Adrian Desmond has written an article which serves as something of a preview to a new book he has co-written with James Moore in which they assert Charles Darwin was inspired to arrive at his theory of evolution through his experience with slavery. So disgusted by the practice was he, that he proposed the theory at least in part as a way of asserting the universal brotherhood of all mankind. Of course, he didn't stop there. According to Darwin, all living things are related and descended from an original life form.
The BBC article makes for very interesting reading. Evidently, Darwin kept a great lot to himself, as it seems he was not the only one who propounded a similar theory, and he knew very well how other proponents of similar theories were treated by the scientific community of his day. Yet, he took it to the point that he was able to amass a body of work that could be presented as proof of the validity of the theory.
In so doing, Charles Darwin changed the world, and so has to be viewed as one of the great people of all time. I would go so far as to say it I were to make a list of historical figures whom I most admire, he would almost undoubtedly make my top ten. Even if I didn't agree with a single word of the theory of evolution, I would have to be impressed by the sheer brilliance of it.
Evidently, a group of churches in England agree with my perspective, and in recognition of his two hundredth birthday-as well as the 150th anniversary of Darwin's "The Origin Of Species"-have been holding a seminar in which they have discussed his contributions to science and ways in which they can get the point across that the theory of evolution does not necessarily conflict with religion.
Although I am sure many of the more literalistic minded, fundamentalist religions would disagree, I would have to say it's about time.
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Another interesting figure in the history of abolitionism was Emmanuel Swedenborg, a Dutch mystic who wrote several books detailing what he believed angels had revealed to him in the late 1700s. The churches that followed after him believed the things he believed, including that African religion was closer to God, so they were all anti-slavery. Unfortunately, he also believed in santcifying the genitals, so they never really became mainstream.
I'm only vaguely familiar with him, but I take it by sanctifying the genitals he meant to remain celibate. Hard to see how he would square that with his opinion of "African religion". Evidently, he wasn't aware that there are as many religions in Africa as there are countries, if not dialects.
I'm new to him too, but I'm pretty sure they actually blessed the genitals of church members- the members' members so to speak- with the religion, I think he was essentially a theosophist- that is, he believed that all religions are translations of one original religion. So, the African religions might be closer to the source.
Again, though, he believed that angels were regularly talking to him.
Oh, so he actually thought this was going on on a regular basis? So he was probably either really way out there or a fraud. I think I remember reading something about him a long time ago, in this book called The Mystic Path To Cosmic Power by a guy named Vernon Howard.
Howard was one of these kinds of guys that had a similar belief system, that all religions sprung from an original source and all contained the same basic truth, which he approached more philosophically than from any kind of dogmatic religious viewpoint. It was pretty good actually (or seemed so at the time anyway), and I'm pretty sure he mentioned Swedenbourg, though I don't remember exactly what he said, except it was positive.
Actually blessing the genitals would seem pretty radical to a westerner, especially. He was probably lucky he wasn't around to try that a century of two earlier, when it would have got him a date with a burning stake in all likelihood. It's really not all that new, though. Sexuality is something that religions have typically tried to sublimate, while channeling sexual energy. People think of Christians as being sexually repressed, but you actually see this as endemic to practically all major religions in one form or another, and even among a good many pagan cults.
Some of course went the other extreme, such as in the cult of Cybele, where adherents literally castrated themselves in dedication to the goddess. But the point is, sex and sexuality has always been something that religions have tried to control in one way or another, precisely because it's such a powerful force, in a sense an almost overwhelming one, and of course due to its necessity as an act of procreation.
You can even look at the Catholic Church's views regarding marriage-that it is a "sacrament"-in a similar vein. So in a way, he's not really as off the wall as he might initially seem. The constantly talking to angels, now, that's out there.
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