causes　for　ambition；　courage；　veracity；　just　as　there　are　for
  digestion；　muscular　movement；　animal　heat。　　Vice　and　virtue　are
  products　like　vitriol　and　sugar。〃　　When　we　read　such
  proclamations　of　the　intellect　bent　on　showing　the　existential
  conditions　of　absolutely　everything；　we　feelquite　apart　from
  our　legitimate　impatience　at　the　somewhat　ridiculous　swagger　of
  the　program；　in　view　of　what　the　authors　are　actually　able　to
  performmenaced　and　negated　in　the　springs　of　our　innermost
  life。　　Such　cold…blooded　assimilations　threaten；　we　think；　to
  undo　our　soul's　vital　secrets；　as　if　the　same　breath　which　should
  succeed　in　explaining　their　origin　would　simultaneously　explain
  away　their　significance；　and　make　them　appear　of　no　more
  preciousness；　either；　than　the　useful　groceries　of　which　M。　Taine
  speaks。
  Perhaps　the　commonest　expression　of　this　assumption　that
  spiritual　value　is　undone　if　lowly　origin　be　asserted　is　seen　in
  those　comments　which　unsentimental　people　so　often　pass　on　their
  more　sentimental　acquaintances。　　Alfred　believes　in　immortality
  so　strongly　because　his　temperament　is　so　emotional。　　Fanny's
  extraordinary　conscientiousness　is　merely　a　matter　of
  overinstigated　nerves。　　William's　melancholy　about　the　universe
  is　due　to　bad　digestionprobably　his　liver　is　torpid。　　Eliza's
  delight　in　her　church　is　a　symptom　of　her　hysterical
  constitution。　　Peter　would　be　less　troubled　about　his　soul　if　he
  would　take　more　exercise　in　the　open　air；　etc。　　A　more　fully
  developed　example　of　the　same　kind　of　reasoning　is　the　fashion；
  quite　common　nowadays　among　certain　writers；　of　criticizing　the
  religious　emotions　by　showing　a　connection　between　them　and　the
  sexual　life。　　Conversion　is　a　crisis　of　puberty　and　adolescence。
  The　macerations　of　saints；　and　the　devotion　of　missionaries；　are
  only　instances　of　the　parental　instinct　of　self…sacrifice　gone
  astray。　　For　the　hysterical　nun；　starving　for　natural　life；
  Christ　is　but　an　imaginary　substitute　for　a　more　earthly　object
  of　affection。　And　the　like。＇1＇
  ＇1＇　　As　with　many　ideas　that　float　in　the　air　of　one's　time；　this
  notion　shrinks　from　dogmatic　general　statement　and　expresses
  itself　only　partially　and　by　innuendo。　　It　seems　to　me　that　few
  conceptions　are　less　instructive　than　this　re…interpretation　of
  religion　as　perverted　sexuality。　　It　reminds　one；　so　crudely　is
  it　often　employed；　of　the　famous　Catholic　taunt；　that　the
  Reformation　may　be　best　understood　by　remembering　that　its　fons
  et　origo　was　Luther's　wish　to　marry　a　nun：the　effects　are
  infinitely　wider　than　the　alleged　causes；　and　for　the　most　part
  opposite　in　nature。　　It　is　true　that　in　the　vast　collection　of
  religious　phenomena；　some　are　undisguisedly　amatorye。g。；
  sex…deities　and　obscene　rites　in　polytheism；　and　ecstatic
  feelings　of　union　with　the　Savior　in　a　few　Christian　mystics。
  But　then　why　not　equally　call　religion　an　aberration　of　the
  digestive　function；　and　prove　one's　point　by　the　worship　of
  Bacchus　and　Ceres；　or　by　the　ecstatic　feelings　of　some　other
  saints　about　the　Eucharist？　　Religious　language　clothes　itself　in
  such　poor　symbols　as　our　life　affords；　and　the　whole　organism
  gives　overtones　of　comment　whenever　the　mind　is　strongly　stirred
  to　expression。　　Language　drawn　from　eating　and　drinking　is
  probably　as　common　in　religious　literature　as　is　language　drawn
  from　the　sexual　life。　　We　〃hunger　and　thirst〃　after
  righteousness；　we　〃find　the　Lord　a　sweet　savor；〃　we　〃taste　and
  see　that　he　is　good。〃　　〃Spiritual　milk　for　American　babes；　drawn
  from　the　breasts　of　both　testaments；〃　is　a　sub…title　of　the　once
  famous　New　England　Primer；　and　Christian　devotional　literature
  indeed　quite　floats　in　milk；　thought　of　from　the　point　of　view；
  not　of　the　mother；　but　of　the　greedy　babe。
  Saint　Francois　de　Sales；　for　instance；　thus　describes　the　〃orison
  of　quietude〃：　　〃In　this　state　the　soul　is　like　a　little　child
  still　at　the　breast；　whose　mother　to　caress　him　whilst　he　is
  still　in　her　arms　makes　her　milk　distill　into　his　mouth　without
  his　even　moving　his　lips。　　So　it　is　here。　。　。　。　Our　Lord　desires
  that　our　will　should　be　satisfied　with　sucking　the　milk　which　His
  Majesty　pours　into　our　mouth；　and　that　we　should　relish　the
  sweetness　without　even　knowing　that　it　cometh　from　the　Lord。〃
  And　again：　　〃Consider　the　little　infants；　united　and　joined　to
  the　breasts　of　their　nursing　mothers　you　will　see　that　from　time
  to　time　they　press　themselves　closer　by　little　starts　to　which
  the　pleasure　of　sucking　prompts　them。　　Even　so；　during　its
  orison；　the　heart　united　to　its　God　oftentimes　makes　attempts　at
  closer　union　by　movements　during　which　it　presses　closer　upon　the
  divine　sweetness。〃　　Chemin　de　la　Perfection；　ch。　xxxi。；　Amour　de
  Dieu；　vii。　ch。　i。
  In　fact；　one　might　almost　as　well　interpret　religion　as　a
  perversion　of　the　respiratory　function。　　The　Bible　is　full　of　the
  language　of　respiratory　oppression：　　〃Hide　not　thine　ear　at　my
  breathing；　my　groaning　is　not　hid　from　thee；　my　heart　panteth；　my
  strength　faileth　me；　my　bones　are　hot　with　my　roaring　all　the
  night　long；　as　the　hart　panteth　after　the　water…brooks；　so　my
  soul　panteth　after　thee；　O　my　God：〃　　God's　Breath　in　Man　is　the
  title　of　the　chief　work　of　our　best　known　American　mystic　（Thomas
  Lake　Harris）；　and　in　certain　non…Christian　countries　the
  foundation　of　all　religious　discipline　consists　in　regulation　of
  the　inspiration　and　expiration。
  These　arguments　are　as　good　as　much　of　the　reasoning　one　hears　in
  favor　of　the　sexual　theory。　　But　the　champions　of　the　latter　will
  then　say　that　their　chief　argument　has　no　analogue　elsewhere。
  The　two　main　phenomena　of　religion；　namely；　melancholy　and
  conversion；　they　will　say；　are　essentially　phenomena　of
  adolescence；　and　therefore　synchronous　with　the　development　of
  sexual　life。　　To　which　the　retort　again　is　easy。　　Even　were　the
  asserted　synchrony　unrestrictedly　true　as　a　fact　（which　it　is
  not）；　it　is　not　only　the　sexual　life；　but　the　entire　higher
  mental　life　which　awakens　during　adolescence。　　One　might　then　as
  well　set　up　the　thesis　that　the　interest　in　mechanics；　physics；
  chemistry；　logic；　philosophy；　and　sociology；　which　springs　up
  during　adolescent　years　along　with　that　in　poetry　and　religion；
  is　also　a　perversion　of　the　sexual　instinct：but　that　would　be
  too　absurd。　　Moreover；　if　the　argument　from　synchrony　is　to
  decide；　what　is　to　be　done　with　the　fact　that　the　religious　age
  par　excellence　would　seem　to　be　old　age；　when　the　uproar　of　the
  sexual　life　is　past？
  The　plain　truth　is　that　to　interpret　religion　one　must　in　the　end
  look　at　the　immediate　content　of　the　religious　consciousness。
  The　moment　one　does　this；　one　sees　how　wholly　disconnected　it　is
  in　the　main　from　the　content　of　the　sexual　consciousness。
  Everything　about　the　two　things　differs；　objects；　moods；
  faculties　concerned；　and　acts　impelled　to。　　Any　GENERAL
  assimilation　is　simply　impossible：　what　we　find　most　often　is
  complete　hostility　and　contrast。　　If　now　the　defenders　of　the
  sex…theory　say　that　this　makes　no　difference　to　their　thesis；
  that　without　the　chemical　contributions　which　the　sex…organs　make
  to　the　blood；　the　brain　would　not　be　nourished　so　as　to　carry　on
  religious　activities；　this　final　proposition　may　be　true　or　not
  true；　but　at　any　rate　it　has　become　profoundly　uninstructive：　we
  can　deduce　no　consequences　from　it　which　help　us　to　interpret
  religion's　meaning　or　value。　　In　this　sense　the　religious　life
  depends　just　as　much　upon　the　spleen；　the　pancreas；　and　the
  kidneys　as　on　the　sexual　apparatus；　and　the　whole　theory　has　lost
  its　point　in　evaporating　into　a　vague　general　assertion　of　the
  dependence；　SOMEHOW；　of　the　mind　upon　the　body。
  We　are　surely　all　familiar　in　a　general　way　with　this　method　of
  discrediting　states　of　mind　for　which　we　have　an　antipathy。　　We
  all　use　it　to　some　degree　in　criticizing　persons　whose　states　of
  mind　we　regard　as　overstrained。　　But　when　other　people　criticize
  our　own　more　exalted　soul…flights　by　calling　them　'nothing　but'
  expressions　of　our　organic　disposition；　we　feel　outraged　and
  hurt；　for　we　know　that；　whatever　be　our　organism's　peculiarities；
  our　mental　states　have　their　substantive　value　as　revelations　of
  the　living　truth；　and　we　wish　that　all　this　medical　materialism
  could　be　made　to　hold　its　tongue。
  Medical　materialism　seems　indeed