The Immortality of the Soul—History of the Doctrine

THE Damaras, one author says, "have no expectation of a future state." (Dalton, p. 189.) Another author says, "Though the Damaras do not profess absolutely to believe in a life hereafter, they have a confused notion of a future state." (Anderson's Ngami, p. 222.) The reader will see that there is no countenance for the immortal-soul doctrine here.

Mr. Moffat, speaking of the Bechuanas, says, "Man's immortality was never heard of among that people." (Spencer's Descriptive Sociology, No. 4, p. 29.) The East Africans have "no notion of a soul, or spirit." (Ibi.d., table 23.)

"The Bulloms and Timmanus have no fixed opinion respecting a future state; for, though they speak of future rewards and punishments, their ideas on this head are vague and fluctuating. They do not believe that the spirits of their deceased friends return to visit their former abodes, nor have they any word in their language to express a spirit, or apparition." (Winterbottom, vol. i, p. 226.)

The faith of the inland negroes is shown by the following:—

"The negresses of Matiamba throw the corpses of their husbands into the water, in order that along with the body they may drown the soul, by which they would otherwise be troubled." (Bastian Mensch, vol. iii., p. 378.) "The Wanikas of East Africa have neither god, nor devil, nor heaven, nor hell, nor soul, nor idol." (Descriptive Sociol., No. 4, p. 30.)

Of the people of Madagascar, Mr. Ellis says:—

"Still more vague and indefinite are the ideas they entertain respecting the human soul and its future existence. They have no knowledge of the doctrine of the soul as a separate, immaterial, immortal principle in man, nor has their language any word to express such an idea. They speak of the saina but mean by this the intellectual powers. They speak also of the fanaky, the nearest term found to express spirit, but it seems in their use of it to imply principally the moral qualities or dispositions...The next question is, What becomes of the saina, or mind, when a person dies? To which the Malagasy replies, It is a part of the body. But does it return to dust with the body in the grave? No; the body returns to dust and the saina becomes levona, i. e., vanished, invisible. And the aina, or life, becomes rivota,—air, or wind, not retaining its individuality; but absorbed and lost in mere aura—a mere breeze—a breath in the general mass of air floating around." (History of Madagascar, by Rev. Wm. Ellis, vol. i. chap. xiv., pp. 392, 393.)

TRIBES OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT.

As we have seen, the Chibchas of Central America expect a future life through a resurrection. (Descriptive Sociology, No. 2, table.) The Peruvians hold the same doctrine. (Ibid., p. 45.) "With respect to the soul, the barbarous Otomies, as they tell us, believed that it died together with the body." (Hist. of Mexico, by Clavigero, book vi. chap. i.)

The inhabitants of Guatemala "were persuaded that to die by any other than a natural death was to forfeit all hope of life hereafter; and therefore left the bodies of the slain to the beasts and vultures." (The Myths of the New World, by D. G. Brinton, p. 246.) They had no idea of the immortality of the soul; for they believed that some utterly perish, and that those who do obtain a future life gain it by a resurrection of the body.

The people of Nicaraugua being asked what about the future state replied, "We only know that infants who die before they have tasted maize, or are weaned, will be raised again, and return to their father's house; and their fathers will recognize and provide for them. Old people who die will not return nor be raised again." Being asked where Indians go when they die, they replied that they go beneath the earth, where "they are buried; and all is over." (Nicaraugua, by E. G. Squire, vol. ii, pp. 357-8.) A few just and brave warriors are exceptions, as they ascend, to live somewhere else.

THE ESQUIMAX OF ALASKA.

Some important facts with regard to these tribes are stated in the following quotation. Mr. Dall has traveled among them extensively, and hence is well prepared to state their belief. He says: "Many Indians, in fact all the Tinneh that I have conversed with who have not been taught by the English or Russian missionaries, do not believe in the immortality of man. Of those who have a dim notion of the kind, none have any idea whatever of a future reward and punishment, of any Supreme Deity or power, of good and evil in a moral sense, or of anything which can be called a religion. Assertions to the contrary proceed from the ignorance or poetic license of the author, or from intercourse with the tribes that have derived their ideas from the missionaries." (Alaska and its Resources, by Wm. H. Dall, Director of the Scientific Corps of the Late W. U. Telegraph Expedition.)

Yes; many of the assertions so confidently made concerning the faith of different barbarous tribes and nations in the immortality of the soul, proceed, as Mr. Dall remarks, from the ignorance or poetic license of the author, or from intercourse with those who have been taught by missionaries. No such doctrine was held among them when first found. Thus upon a little inquiry, we find that there are scores of barbarous tribes who have never dreamed that the soul is immortal.

THE INDIANS.

I know it is often asserted that the different Indian tribes of America all believe the soul immortal; but I have looked in vain for the proof. They have some vague ideas of a future life, but their ideas are all very gross and material indeed. They expect to be in the next world much as they are here,—to take their dog, and knife, and arrows with them, and use them there the same as here. This is far from indicating a belief in an immortal, immaterial soul. The least hint that they have any idea of a hereafter has been taken as positive proof that they believe the soul immortal. But this is an unwarranted assumption. There are no facts to sustain it.