ever experienced
was upon their discovery of monotheism. How it affected Dr. Neesima,
readers of his life cannot have overlooked. He is a type of
multitudes. In the earlier days of Christian work many felt that they
had become Christians upon rejection of polytheism and acceptance of
monotheism. And in truth they were so far forth Christian, although
they knew little of Christ, and felt little need of His help as a
personal Saviour. The weakness of the Church in recent years is due in
part, I doubt not, to the acceptance into its membership of numbers
who were, properly speaking, monotheistic, but not in the complete
sense of the term Christian. Their discovery later that more was
needed than the intellectual acceptance of monotheism ere they could
be considered, or even be, truly "Christian," has led many such
"believers" to abandon their relations with the Church. This, while on
many accounts to be regretted, was nevertheless inevitable. The bare
acceptance of the monotheistic idea does not secure that
transformation of heart and produce that warmth of living faith which
are essential elements in the altruistic life demanded of the
Christian.

Nor is it difficult to understand why monotheism has proved such an
attraction to the Japanese when we consider that through it they first
recognized a unity in the universe and even in their own lives.
Nature, and human nature took on an intelligibility which they never
had had under the older philosophy. History likewise was seen to have
a meaning and an order, to say nothing of a purpose, which the
non-Christian faiths did not themselves see and could not give to
their devotees. Furthermore the monotheistic idea furnished a
satisfactory background and explanation for the exact sciences. If
there is but one God, who is the fount and cause of all being, it is
easy to see why the truths of science should be universal and
absolute, rather than local and diverse, as they would be were they
subject to the jurisdiction of various local deities. The universality
of nature's laws was inconceivable under polytheism. Monotheism thus
found a ready access to many minds. Polytheism pure and simple is the
belief of no educated Japanese to-day. He is a monist of some kind or
other. Philosophic Buddhism always was monistic, but not monotheistic.
Thinking Confucianists were also monistic. But neither philosophic
Buddhism nor Confucianism emphasized their monistic elements; they did
not real