The Immortality of the Soul—History of the Doctrine

MR. DOWLING has brought a great amount of evidence showing that popery is little more than paganism with another name. "In tracing the origin of the corrupt doctrines and practices of the Romish church," he says, "we have had frequent occasion, in the preceding chapters, to allude to the fact that most of its anti-scriptural rites and ceremonies were adopted from the pagan worship of Greece, Rome, and other heathen nations." (Book ii. chap. ii.)

In the year 1729, a distinguished scholar and divine of the Episcopal Church of England, Rev. Dr. Middleton, visited the city of Rome, not as a theologian, but as a classical scholar, to study the ancient classical antiquity of the Greek and Roman pagans. But when he reached Rome, so exact did he find the resemblance between the temples, the images, and the ceremonies of popery and paganism, that he came to the just conclusion that he could in no way so well acquaint himself with ancient paganism, in all its ceremonies of worship, as by studying the Roman Catholic worship. After carefully studying and comparing the two systems of worship, he wrote "a letter from Rome, showing an exact conformity between popery and paganism; or the religion of the present Romans derived from that of their heathen ancestors." He has enumerated several points in which paganism and the papacy exactly agree. 1. The burning of incense. They practice this in just the same manner as the old heathens did. 2. The use of holy water. At the door of every Catholic church is a vessel of holy water, with which every one who enters is sprinkled. Just so it was in all the old heathen temples. 3. Burning wax candles in the daytime. Here, again, they follow the ancient pagans, as that was their custom. 4. Votive gifts and offerings. These are hung about the altars by those who have made a vow to God in some case of danger. Just so did the old idolaters. This was so rich a thing for the priests that it was soon imitated. 5. Adoration of idols and images. Pagans made images of their dead heroes, and others, and then bowed before them in prayer. So these Roman Christians make images of their martyrs and chief saints, and adore before them. 6. The gods of the pantheon turned into popish saints. The noblest heathen temple now remaining in the world is the pantheon in Rome, formerly dedicated by the heathen to Jove and all the gods. When the Christians got possession of it, it was re-consecrated to the Blessed Virgin and all the saints. With this single alteration, it serves as exactly for all the purposes of Christian (?) worship as it did for the pagan worship for which it was built. In many instances, even the old heathen idol was not taken down; but was only re-dressed, re-consecrated, and then worshiped as before, under another name! 7. Road-gods and saints. The pagans had their gods set up by the roadside at convenient distances for travelers to worship. The Catholics have the same. 8. Processions of worshipers. The religious pomps and processions of the heathen, according to the descriptions given of them, were so like those we see on every festival of the Virgin that none can fail to see their connection.

This comparison, says Dr. Middleton, might be easily carried on through many more instances. But the above are sufficient for my purpose. The learned doctor concludes his letter thus: "I have sufficiently made good what I undertook to prove, an exact conformity, of uniformity rather, of worship, between popery and paganism; for since, as I have shown above, we see the present people of Rome worshiping in the same temples, at the same altars, sometimes the same images, and always with the same ceremonies, as the old Romans, they must have more charity, as well as skill in distinguishing, than I pretend to have, who can absolve them from the same superstition and idolatry of which we condemn their pagan ancestors." (P. 280.)

In these facts all Protestants are agreed. They show clearly how terrible Christianity had become corrupted with heathen doctrines before the rise of the Reformation. But Protestants, who came out from the papal church at the time of the Reformation, did not rid themselves of every false doctrine received by their fathers from the pagans. It was too much to expect that they would cast off all their errors, and adopt all the truth. Hence there has been need of a continual reformation ever since, by such men as Wesley, Whitefield, and others. Very many Romish errors were retained, if I mistake not, by the reformers. Dr. Middleton was a member of the established church of England. Hence there is unfortunately too much truth in what Dr. Challoner, a Roman Catholic, says in his reply to Dr. Middleton's letter from Rome. He thus turns Dr. M.'s arguments against himself and the Protestant church of England: "And by the selfsame way of arguing," says Challoner, "by which he pretends to demonstrate an exact conformity between the religion of the present Romans and that of their heathen ancestors, these same gentlemen will, with a much fairer show of probability, prove an exact conformity between the religion by law established, and popery. The consequence of which will be, if the doctor be not mistaken in his parallel, that the English Protestancy is no better than heathenish idolatry." (Catholic Christian Instructed, p. 3, Preface.)

With regard to the doctrine of the immortality of the soul and eternal misery, most of the Protestant churches have retained nearly all the tenets received by the Catholics from the pagans. With a few modifications, the orthodox Protestants still hold the same as the papists in their belief respecting the immortality of the soul. Hence, in proving the heathen origin of this doctrine among the Roman Catholics, we have shown its origin among all Christians.

Let us now compare the pagan and Christian doctrine of the soul.

1. Plato held that the soul is immortal. Christians hold the same. This was not learned from the Bible; for the Scriptures never say a word about the immortality of the soul. It was learned from the heathen Platonic philosophers, as we have seen.

2. Plato held that the soul was of a very ethereal nature. Christians teach that it is immaterial. Neither was this learned from the Bible, as that book never once mentions such a thing.

3. One of the arguments on which Plato most relied to prove the immortality of the soul was its spirituality. So it is with Christians. Bible writers are never found using that argument.

4. Plato held the soul to be a part of God. The same is often heard from Christians. Says the Christian poet, "Our souls are his immortal breath."

D. W. Clarke, D. D., a bishop in the M. E. church, may be considered a fair exponent of orthodox faith on this subject. In his late popular work, "Man all Immortal," he uses this language with regard to the soul: "Can we wonder that the undying spirit— that emanation

of light and glory from the bosom of the Eternal—should rise above our comprehension?" Once more: "It is the high and indisputable proof of the divinity that dwells within us." (Chap. 1. p. 18.) So exactly like the language and sentiments of the ancient heathen philosophers is the above, that one would readily suppose that he was listening to Plato himself, if he were not informed that this is the language of a Christian bishop. As we have seen, this idea that the soul is an emanation from God, a part of divinity, right from the bosom of the Eternal, is the very heart of the pagan doctrine of the soul. Who, then, can fail to see the heathen fountain whence this came? It did not come from the word of God, as nothing of the kind is there taught.

5. Plato, and all the pagans who argued for the soul's immortality, likewise held to its pre-existence. Many of the early Christians held the same, and some hold it now. (Alger's Doctrine of a Future Life, part i. chap. i. p. 6.)

6. Plato taught that the soul alone was the real man. So thought Origen, and so teach Christians now. How often we hear ministers of today say, as they point to a corpse, "This is not your friend. He is not dead. He is in Heaven. This is only the old tenement in which he lived,—the prison of his now freed soul." The very original of this may be found in Plato's Phaedo. Here it is: "Crito having asked him afterward in what manner he wished to be buried, 'as you please, said Socrates, 'if you can lay hold of me, and I do not escape out of your hands.' At the same time looking upon his friends with a smile 'I can never persuade Crito,' says he, 'that Socrates is he who converses with you, and disposes the several parts of his discourse; for he always imagines that I am what he is going to see dead in a little while. He confounds me with my carcass, and therefore asks me how I would be interred.'" (Rollin's Anct. Hist., vol. i. book ix. chap. iv. sec. 6, p. 365.)

7. Plato, and all pagans who taught the immortality of the soul, held that the body was the prison of the soul. Christians believe the same.

8. Plato taught that matter in the gross, and the body in particular, was naturally corrupt, and the origin of all evil. Many Christians teach the same.

9. This doctrine, when received among the pagans, immediately gave birth to that abominable set of gloomy and misanthropic men, the Eremites and Ascetics. So, as soon as this doctrine of the immortality of the soul was received among Christians, it produced an exactly similar class of men. The Monks, Hermits, Anchorites, etc.

10. Plato and the pagans held that the soul not only does not die with the death of the body, but is actually a gainer in that catastrophe. Here, again, Christians teach exactly the same as those old pagans.

11. The pagans had a purgatory prepared, in which to partially purge impure souls immediately after death. The Catholics have the same.

12. Plato taught that those who were pure from all sin went immediately to Heaven, on the death of the body. Exactly like this, Christians send their righteous saints straight to Heaven at the death of the body. In this they have again faithfully copied Plato.

13. Plato and the other heathens sent the incurable wicked straight to hell at death. Here, again, we have the original of the modern doctrine of sending the wicked immediately to hell at death.

14. The pagans deified their dead friends, exalted them into angels, demi-gods, and gods, made images of them, and then prayed to them for assistance. Christians have done the same thing with their saints. The saint and image worship of the Roman Catholics is a facsimile of the old pagan worship of heroes.

15. The pagans taught that little children would go to hell. Thus, Virgil describing the miseries of the damned, says,—

"And now wild shouts, and wailings dire,

And shrieking infants, swell the dreadful choir."

(Pitt's AEneid, VI. 385, etc., quoted in Origin and Hist. of End. Pun., p. 77.)

Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, teach the same horrid doctrine. "The condemnation of children dying without having been baptized," says the Catholic Bossuet, "is an article of firm faith of the church. They are guilty, since they die in the wrath of God, and in the powers of darkness. Children of wrath by nature, objects of hatred and aversion, cast into hell with the other damned." (Quoted by the same.) The Calvanistic doctrine on this point is well known. This tenet is well worthy of its heathen origin.

16. The heathens gave most terrible descriptions of hell, and the woe and torment of the damned there, comparing well with modern orthodox descriptions of hell.

Here are sixteen points of identity between the pagan and Christian doctrine of the immortality of the soul, which embraces the whole doctrine in about all its phases. This, with the historical evidence already presented, makes it quite certain where this doctrine originated, and how it came among Christians.