Doubt.

The world of today is full of questionings. Seventy, years ago it was not so; very few people dared to question any religions belief which had been taught them by their parents and the priest or minister of the sect into which they had been born. They were taught that Doubt was one of the most subtle and dangerous weapons used by Satan to ensnare the wisest and best, so that if one found himself doubting some such obvious absurdity as that the wrath of the Good God could be appeased only by the blood of his Son, he was filled with consternation and straightway prayed very earnestly to be delivered from the dreadful sin into which he was falling.[Such prayers are frequently “answered”, for human will, auto-suggestion, self- deception and kindred powers may produce almost any desired effect on the mind]. But now doubters are to be met with everywhere, and their, numbers are still increasing. At first it was noticed that the few who dared to doubt, and even those who openly scoffed at the most sacred tenets of their sect, did not rapidly degenerate into depraved and God-forsaken wretches, but on the contrary, were often quite honest people, and as pleasant to live with as the most irreproachable believers. It was also observed that dignitaries of great distinction in their Church were often as much under the sway of personal ambitions and temperamental weaknesses as were many scientific materialists or persons sufficiently careless of clerical disapproval as to play tennis on Sunday instead of going to church. These and similar observations very much encouraged the doubters to doubt still more, and many began to give up praying to be delivered from that form of sin. But even now many people are, perhaps without realizing it, afraid to confront some of their beliefs with all the reasoning power they possess; yet this is what they must make up their minds to do if they really wish to clear away the rubbish that obstructs the paths that lead to truth. Theosophy is not for those who lack either moral courage or mental honesty.