ThenIwalkedonaboutamile，andassoonasIwasgotwithinthecity，thewordoftheLordcametomeagain，saying：Cry，’WotothebloodycityofLichfield！’SoIwentupanddownthestreets，cryingwithaloudvoice，WotothebloodycityofLichfield！Itbeingmarketday，Iwentintothemarket-place，andtoandfrointheseveralpartsofit，andmadestands，cryingasbefore，WotothebloodycityofLichfield！Andnoonelaidhandsonme。AsIwentthuscryingthroughthestreets，thereseemedtometobeachannelofbloodrunningdownthestreets，andthemarket-placeappearedlikeapoolofblood。WhenIhaddeclaredwhatwasuponme，andfeltmyselfclear，Iwentoutofthetowninpeace；andreturningtotheshepherdsgavethemsomemoney，andtookmyshoesofthemagain。ButthefireoftheLordwassoonmyfeet，andalloverme，thatIdidnotmattertoputonmyshoesagain，andwasatastandwhetherI
shouldorno，tillIfeltfreedomfromtheLordsotodo：then，afterIhadwashedmyfeet，Iputonmyshoesagain。Afterthisadeepconsiderationcameuponme，forwhatreasonIshouldbesenttocryagainstthatcity，andcallitThebloodycity！Forthoughtheparliamenthadtheministeronewhile，andthekinganother，andmuchbloodhadbeenshedinthetownduringthewarsbetweenthem，yettherewasnomorethanhadbefallenmanyotherplaces。ButafterwardsIcametounderstand，thatintheEmperorDiocletian’stimeathousandChristiansweremartyr’dinLichfield。SoIwastogo，withoutmyshoes，throughthechanneloftheirblood，andintothepooloftheirbloodinthemarket-place，thatImightraiseupthememorialofthebloodofthosemartyrs，whichhadbeenshedaboveathousandyearsbefore，andlaycoldintheirstreets。Sothesenseofthisbloodwasuponme，andIobeyedthewordoftheLord。”
Bentasweareonstudyingreligion’sexistentialconditions，wecannotpossiblyignorethesepathologicalaspectsofthesubject。
Wemustdescribeandnamethemjustasiftheyoccurredinnon-religiousmen。Itistruethatweinstinctivelyrecoilfromseeinganobjecttowhichouremotionsandaffectionsarecommittedhandledbytheintellectasanyotherobjectishandled。Thefirstthingtheintellectdoeswithanobjectistoclassitalongwithsomethingelse。Butanyobjectthatisinfinitelyimportanttousandawakensourdevotionfeelstousalsoasifitmustbesuigenerisandunique。Probablyacrabwouldbefilledwithasenseofpersonaloutrageifitcouldhearusclassitwithoutadoorapologyasacrustacean，andthusdisposeofit。“Iamnosuchthing，itwouldsay；IamMYSELF，MYSELFalone。
Thenextthingtheintellectdoesistolaybarethecausesinwhichthethingoriginates。Spinozasays：“Iwillanalyzetheactionsandappetitesofmenasifitwereaquestionoflines，ofplanes，andofsolids。”Andelsewhereheremarksthathewillconsiderourpassionsandtheirpropertieswiththesameeyewithwhichhelooksonallothernaturalthings，sincetheconsequencesofouraffectionsflowfromtheirnaturewiththesamenecessityasitresultsfromthenatureofatrianglethatitsthreeanglesshouldbeequaltotworightangles。SimilarlyM。Taine，intheintroductiontohishistoryofEnglishliterature，haswritten：“Whetherfactsbemoralorphysical，itmakesnomatter。Theyalwayshavetheircauses。Therearecausesforambition，courage，veracity，justastherearefordigestion，muscularmovement，animalheat。Viceandvirtueareproductslikevitriolandsugar。”Whenwereadsuchproclamationsoftheintellectbentonshowingtheexistentialconditionsofabsolutelyeverything，wefeel——quiteapartfromourlegitimateimpatienceatthesomewhatridiculousswaggeroftheprogram，inviewofwhattheauthorsareactuallyabletoperform——menacedandnegatedinthespringsofourinnermostlife。Suchcold-bloodedassimilationsthreaten，wethink，toundooursoul’svitalsecrets，asifthesamebreathwhichshouldsucceedinexplainingtheiroriginwouldsimultaneouslyexplainawaytheirsignificance，andmakethemappearofnomorepreciousness，either，thantheusefulgroceriesofwhichM。Tainespeaks。
Perhapsthecommonestexpressionofthisassumptionthatspiritualvalueisundoneiflowlyoriginbeassertedisseeninthosecommentswhichunsentimentalpeoplesooftenpassontheirmoresentimentalacquaintances。Alfredbelievesinimmortalitysostronglybecausehistemperamentissoemotional。Fanny’sextraordinaryconscientiousnessismerelyamatterofoverinstigatednerves。William’smelancholyabouttheuniverseisduetobaddigestion——probablyhisliveristorpid。Eliza’sdelightinherchurchisasymptomofherhystericalconstitution。Peterwouldbelesstroubledabouthissoulifhewouldtakemoreexerciseintheopenair，etc。Amorefullydevelopedexampleofthesamekindofreasoningisthefashion，quitecommonnowadaysamongcertainwriters，ofcriticizingthereligiousemotionsbyshowingaconnectionbetweenthemandthesexuallife。Conversionisacrisisofpubertyandadolescence。
Themacerationsofsaints，andthedevotionofmissionaries，areonlyinstancesoftheparentalinstinctofself-sacrificegoneastray。Forthehystericalnun，starvingfornaturallife，Christisbutanimaginarysubstituteforamoreearthlyobjectofaffection。Andthelike。[1]
[1]Aswithmanyideasthatfloatintheairofone’stime，thisnotionshrinksfromdogmaticgeneralstatementandexpressesitselfonlypartiallyandbyinnuendo。Itseemstomethatfewconceptionsarelessinstructivethanthisre-interpretationofreligionaspervertedsexuality。Itremindsone，socrudelyisitoftenemployed，ofthefamousCatholictaunt，thattheReformationmaybebestunderstoodbyrememberingthatitsfonsetorigowasLuther’swishtomarryanun：——theeffectsareinfinitelywiderthantheallegedcauses，andforthemostpartoppositeinnature。Itistruethatinthevastcollectionofreligiousphenomena，someareundisguisedlyamatory——e。g。，sex-deitiesandobsceneritesinpolytheism，andecstaticfeelingsofunionwiththeSaviorinafewChristianmystics。
Butthenwhynotequallycallreligionanaberrationofthedigestivefunction，andproveone’spointbytheworshipofBacchusandCeres，orbytheecstaticfeelingsofsomeothersaintsabouttheEucharist？Religiouslanguageclothesitselfinsuchpoorsymbolsasourlifeaffords，andthewholeorganismgivesovertonesofcommentwheneverthemindisstronglystirredtoexpression。Languagedrawnfromeatinganddrinkingisprobablyascommoninreligiousliteratureasislanguagedrawnfromthesexuallife。We“hungerandthirst“afterrighteousness；we“findtheLordasweetsavor；“we“tasteandseethatheisgood。”“SpiritualmilkforAmericanbabes，drawnfromthebreastsofbothtestaments。”isasub-titleoftheoncefamousNewEnglandPrimer，andChristiandevotionalliteratureindeedquitefloatsinmilk，thoughtoffromthepointofview，notofthemother，butofthegreedybabe。
SaintFrancoisdeSales，forinstance，thusdescribesthe“orisonofquietude“：“Inthisstatethesoulislikealittlechildstillatthebreast，whosemothertocaresshimwhilstheisstillinherarmsmakeshermilkdistillintohismouthwithouthisevenmovinghislips。Soitishere……OurLorddesiresthatourwillshouldbesatisfiedwithsuckingthemilkwhichHisMajestypoursintoourmouth，andthatweshouldrelishthesweetnesswithoutevenknowingthatitcomethfromtheLord。”
Andagain：“Considerthelittleinfants，unitedandjoinedtothebreastsoftheirnursingmothersyouwillseethatfromtimetotimetheypressthemselvescloserbylittlestartstowhichthepleasureofsuckingpromptsthem。Evenso，duringitsorison，theheartunitedtoitsGodoftentimesmakesattemptsatcloserunionbymovementsduringwhichitpressescloseruponthedivinesweetness。”ChemindelaPerfection，ch。xxxi。；AmourdeDieu，vii。ch。i。
Infact，onemightalmostaswellinterpretreligionasaperversionoftherespiratoryfunction。TheBibleisfullofthelanguageofrespiratoryoppression：“Hidenotthineearatmybreathing；mygroaningisnothidfromthee；myheartpanteth，mystrengthfailethme；mybonesarehotwithmyroaringallthenightlong；asthehartpantethafterthewater-brooks，somysoulpantethafterthee，OmyGod：“God’sBreathinManisthetitleofthechiefworkofourbestknownAmericanmysticThomasLakeHarris，andincertainnon-Christiancountriesthefoundationofallreligiousdisciplineconsistsinregulationoftheinspirationandexpiration。
Theseargumentsareasgoodasmuchofthereasoningonehearsinfavorofthesexualtheory。Butthechampionsofthelatterwillthensaythattheirchiefargumenthasnoanalogueelsewhere。
Thetwomainphenomenaofreligion，namely，melancholyandconversion，theywillsay，areessentiallyphenomenaofadolescence，andthereforesynchronouswiththedevelopmentofsexuallife。Towhichtheretortagainiseasy。Evenweretheassertedsynchronyunrestrictedlytrueasafactwhichitisnot，itisnotonlythesexuallife，buttheentirehighermentallifewhichawakensduringadolescence。Onemightthenaswellsetupthethesisthattheinterestinmechanics，physics，chemistry，logic，philosophy，andsociology，whichspringsupduringadolescentyearsalongwiththatinpoetryandreligion，isalsoaperversionofthesexualinstinct：——butthatwouldbetooabsurd。Moreover，iftheargumentfromsynchronyistodecide，whatistobedonewiththefactthatthereligiousageparexcellencewouldseemtobeoldage，whentheuproarofthesexuallifeispast？
Theplaintruthisthattointerpretreligiononemustintheendlookattheimmediatecontentofthereligiousconsciousness。
Themomentonedoesthis，oneseeshowwhollydisconnecteditisinthemainfromthecontentofthesexualconsciousness。
Everythingaboutthetwothingsdiffers，objects，moods，facultiesconcerned，andactsimpelledto。AnyGENERAL
assimilationissimplyimpossible：whatwefindmostofteniscompletehostilityandcontrast。Ifnowthedefendersofthesex-theorysaythatthismakesnodifferencetotheirthesis；
thatwithoutthechemicalcontributionswhichthesex-organsmaketotheblood，thebrainwouldnotbenourishedsoastocarryonreligiousactivities，thisfinalpropositionmaybetrueornottrue；butatanyrateithasbecomeprofoundlyuninstructive：wecandeducenoconsequencesfromitwhichhelpustointerpretreligion’smeaningorvalue。Inthissensethereligiouslifedependsjustasmuchuponthespleen，thepancreas，andthekidneysasonthesexualapparatus，andthewholetheoryhaslostitspointinevaporatingintoavaguegeneralassertionofthedependence，SOMEHOW，oftheminduponthebody。
Wearesurelyallfamiliarinageneralwaywiththismethodofdiscreditingstatesofmindforwhichwehaveanantipathy。Wealluseittosomedegreeincriticizingpersonswhosestatesofmindweregardasoverstrained。Butwhenotherpeoplecriticizeourownmoreexaltedsoul-flightsbycallingthem’nothingbut’
expressionsofourorganicdisposition，wefeeloutragedandhurt，forweknowthat，whateverbeourorganism’speculiarities，ourmentalstateshavetheirsubstantivevalueasrevelationsofthelivingtruth；andwewishthatallthismedicalmaterialismcouldbemadetoholditstongue。
Medicalmaterialismseemsindeedagoodappellationforthetoosimple-mindedsystemofthoughtwhichweareconsidering。
MedicalmaterialismfinishesupSaintPaulbycallinghisvisionontheroadtoDamascusadischarginglesionoftheoccipitalcortex，hebeinganepileptic。ItsnuffsoutSaintTeresaasanhysteric，SaintFrancisofAssisiasanhereditarydegenerate。
GeorgeFox’sdiscontentwiththeshamsofhisage，andhispiningforspiritualveracity，ittreatsasasymptomofadisorderedcolon。Carlyle’sorgan-tonesofmiseryitaccountsforbyagastro-duodenalcatarrh。Allsuchmentalovertensions，itsays，are，whenyoucometothebottomofthematter，mereaffairsofdiathesisauto-intoxicationsmostprobably，duetothepervertedactionofvariousglandswhichphysiologywillyetdiscover。Andmedicalmaterialismthenthinksthatthespiritualauthorityofallsuchpersonagesissuccessfullyundermined。[2]
[2]Forafirst-rateexampleofmedical-materialistreasoning，seeanarticleon“lesvarietesduTypedevot。”byDr。
Binet-Sangle，intheRevuedel’Hypnotisme，xiv。161。
Letusourselveslookatthematterinthelargestpossibleway。
Modernpsychology，findingdefinitepsycho-physicalconnectionstoholdgood，assumesasaconvenienthypothesisthatthedependenceofmentalstatesuponbodilyconditionsmustbethoroughgoingandcomplete。Ifweadopttheassumption，thenofcoursewhatmedicalmaterialisminsistsonmustbetrueinageneralway，ifnotineverydetail：SaintPaulcertainlyhadonceanepileptoid，ifnotanepilepticseizure；GeorgeFoxwasanhereditarydegenerate；Carlylewasundoubtedlyauto-intoxicatedbysomeorganorother，nomatterwhich——andtherest。Butnow，Iaskyou，howcansuchanexistentialaccountoffactsofmentalhistorydecideinonewayoranotherupontheirspiritualsignificance？Accordingtothegeneralpostulateofpsychologyjustreferredto，thereisnotasingleoneofourstatesofmind，highorlow，healthyormorbid，thathasnotsomeorganicprocessasitscondition。Scientifictheoriesareorganicallyconditionedjustasmuchasreligiousemotionsare；