n the other hand, that all
religions originate from the teachings of Divine Men, who give out to
the different nations of the world, from time to time, such parts of the
fundamental verities of religion as the people are capable of receiving,
teaching ever the same morality, inculcating the use of similar means,
employing the same significant symbols. The savage religions--animism
and the rest--are degenerations, the results of decadence, distorted and
dwarfed descendants of true religious beliefs. Sun-worship and pure
forms of nature-worship were, in their day, noble religions, highly
allegorical but full of profound truth and knowledge. The great
Teachers--it is alleged by Hindus, Buddhists, and by some Comparative
Religionists, such as Theosophists--form an enduring Brotherhood of men
who have risen beyond humanity, who appear at certain periods to
enlighten the world, and who are the spiritual guardians of the human
race. This view may be summed up in the phrase: "Religions are branches
from a common trunk--Divine Wisdom."

This Divine Wisdom is spoken of as the Wisdom, the Gnosis, the
Theosophia, and some, in different ages of the world, have so desired to
emphasise their belief in this unity of religions, that they have
preferred the eclectic name of Theosophist to any narrower designation.

The relative value of the contentions of these two opposed schools must
be judged by the cogency of the evidence put forth by each. The
appearance of a degenerate form of a noble idea may closely resemble
that of a refined product of a coarse idea, and the only method of
deciding between degeneration and evolution would be the examination, if
possible, of intermediate and remote ancestors. The evidence brought
forward by believers in the Wisdom is of this kind. They allege: that
the Founders of religions, judged by the records of their teachings,
were far above the level of average humanity; that the Scriptures of
religions contain moral precepts, sublime ideals, poetical aspirations,
profound philosophical statements, which are not even approached in
beauty and elevation by later writings in the same religions--that is,
that the old is higher than the new, instead of the new being higher
than the old; that no case can be shown of the refining and improving
process alleged to be the source of current religions, whereas many
cases of degeneracy from pure teachings can be adduced; that even among
savages, if their religions be