Mr. Crowley and The Creeds

MR. CROWLEY AND THE CREEDS (BY G. K. CHESTERTON) Mr. Aleister Crowley publishes a work, “ The Sword of Song : Called by Christians ‘ The Book of the Beast,’ ” and called, I am ashamed to say, “ Ye Sword of Song ” on the cover, by some singularly uneducated man. Mr. Aleister Crowley has always been, in my opinion, a good poet ; his “ Soul of Osiris,” written during an Egyptian mood, was better poetry than this Browningesque rhapsody in a Buddhist mood ; but this also, though very affected, is very interesting. But the main fact about it is that it is the expression of a man who has really found Buddhism more satisfactory than Christianity. Mr. Crowley begins his poem, I believe, with an earnest intent to explain the beauty of the Buddhist philosophy ; he knows a great deal about it ; he believes in it. But as he went on writing one thing became stronger and stronger in his soul — the living hatred of Christianity. Before he has finished he has descended to the babyish “ difficulties ” of the Hall of Science — things about “ the plain words of your sacred books,” things about “ the panacea of belief ” — things, in short, at which any philosophical Hindoo would roll about with laughter. Does Mr. Crowley suppose that Buddhists do not feel the poe- tical nature of the books of a religion ? Does he suppose that they do not rea- lise the immense importance of believing the truth ? But Mr. Crowley has got something into his soul stronger even than the beautiful passion of the man who believes in Buddhism ; he has the passion of the man who does not believe in Christianity. He adds one more testimony to the endless series of testimo- nies to the fascination and vitality of the faith. For some mysterious reason no man can contrive to be agnostic about Christianity. He always tries to prove something about it — that it is unphilosophical or immoral or disastrous — which is not true. He can never say simply that it does not convince him — which is true.