put a leaf in his hair for the purpose of disavowing responsibility for his acts. Poisons and intoxicants became fetishes; they were deemed to be possessed.

Many people looked upon geniuses as fetish personalities possessed by a wise spirit. And these talented humans soon learned to resort to fraud and trickery for the advancement of their selfish interests. A fetish man was thought to be more than human; he was divine, even infallible. Thus did chiefs, kings, priests, prophets, and church rulers eventually wield great power and exercise unbounded authority.

2. EVOLUTION OF THE FETISH

It was a supposed preference of ghosts to indwell some object which had belonged to them when alive in the flesh. This belief explains the efficacy of many modern relics. The ancients always revered the bones of their leaders, and the skeletal remains of saints and heroes are still regarded with superstitious awe by many. Even today, pilgrimages are made to the tombs of great men.

Belief in relics is an outgrowth of the ancient fetish cult. The relics of modern religions represent an attempt to rationalize the fetish of the savage and thus elevate it to a place of dignity and respectability in the modern religious systems. It is heathenish to believe in fetishes and magic but supposedly all right to accept relics and miracles.

The hearth--fireplace--became more or less of a fetish, a sacred spot. The shrines and temples were at first fetish places because the dead were buried there. The fetish hut of the Hebrews was elevated by Moses to that place where it harbored a superfetish, the then existent concept of the law of God. But the Israelites never gave up the peculiar Canaanite belief in the stone altar: "And this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be God's house." They truly believed that the spirit of their God dwelt in such stone altars, which were in reality fetishes.

The earliest images were made to preserve the appearance and memory of the illustrious dead; they were really monuments. Idols were a refinement of fetishism. The primitives believed that a ceremony of consecration caused the spirit to enter the image; likewise, when certain objects were blessed, they became charms.

Moses, in the addition of the second commandment to the ancient Dalamatian moral code, made an effort to control fetish worship among the Hebrews. He carefully directed that they should make no sort of image that might become consecrated as a fetish. He made it plain, "You shall not make a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters of the earth." While this commandment did much to retard art among the Jews, it did lessen fetish worship. But Moses was too wise to attempt suddenly to displace the olden fetishes, and he therefore consented to the putting of certain relics alongside the law in the combined war altar and religious shrine which was the ark.

Words eventually became fetishes, more especially those which were regarded as God's words; in this way the sacred books of many religions have become fetishistic prisons incarcerating the spiritual imagination of man. Moses' very effort against fetishes became a supreme fetish; his commandment was later used to stultify art and to retard the enjoyment and adoration of the beautiful.

In olden times the fetish word of authority was a fear-inspiring doctrine, the most terrible of all tyrants which enslave men. A doctrinal fetish will lead mortal man to betray himself into the clutches of bigotry, fanaticism, superstition, intolerance, and the most atrocious of barbarous cruelties. Modern respect for wisdom and truth is but the recent escape from the fetish-making tendency up to the higher levels of thinking and reasoning. Concerning the accumulated fetish writings which various religionists hold as sacred books, it is not only believed that what is in the book is true, but also that every truth is contained in the book. If one of these sacred books happens to speak of the earth as being flat, then, for long generations, otherwise sane men and women will refuse to accept positive evidence that the planet is round.

The practice of opening one of these sacred books to let the eye chance upon a passage, the following of which may determine important life decisions or projects, is nothing more nor less than arrant fetishism. To take an oath on a "holy book" or to swear by some object of supreme veneration is a form of refined fetishism.

But it does represent real evolutionary progress to advance from the fetish fear of a savage chief's fingernail trimmings to the adoration of a superb collection of letters, laws, legends, allegories, myths, poems, and chronicles which, after all, reflect the winnowed moral wisdom of many centuries, at least up to the time and event of their being assembled as a "sacred book."

To become fetishes, words had to be considered inspired, and the invocation of supposed divinely inspired writings led directly to the establishment of the authority of the church, while the evolution of civil forms led to the fruition of the authority of the state.

3. TOTEMISM

Fetishism ran through all the primitive cults from the earliest belief in sacred stones, through idolatry, cannibalism, and nature worship, to totemism. Totemism is a combination of social and religious observances. Originally it was thought that respect for the totem animal of supposed biologic origin insured the food supply. Totems were at one and the same time symbols of the group and their god. Such a god was the clan personified. Totemism was one phase of the attempted socialization of otherwise personal religion. The totem eventually evolved into the flag, or national symbol, of the various modern peoples. A fetish bag, a medicine bag, was a pouch containing a reputable assortment of ghost-impregnated articles, and the medicine man of old never allowed his bag, the symbol of his power, to touch the ground. Civilized peoples in the twentieth century see to it that their flags, emblems of national consciousness, likewise never touch the ground.

The insignia of priestly and kingly office were eventually regarded as fetishes, and the fetish of the state supreme has passed through many stages of development, from clans to tribes, from suzerainty to sovereignty, from totems to flags. Fetish kings have ruled by "divine right," and many other forms of government have obtained. Men have also made a fetish of democracy, the exaltation and adoration of the common man's ideas when collectively called "public opinion." One man's opinion, when taken by itself, is not regarded as worth much, but when many men are collectively functioning as a democracy, this same mediocre judgment is held to be the arbiter of justice and the standard of righteousness.

4. MAGIC

Civilized man attacks the problems of a real environment through his science; savage man attempted to solve the real problems of an illusory ghost environment by magic. Magic was the technique of manipulating the conjectured spirit environment whose machinations endlessly explained the inexplicable; it was the art of obtaining voluntary spirit co-operation and of coercing involuntary spirit aid through the use of fetishes or other and more powerful spirits. The object of magic, sorcery, and necromancy was twofold:

1. To secure insight into the future.
2. Favorably to influence environment.

The objects of science are identical with those of magic. Mankind is progressing from magic to science, not by meditation and reason, but rather through long experience, gradually and painfully. Man is gradually backing into the truth, beginning in error, progressing in error, and finally attaining the threshold of truth. Only with the arrival of the scientific method has he faced forward. But primitive man had to experiment or perish.

The fascination of early superstition was the mother of the later scientific curiosity. There was progressive dynamic emotion--fear plus curiosity--in these primitive superstitions; there was progressive driving power in the olden magic. These superstitions represented the emergence of the human desire to know and to control planetary environment.

Magic gained such a strong hold upon the savage because he could not grasp the concept of natural death. The later idea of original sin helped much to weaken the grip of magic on the race in that it accounted for natural death. It was at one time not at all uncommon for ten innocent persons to be put to death because of supposed responsibility for one natural death. This is one reason why ancient peoples did not increase faster, and it is still true of some African tribes. The accused individual usually confessed guilt, even when facing death.

Magic is natural to a savage. He believes that an enemy can actually be killed by practicing sorcery on his shingled hair or fingernail trimmings. The fatality of snake bites was attributed to the magic of the sorcerer. The difficulty in combating magic arises from the fact that fear can kill. Primitive peoples so feared magic that it did actually kill, and such results were sufficient to substantiate this erroneous belief. In case of failure there was always some plausible explanation; the cure for defective magic was more magic.

5. MAGICAL CHARMS

Since anything connected with the body could become a fetish, the earliest magic had to do with hair and nails. Secrecy attendant upon body elimination grew up out of fear that an enemy might get possession of something derived from the body and employ it in detrimental magic; all excreta of the body were therefore carefully buried. Public spitting was refrained from because of the fear that saliva would be used in deleterious magic; spittle was always covered. Even food remnants, clothing, and ornaments could become instruments of magic. The savage never left any remnants of his meal on the table. And all this was done through fear that one's enemies might use these things in magical rites, not from any appreciation of the hygienic value of such practices. Magical charms were concocted from a great variety of things: human flesh, tiger claws, crocodile teeth, poison plant seeds, snake venom, and human hair. The bones of the dead were very magical. Even the dust from footprints could be used in magic. The ancients were great believers in love charms. Blood and other forms of bodily secretions were able to insure the magic influence of love.

Images were supposed to be effective in magic. Effigies were made, and when treated ill or well, the same effects were believed to rest upon the real person. When making purchases, superstitious persons would chew a bit of hard wood in order to soften the heart of the seller.

The milk of a black cow was highly magical; so also were black cats. The staff or wand was magical, along with drums, bells, and knots. All ancient objects were magical charms. The practices of a new or higher civilization were looked upon with disfavor because of their supposedly evil magical nature. Writing, printing, and pictures were long so regarded.

Primitive man believed that names must be treated with respect, especially names of the gods. The name was regarded as an entity, an influence distinct from the physical personality; it was esteemed equally with the soul and the shadow. Names were pawned for loans; a man could not use his name until it had been redeemed by payment of the loan. Nowadays one signs his name to a note. An individual's name soon became important in magic. The savage had two names; the important one was regarded as too sacred to use on ordinary occasions, hence the second or everyday name--a nickname. He never told his real name to strangers. Any experience of an unusual nature caused him to change his name; sometimes it was in an effort to cure disease or to stop bad luck. The savage could get a new name by buying it from the tribal chief; men still invest in titles and degrees. But among the most primitive tribes, such as the African Bushmen, individual names do not exist.

6. THE PRACTICE OF MAGIC

Magic was practiced through the use of wands, "medicine" ritual, and incantations, and it was customary for the practitioner to work unclothed. Women outnumbered the men among primitive magicians. In magic, "medicine" means mystery, not treatment. The savage never doctored himself; he never used medicines except on the advice of the specialists in magic. And the voodoo doctors of the twentieth century are typical of the magicians of old. There was both a public and a private phase to magic. That performed by the medicine man, shaman, or priest was supposed to be for the good of the whole tribe. Witches, sorcerers, and wizards dispensed private magic, personal and selfish magic which was employed as a coercive method of bringing evil on one's enemies. The concept of dual spiritism, good and bad spirits, gave rise to the later beliefs in white and black magic. And as religion evolved, magic was the term applied to spirit operations outside one's own cult, and it also referred to older ghost beliefs.

Word combinations, the ritual of chants and incantations, were highly magical. Some early incantations finally evolved into prayers. Presently, imitative magic was practiced; prayers were acted out; magical dances were nothing but dramatic prayers. Prayer gradually displaced magic as the associate of sacrifice. Gesture, being older than speech, was the more holy and magical, and mimicry was believed to have strong magical power. The red men often staged a buffalo dance in which one of their number would play the part of a buffalo and, in being caught, would insure the success of the impending hunt. The sex festivities of May Day were simply imitative magic, a suggestive appeal to the sex passions of the plant world. The doll was first employed as a magic talisman by the barren wife.

Magic was the branch off the evolutionary religious tree which eventually bore the fruit of a scientific age. Belief in astrology led to the development of astronomy; belief in a philosopher's stone led to the mastery of metals, while belief in magic numbers founded the science of mathematics.

But a world so filled with charms did much to destroy all personal ambition and initiative. The fruits of extra labor or of diligence were looked upon as magical. If a man had more grain in his field than his neighbor, he might be haled before the chief and charged with enticing this extra grain from the indolent neighbor's field. Indeed, in the days of barbarism it was dangerous to know very much; there was always the chance of being executed as a black artist.

Gradually science is removing the gambling element from life. But if modern methods of education should fail, there would be an almost immediate reversion to the primitive beliefs in magic. These superstitions still linger in the minds of many so-called civilized people. Language contains many fossils which testify that the race has long been steeped in magical superstition, such words as spellbound, ill-starred, possessions, inspiration, spirit away, ingenuity, entrancing, thunderstruck, and astonished. And intelligent human beings still believe in good luck, evil eye, and astrology.

Ancient magic was the cocoon of modern science, indispensable in its time but now no longer useful. And so the phantasms of ignorant superstition agitated the primitive minds of men until the concepts of science could be born. Today, Urantia is in the twilight zone of this intellectual evolution. One half the world is grasping eagerly for the light of truth and the facts of scientific discovery, while the other half languishes in the arms of ancient superstition and but thinly disguised magic.

[Presented by a Brilliant Evening Star of Nebadon.]

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THE GHOST CULTS

workman34 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:58:10 CDT

The ghost cult evolved as an offset to the hazards of bad luck; its primitive religious observances were the outgrowth of anxiety about bad luck and of the inordinate fear of the dead. None of these early religions had much to do with the recognition of Deity or with reverence for the superhuman; their rites were mostly negative, designed to avoid, expel, or coerce ghosts. The ghost cult was nothing more nor less than insurance against disaster; it had nothing to do with investment for higher and future returns.

Man has had a long and bitter struggle with the ghost cult. Nothing in human history is designed to excite more pity than this picture of man's abject slavery to ghost-spirit fear. With the birth of this very fear mankind started on the upgrade of religious evolution. Human imagination cast off from the shores of self and will not again find anchor until it arrives at the concept of a true Deity, a real God.

1. GHOST FEAR

Death was feared because death meant the liberation of another ghost from its physical body. The ancients did their best to prevent death, to avoid the trouble of having to contend with a new ghost. They were always anxious to induce the ghost to leave the scene of death, to embark on the journey to deadland. The ghost was feared most of all during the supposed transition period between its emergence at the time of death and its later departure for the ghost homeland, a vague and primitive concept of pseudo heaven.

Though the savage credited ghosts with supernatural powers, he hardly conceived of them as having supernatural intelligence. Many tricks and stratagems were practiced in an effort to hoodwink and deceive the ghosts; civilized man still pins much faith on the hope that an outward manifestation of piety will in some manner deceive even an omniscient Deity.

The primitives feared sickness because they observed it was often a harbinger of death. If the tribal medicine man failed to cure an afflicted individual, the sick man was usually removed from the family hut, being taken to a smaller one or left in the open air to die alone. A house in which death had occurred was usually destroyed; if not, it was always avoided, and this fear prevented early man from building substantial dwellings. It also militated against the establishment of permanent villages and cities.

The savages sat up all night and talked when a member of the clan died; they feared they too would die if they fell asleep in the vicinity of a corpse. Contagion from the corpse substantiated the fear of the dead, and all peoples, at one time or another, have employed elaborate purification ceremonies designed to cleanse an individual after contact with the dead. The ancients believed that light must be provided for a corpse; a dead body was never permitted to remain in the dark. In the twentieth century, candles are still burned in death chambers, and men still sit up with the dead. So-called civilized man has hardly yet completely eliminated the fear of dead bodies from his philosophy of life.

But despite all this fear, men still sought to trick the ghost. If the death hut was not destroyed, the corpse was removed through a hole in the wall, never by way of the door. These measures were taken to confuse the ghost, to prevent its tarrying, and to insure against its return. Mourners also returned from a funeral by a different road, lest the ghost follow. Backtracking and scores of other tactics were practiced to insure that the ghost would not return from the grave. The sexes often exchanged clothes in order to deceive the ghost. Mourning costumes were designed to disguise survivors; later on, to show respect for the dead and thus appease the ghosts.

2. GHOST PLACATION

In religion the negative program of ghost placation long preceded the positive program of spirit coercion and supplication. The first acts of human worship were phenomena of defense, not reverence. Modern man deems it wise to insure against fire; so the savage thought it the better part of wisdom to provide insurance against ghost bad luck. The effort to secure this protection constituted the techniques and rituals of the ghost cult. It was once thought that the great desire of a ghost was to be quickly "laid" so that it might proceed undisturbed to deadland. Any error of commission or omission in the acts of the living in the ritual of laying the ghost was sure to delay its progress to ghostland. This was believed to be displeasing to the ghost, and an angered ghost was supposed to be a source of calamity, misfortune, and unhappiness.

The funeral service originated in man's effort to induce the ghost soul to depart for its future home, and the funeral sermon was originally designed to instruct the new ghost how to get there. It was the custom to provide food and clothes for the ghost's journey, these articles being placed in or near the grave. The savage believed that it required from three days to a year to "lay the ghost"--to get it away from the vicinity of the grave. The Eskimos still believe that the soul stays with the body three days.

Silence or mourning was observed after a death so that the ghost would not be attracted back home. Self-torture--wounds--was a common form of mourning. Many advanced teachers tried to stop this, but they failed. Fasting and other forms of self-denial were thought to be pleasing to the ghosts, who took pleasure in the discomfort of the living during the transition period of lurking about before their actual departure for deadland.

Long and frequent periods of mourning inactivity were one of the great obstacles to civilization's advancement. Weeks and even months of each year were literally wasted in this nonproductive and useless mourning. The fact that professional mourners were hired for funeral occasions indicates that mourning was a ritual, not an evidence of sorrow. Moderns may mourn the dead out of respect and because of bereavement, but the ancients did this because of fear. The names of the dead were never spoken. In fact, they were often banished from the language. These names became taboo, and in this way the languages were constantly impoverished. This eventually produced a multiplication of symbolic speech and figurative expression, such as "the name or day one never mentions."

The ancients were so anxious to get rid of a ghost that they offered it everything which might have been desired during life. Ghosts wanted wives and servants; a well-to-do savage expected that at least one slave wife would be buried alive at his death. It later became the custom for a widow to commit suicide on her husband's grave. When a child died, the mother, aunt, or grandmother was often strangled in order that an adult ghost might accompany and care for the child ghost. And those who thus gave up their lives usually did so willingly; indeed, had they lived in violation of custom, their fear of ghost wrath would have denuded life of such few pleasures as the primitives enjoyed.

It was customary to dispatch a large number of subjects to accompany a dead chief; slaves were killed when their master died that they might serve him in ghostland. The Borneans still provide a courier companion; a slave is speared to death to make the ghost journey with his deceased master. Ghosts of murdered persons were believed to be delighted to have the ghosts of their murderers as slaves; this notion motivated men to head hunting. Ghosts supposedly enjoyed the smell of food; food offerings at funeral feasts were once universal. The primitive method of saying grace was, before eating, to throw a bit of food into the fire for the purpose of appeasing the spirits, while mumbling a magic formula.

The dead were supposed to use the ghosts of the tools and weapons that were theirs in life. To break an article was to "kill it," thus releasing its ghost to pass on for service in ghostland. Property sacrifices were also made by burning or burying. Ancient funeral wastes were enormous. Later races made paper models and substituted drawings for real objects and persons in these death sacrifices. It was a great advance in civilization when the inheritance of kin replaced the burning and burying of property. The Iroquois Indians made many reforms in funeral waste. And this conservation of property enabled them to become the most powerful of the northern red men. Modern man is not supposed to fear ghosts, but custom is strong, and much terrestrial wealth is still consumed on funeral rituals and death ceremonies.

3. ANCESTOR WORSHIP

The advancing ghost cult made ancestor worship inevitable since it became the connecting link between common ghosts and the higher spirits, the evolving gods. The early gods were simply glorified departed humans.

Ancestor worship was originally more of a fear than a worship, but such beliefs did definitely contribute to the further spread of ghost fear and worship. Devotees of the early ancestor-ghost cults even feared to yawn lest a malignant ghost enter their bodies at such a time.

The custom of adopting children was to make sure that some one would provide offerings after death for the peace and progress of the soul. The savage lived in fear of the ghosts of his fellows and spent his spare time planning for the safe conduct of his own ghost after death.

Most tribes instituted an all-souls' feast at least once a year. The Romans had twelve ghost feasts and accompanying ceremonies each year. Half the days of the year were dedicated to some sort of ceremony associated with these ancient cults. One Roman emperor tried to reform these practices by reducing the number of feast days to 135 a year.

The ghost cult was in continuous evolution. As ghosts were envisioned as passing from the incomplete to the higher phase of existence, so did the cult eventually progress to the worship of spirits, and even gods. But regardless of varying beliefs in more advanced spirits, all tribes and races once believed in ghosts.

4. GOOD AND BAD SPIRIT GHOSTS

Ghost fear was the fountainhead of all world religion; and for ages many tribes clung to the old belief in one class of ghosts. They taught that man had good luck when the ghost was pleased, bad luck when he was angered.

As the cult of ghost fear expanded, there came about the recognition of higher types of spirits, spirits not definitely identifiable with any individual human. They were graduate or glorified ghosts who had progressed beyond the domain of ghostland to the higher realms of spiritland.

The notion of two kinds of spirit ghosts made slow but sure progress throughout the world. This new dual spiritism did not have to spread from tribe to tribe; it sprang up independently all over the world. In influencing the expanding evolutionary mind, the power of an idea lies not in its reality or reasonableness but rather in its vividness and the universality of its ready and simple application.

Still later the imagination of man envisioned the concept of both good and bad supernatural agencies; some ghosts never evolved to the level of good spirits. The early monospiritism of ghost fear was gradually evolving into a dual spiritism, a new concept of the invisible control of earthly affairs. At last good luck and bad luck were pictured as having their respective controllers. And of the two classes, the group that brought bad luck were believed to be the more active and numerous.

When the doctrine of good and bad spirits finally matured, it became the most widespread and persistent of all religious beliefs. This dualism represented a great religio-philosophic advance because it enabled man to account for both good luck and bad luck while at the same time believing in supermortal beings who were to some extent consistent in their behavior. The spirits could be counted on to be either good or bad; they were not thought of as being completely temperamental as the early ghosts of the monospiritism of most primitive religions had been conceived to be. Man was at last able to conceive of supermortal forces that were consistent in behavior, and this was one of the most momentous discoveries of truth in the entire history of the evolution of religion and in the expansion of human philosophy.

Evolutionary religion has, however, paid a terrible price for the concept of dual spiritism. Man's early philosophy was able to reconcile spirit constancy with the vicissitudes of temporal fortune only by postulating two kinds of spirits, one good and the other bad. And while this belief did enable man to reconcile the variables of chance with a concept of unchanging supermortal forces, this doctrine has ever since made it difficult for religionists to conceive of cosmic unity. The gods of evolutionary religion have generally been opposed by the forces of darkness.

The tragedy of all this lies in the fact that, when these ideas were taking root in the primitive mind of man, there really were no bad or disharmonious spirits in all the world. Such an unfortunate situation did not develop until after the Caligastic rebellion and only persisted until Pentecost. The concept of good and evil as cosmic co-ordinates is, even in the twentieth century, very much alive in human philosophy; most of the world's religions still carry this cultural birthmark of the long-gone days of the emerging ghost cults.

5. THE ADVANCING GHOST CULT

Primitive man viewed the spirits and ghosts as having almost unlimited rights but no duties; the spirits were thought to regard man as having manifold duties but no rights. The spirits were believed to look down upon man as constantly failing in the discharge of his spiritual duties. It was the general belief of mankind that ghosts levied a continuous tribute of service as the price of noninterference in human affairs, and the least mischance was laid to ghost activities. Early humans were so afraid they might overlook some honor due the gods that, after they had sacrificed to all known spirits, they did another turn to the "unknown gods," just to be thoroughly safe.

And now the simple ghost cult is followed by the practices of the more advanced and relatively complex spirit-ghost cult, the service and worship of the higher spirits as they evolved in man's primitive imagination. Religious ceremonial must keep pace with spirit evolution and progress. The expanded cult was but the art of self-maintenance practiced in relation to belief in supernatural beings, self-adjustment to spirit environment. Industrial and military organizations were adjustments to natural and social environments. And as marriage arose to meet the demands of bisexuality, so did religious organization evolve in response to the belief in higher spirit forces and spiritual beings. Religion represents man's adjustment to his illusions of the mystery of chance. Spirit fear and subsequent worship were adopted as insurance against misfortune, as prosperity policies.

The savage visualizes the good spirits as going about their business, requiring little from human beings. It is the bad ghosts and spirits who must be kept in good humor. Accordingly, primitive peoples paid more attention to their malevolent ghosts than to their benign spirits.

Human prosperity was supposed to be especially provocative of the envy of evil spirits, and their method of retaliation was to strike back through a human agency and by the technique of the evil eye. That phase of the cult which had to do with spirit avoidance was much concerned with the machinations of the evil eye. The fear of it became almost world-wide. Pretty women were veiled to protect them from the evil eye; subsequently many women who desired to be considered beautiful adopted this practice. Because of this fear of bad spirits, children were seldom allowed out after dark, and the early prayers always included the petition, "deliver us from the evil eye."

The Koran contains a whole chapter devoted to the evil eye and magic spells, and the Jews fully believed in them. The whole phallic cult grew up as a defense against evil eye. The organs of reproduction were thought to be the only fetish which could render it powerless. The evil eye gave origin to the first superstitions respecting prenatal marking of children, maternal impressions, and the cult was at one time well-nigh universal.

Envy is a deep-seated human trait; therefore did primitive man ascribe it to his early gods. And since man had once practiced deception upon the ghosts, he soon began to deceive the spirits. Said he, "If the spirits are jealous of our beauty and prosperity, we will disfigure ourselves and speak lightly of our success." Early humility was not, therefore, debasement of ego but rather an attempt to foil and deceive the envious spirits.

The method adopted to prevent the spirits from becoming jealous of human prosperity was to heap vituperation upon some lucky or much loved thing or person. The custom of depreciating complimentary remarks regarding oneself or family had its origin in this way, and it eventually evolved into civilized modesty, restraint, and courtesy. In keeping with the same motive, it became the fashion to look ugly. Beauty aroused the envy of spirits; it betokened sinful human pride. The savage sought for an ugly name. This feature of the cult was a great handicap to the advancement of art, and it long kept the world somber and ugly.

Under the spirit cult, life was at best a gamble, the result of spirit control. One's future was not the result of effort, industry, or talent except as they might be utilized to influence the spirits. The ceremonies of spirit propitiation constituted a heavy burden, rendering life tedious and virtually unendurable. From age to age and from generation to generation, race after race has sought to improve this superghost doctrine, but no generation has ever yet dared to wholly reject it. The intention and will of the spirits were studied by means of omens, oracles, and signs. And these spirit messages were interpreted by divination, soothsaying, magic, ordeals, and astrology. The whole cult was a scheme designed to placate, satisfy, and buy off the spirits through this disguised bribery. And thus there grew up a new and expanded world philosophy consisting in:

1. Duty--those things which must be done to keep the spirits favorably disposed, at least neutral.
2. Right--the correct conduct and ceremonies designed to win the spirits actively to one's interests.
3. Truth--the correct understanding of, and attitude toward, spirits, and hence toward life and death.

It was not merely out of curiosity that the ancients sought to know the future; they wanted to dodge ill luck. Divination was simply an attempt to avoid trouble. During these times, dreams were regarded as prophetic, while everything out of the ordinary was considered an omen. And even today the civilized races are cursed with the belief in signs, tokens, and other superstitious remnants of the advancing ghost cult of old. Slow, very slow, is man to abandon those methods whereby he so gradually and painfully ascended the evolutionary scale of life.

6. COERCION AND EXORCISM

When men believed in ghosts only, religious ritual was more personal, less organized, but the recognition of higher spirits necessitated the employment of "higher spiritual methods" in dealing with them. This attempt to improve upon, and to elaborate, the technique of spirit propitiation led directly to the creation of defenses against the spirits. Man felt helpless indeed before the uncontrollable forces operating in terrestrial life, and his feeling of inferiority drove him to attempt to find some compensating adjustment, some technique for evening the odds in the one-sided struggle of man versus the cosmos.

In the early days of the cult, man's efforts to influence ghost action were confined to propitiation, attempts by bribery to buy off ill luck. As the evolution of the ghost cult progressed to the concept of good as well as bad spirits, these ceremonies turned toward attempts of a more positive nature, efforts to win good luck. Man's religion no longer was completely negativistic, nor did he stop with the effort to win good luck; he shortly began to devise schemes whereby he could compel spirit co-operation. No longer does the religionist stand defenseless before the unceasing demands of the spirit phantasms of his own devising; the savage is beginning to invent weapons wherewith he may coerce spirit action and compel spirit assistance.

Man's first efforts at defense were directed against the ghosts. As the ages passed, the living began to devise methods of resisting the dead. Many techniques were developed for frightening ghosts and driving them away, among which may be cited the following:

1. Cutting off the head and tying up the body in the grave.
2. Stoning the death house.
3. Castration or breaking the legs of the corpse.
4. Burying under stones, one origin of the modern tombstone.
5. Cremation, a later-day invention to prevent ghost trouble.
6. Casting the body into the sea.
7. Exposure of the body to be eaten by wild animals.

Ghosts were supposed to be disturbed and frightened by noise; shouting, bells, and drums drove them away from the living; and these ancient methods are still in vogue at "wakes" for the dead. Foul-smelling concoctions were utilized to banish unwelcome spirits. Hideous images of the spirits were constructed so that they would flee in haste when they beheld themselves. It was believed that dogs could detect the approach of ghosts, and that they gave warning by howling; that cocks would crow when they were near. The use of a cock as a weather vane is in perpetuation of this superstition.

Water was regarded as the best protection against ghosts. Holy water was superior to all other forms, water in which the priests had washed their feet. Both fire and water were believed to constitute impassable barriers to ghosts. The Romans carried water three times around the corpse; in the twentieth century the body is sprinkled with holy water, and hand washing at the cemetery is still a Jewish ritual. Baptism was a feature of the later water ritual; primitive bathing was a religious ceremony. Only in recent times has bathing become a sanitary practice.

But man did not stop with ghost coercion; through religious ritual and other practices he was soon attempting to compel spirit action. Exorcism was the employment of one spirit to control or banish another, and these tactics were also utilized for frightening ghosts and spirits. The dual-spiritism concept of good and bad forces offered man ample opportunity to attempt to pit one agency against another, for, if a powerful man could vanquish a weaker one, then certainly a strong spirit could dominate an inferior ghost. Primitive cursing was a coercive practice designed to overawe minor spirits. Later this custom expanded into the pronouncing of curses upon enemies.

It was long believed that by reverting to the usages of the more ancient mores the spirits and demigods could be forced into desirable action. Modern man is guilty of the same procedure. You address one another in common, everyday language, but when you engage in prayer, you resort to the older style of another generation, the so-called solemn style.

This doctrine also explains many religious-ritual reversions of a sex nature, such as temple prostitution. These reversions to primitive customs were considered sure guards against many calamities. And with these simple-minded peoples all such performances were entirely free from what modern man would term promiscuity.

Next came the practice of ritual vows, soon to be followed by religious pledges and sacred oaths. Most of these oaths were accompanied by self-torture and self-mutilation; later on, by fasting and prayer. Self-denial was subsequently looked upon as being a sure coercive; this was especially true in the matter of sex suppression. And so primitive man early developed a decided austerity in his religious practices, a belief in the efficacy of self-torture and self-denial as rituals capable of coercing the unwilling spirits to react favorably toward all such suffering and deprivation.

Modern man no longer attempts openly to coerce the spirits, though he still evinces a disposition to bargain with Deity. And he still swears, knocks on wood, crosses his fingers, and follows expectoration with some trite phrase; once it was a magical formula.

7. NATURE OF CULTISM

The cult type of social organization persisted because it provided a symbolism for the preservation and stimulation of moral sentiments and religious loyalties. The cult grew out of the traditions of "old families" and was perpetuated as an established institution; all families have a cult of some sort. Every inspiring ideal grasps for some perpetuating symbolism--seeks some technique for cultural manifestation which will insure survival and augment realization--and the cult achieves this end by fostering and gratifying emotion.

From the dawn of civilization every appealing movement in social culture or religious advancement has developed a ritual, a symbolic ceremonial. The more this ritual has been an unconscious growth, the stronger it has gripped its devotees. The cult preserved sentiment and satisfied emotion, but it has always been the greatest obstacle to social reconstruction and spiritual progress.

Notwithstanding that the cult has always retarded social progress, it is regrettable that so many modern believers in moral standards and spiritual ideals have no adequate symbolism--no cult of mutual support--nothing to belong to. But a religious cult cannot be manufactured; it must grow. And those of no two groups will be identical unless their rituals are arbitrarily standardized by authority.

The early Christian cult was the most effective, appealing, and enduring of any ritual ever conceived or devised, but much of its value has been destroyed in a scientific age by the destruction of so many of its original underlying tenets. The Christian cult has been devitalized by the loss of many fundamental ideas. In the past, truth has grown rapidly and expanded freely when the cult has been elastic, the symbolism expansile. Abundant truth and an adjustable cult have favored rapidity of social progression. A meaningless cult vitiates religion when it attempts to supplant philosophy and to enslave reason; a genuine cult grows.

Regardless of the drawbacks and handicaps, every new revelation of truth has given rise to a new cult, and even the restatement of the religion of Jesus must develop a new and appropriate symbolism. Modern man must find some adequate symbolism for his new and expanding ideas, ideals, and loyalties. This enhanced symbol must arise out of religious living, spiritual experience. And this higher symbolism of a higher civilization must be predicated on the concept of the Fatherhood of God and be pregnant with the mighty ideal of the brotherhood of man.

The old cults were too egocentric; the new must be the outgrowth of applied love. The new cult must, like the old, foster sentiment, satisfy emotion, and promote loyalty; but it must do more: It must facilitate spiritual progress, enhance cosmic meanings, augment moral values, encourage social development, and stimulate a high type of personal religious living. The new cult must provide supreme goals of living which are both temporal and eternal--social and spiritual.

No cult can endure and contribute to the progress of social civilization and individual spiritual attainment unless it is based on the biologic, sociologic, and religious significance of the home. A surviving cult must symbolize that which is permanent in the presence of unceasing change; it must glorify that which unifies the stream of ever-changing social metamorphosis. It must recognize true meanings, exalt beautiful relations, and glorify the good values of real nobility.

But the great difficulty of finding a new and satisfying symbolism is because modern men, as a group, adhere to the scientific attitude, eschew superstition, and abhor ignorance, while as individuals they all crave mystery and venerate the unknown. No cult can survive unless it embodies some masterful mystery and conceals some worthful unattainable. Again, the new symbolism must not only be significant for the group but also meaningful to the individual. The forms of any serviceable symbolism must be those which the individual can carry out on his own initiative, and which he can also enjoy with his fellows. If the new cult could only be dynamic instead of static, it might really contribute something worth while to the progress of mankind, both temporal and spiritual.

But a cult--a symbolism of rituals, slogans, or goals--will not function if it is too complex. And there must be the demand for devotion, the response of loyalty. Every effective religion unerringly develops a worthy symbolism, and its devotees would do well to prevent the crystallization of such a ritual into cramping, deforming, and stifling stereotyped ceremonials which can only handicap and retard all social, moral, and spiritual progress. No cult can survive if it retards moral growth and fails to foster spiritual progress. The cult is the skeletal structure around which grows the living and dynamic body of personal spiritual experience--true religion.

[Presented by a Brilliant Evening Star of Nebadon.]

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THE FUNCTION OF PRIMITIVE RELIGION

workman34 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:57:26 CDT

The savage felt the need of insurance, and he therefore willingly paid his burdensome premiums of fear, superstition, dread, and priest gifts toward his policy of magic insurance against ill luck. Primitive religion was simply the payment of premiums on insurance against the perils of the forests; civilized man pays material premiums against the accidents of industry and the exigencies of modern modes of living.

Modern society is removing the business of insurance from the realm of priests and religion, placing it in the domain of economics. Religion is concerning itself increasingly with the insurance of life beyond the grave. Modern men, at least those who think, no longer pay wasteful premiums to control luck. Religion is slowly ascending to higher philosophic levels in contrast with its former function as a scheme of insurance against bad luck.

But these ancient ideas of religion prevented men from becoming fatalistic and hopelessly pessimistic; they believed they could at least do something to influence fate. The religion of ghost fear impressed upon men that they must regulate their conduct, that there was a supermaterial world which was in control of human destiny.

Modern civilized races are just emerging from ghost fear as an explanation of luck and the commonplace inequalities of existence. Mankind is achieving emancipation from the bondage of the ghost-spirit explanation of ill luck. But while men are giving up the erroneous doctrine of a spirit cause of the vicissitudes of life, they exhibit a surprising willingness to accept an almost equally fallacious teaching which bids them attribute all human inequalities to political misadaptation, social injustice, and industrial competition. But new legislation, increasing philanthropy, and more industrial reorganization, however good in and of themselves, will not remedy the facts of birth and the accidents of living. Only comprehension of facts and wise manipulation within the laws of nature will enable man to get what he wants and to avoid what he does not want. Scientific knowledge, leading to scientific action, is the only antidote for so-called accidental ills.

Industry, war, slavery, and civil government arose in response to the social evolution of man in his natural environment; religion similarly arose as his response to the illusory environment of the imaginary ghost world. Religion was an evolutionary development of self-maintenance, and it has worked, notwithstanding that it was originally erroneous in concept and utterly illogical.

Primitive religion prepared the soil of the human mind, by the powerful and awesome force of false fear, for the bestowal of a bona fide spiritual force of supernatural origin, the Thought Adjuster. And the divine Adjusters have ever since labored to transmute God-fear into God-love. Evolution may be slow, but it is unerringly effective.

[Presented by an Evening Star of Nebadon.]

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THE GHOST-SPIRIT ENVIRONMENT

workman34 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:56:58 CDT

Man inherited a natural environment, acquired a social environment, and imagined a ghost environment. The state is man's reaction to his natural environment, the home to his social environment, the church to his illusory ghost environment. Very early in the history of mankind the realities of the imaginary world of ghosts and spirits became universally believed, and this newly imagined spirit world became a power in primitive society. The mental and moral life of all mankind was modified for all time by the appearance of this new factor in human thinking and acting.

Into this major premise of illusion and ignorance, mortal fear has packed all of the subsequent superstition and religion of primitive peoples. This was man's only religion up to the times of revelation, and today many of the world's races have only this crude religion of evolution.

As evolution progressed, good luck became associated with good spirits and bad luck with bad spirits. The discomfort of enforced adaptation to a changing environment was regarded as ill luck, the displeasure of the spirit ghosts. Primitive man slowly evolved religion out of his innate worship urge and his misconception of chance. Civilized man provides schemes of insurance to overcome these chance occurrences; modern science puts an actuary with mathematical reckoning in the place of fictitious spirits and whimsical gods.

Each passing generation smiles at the foolish superstitions of its ancestors while it goes on entertaining those fallacies of thought and worship which will give cause for further smiling on the part of enlightened posterity.

But at last the mind of primitive man was occupied with thoughts which transcended all of his inherent biologic urges; at last man was about to evolve an art of living based on something more than response to material stimuli. The beginnings of a primitive philosophic life policy were emerging. A supernatural standard of living was about to appear, for, if the spirit ghost in anger visits ill luck and in pleasure good fortune, then must human conduct be regulated accordingly. The concept of right and wrong had at last evolved; and all of this long before the times of any revelation on earth.

With the emergence of these concepts, there was initiated the long and wasteful struggle to appease the ever-displeased spirits, the slavish bondage to evolutionary religious fear, that long waste of human effort upon tombs, temples, sacrifices, and priesthoods. It was a terrible and frightful price to pay, but it was worth all it cost, for man therein achieved a natural consciousness of relative right and wrong; human ethics was born!

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THE GHOST-SOUL CONCEPT

workman34 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:56:32 CDT

The nonmaterial part of man has been variously termed ghost, spirit, shade, phantom, specter, and latterly soul. The soul was early man's dream double; it was in every way exactly like the mortal himself except that it was not responsive to touch. The belief in dream doubles led directly to the notion that all things animate and inanimate had souls as well as men. This concept tended long to perpetuate the nature-spirit beliefs; the Eskimos still conceive that everything in nature has a spirit.

The ghost soul could be heard and seen, but not touched. Gradually the dream life of the race so developed and expanded the activities of this evolving spirit world that death was finally regarded as "giving up the ghost." All primitive tribes, except those little above animals, have developed some concept of the soul. As civilization advances, this superstitious concept of the soul is destroyed, and man is wholly dependent on revelation and personal religious experience for his new idea of the soul as the joint creation of the God-knowing mortal mind and its indwelling divine spirit, the Thought Adjuster.

Early mortals usually failed to differentiate the concepts of an indwelling spirit and a soul of evolutionary nature. The savage was much confused as to whether the ghost soul was native to the body or was an external agency in possession of the body. The absence of reasoned thought in the presence of perplexity explains the gross inconsistencies of the savage view of souls, ghosts, and spirits.

The soul was thought of as being related to the body as the perfume to the flower. The ancients believed that the soul could leave the body in various ways, as in:
1. Ordinary and transient fainting.
2. Sleeping, natural dreaming.
3. Coma and unconsciousness associated with disease and accidents.
4. Death, permanent departure.

The savage looked upon sneezing as an abortive attempt of the soul to escape from the body. Being awake and on guard, the body was able to thwart the soul's attempted escape. Later on, sneezing was always accompanied by some religious expression, such as "God bless you!" Early in evolution sleep was regarded as proving that the ghost soul could be absent from the body, and it was believed that it could be called back by speaking or shouting the sleeper's name. In other forms of unconsciousness the soul was thought to be farther away, perhaps trying to escape for good--impending death. Dreams were looked upon as the experiences of the soul during sleep while temporarily absent from the body. The savage believes his dreams to be just as real as any part of his waking experience. The ancients made a practice of awaking sleepers gradually so that the soul might have time to get back into the body.

All down through the ages men have stood in awe of the apparitions of the night season, and the Hebrews were no exception. They truly believed that God spoke to them in dreams, despite the injunctions of Moses against this idea. And Moses was right, for ordinary dreams are not the methods employed by the personalities of the spiritual world when they seek to communicate with material beings.

The ancients believed that souls could enter animals or even inanimate objects. This culminated in the werewolf ideas of animal identification. A person could be a law-abiding citizen by day, but when he fell asleep, his soul could enter a wolf or some other animal to prowl about on nocturnal depredations.

Primitive men thought that the soul was associated with the breath, and that its qualities could be imparted or transferred by the breath. The brave chief would breathe upon the newborn child, thereby imparting courage. Among early Christians the ceremony of bestowing the Holy Spirit was accompanied by breathing on the candidates. Said the Psalmist: "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." It was long the custom of the eldest son to try to catch the last breath of his dying father.

The shadow came, later on, to be feared and revered equally with the breath. The reflection of oneself in the water was also sometimes looked upon as proof of the double self, and mirrors were regarded with superstitious awe. Even now many civilized persons turn the mirror to the wall in the event of death. Some backward tribes still believe that the making of pictures, drawings, models, or images removes all or a part of the soul from the body; hence such are forbidden.

The soul was generally thought of as being identified with the breath, but it was also located by various peoples in the head, hair, heart, liver, blood, and fat. The "crying out of Abel's blood from the ground" is expressive of the onetime belief in the presence of the ghost in the blood. The Semites taught that the soul resided in the bodily fat, and among many the eating of animal fat was taboo. Head hunting was a method of capturing an enemy's soul, as was scalping. In recent times the eyes have been regarded as the windows of the soul.

Those who held the doctrine of three or four souls believed that the loss of one soul meant discomfort, two illness, three death. One soul lived in the breath, one in the head, one in the hair, one in the heart. The sick were advised to stroll about in the open air with the hope of recapturing their strayed souls. The greatest of the medicine men were supposed to exchange the sick soul of a diseased person for a new one, the "new birth."

The children of Badonan developed a belief in two souls, the breath and the shadow. The early Nodite races regarded man as consisting of two persons, soul and body. This philosophy of human existence was later reflected in the Greek viewpoint. The Greeks themselves believed in three souls; the vegetative resided in the stomach, the animal in the heart, the intellectual in the head. The Eskimos believe that man has three parts: body, soul, and name.

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