the whole people, has openly
and shamelessly degenerated into enslavement of the masses and the
creation of a despotic and arrogant class who enslaved both body and soul
in the name of Religion.

Priest, Prince, and Potentate generally, united to terrorize through
force, and by superstition and fear, in order to retain their power.

The reaction has invariably resulted from economic conditions, as in the
case of the Protestant Reformation, when the gold sent to Rome through the
shameless sale of Indulgences, threatened to impoverish the whole of
Northern Europe, and Princes broke allegiance to the Priesthood in
desperate self-protection.

Then, and then only, came sufficient protest and Reformation.

The religionist is apt to regard and designate Science as "profane," and
Religion _per se_, as essentially "holy."

Nothing can be really considered "holy" that does not elevate, encourage,
and inspire the whole human race and promote the Brotherhood of Man.
Whenever any religion fails to do this it becomes indeed a profanation of
holy things.

The only religion that ever became the inspiration of a whole people, so
far as history records, was that of Christna, with the teeming millions of
India. Buddhism was driven out of India by the powerful and unscrupulous
Brahmans, and took refuge in Ceylon, Thibet, and adjacent provinces.

The religion of Jesus met a similar fate from the Jews and the Roman
governors, until Pagan Rome adapted and transformed it on the principle of
dominance and exploitation inherent in the genius of the Latin Race.

Since which time no one will pretend to claim that the Religion of Jesus
has ever dominated the human race or any large part of it.

Rome to-day no more represents the religion of Jesus than the Brahmans of
to-day represent that of Christna, or Buddha, or the religion of the
Vedas.

Nothing is so amazing to-day as that the intelligence of the present age
fails to recognize this fact.

All of these religions of the past have adapted their teaching to the
multitude through parable and allegory. Nothing in literature can be found
more beautiful and inspiring, and at the same time comprehensible to the
commonest intelligence, than Christna's "Parable of the Fisherman."

Christna and Buddha, like Jesus, taught to their disciples a "Secret
Doctrine," apprehensible only to the few. "To you it is given to know the
mysteries," but to others, who are without, it is not given.

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