Religion and Commonsense

The chapter

Commonsense means using the ordinary mind to observe facts about life, conduct and nature and then choose the proper course. It is not a special faculty possessed by a few people. Religion must also be tested by this ordinary attention to what actually happens.

The claim that life is only a vale of tears does not agree with ordinary experience. People endure pain and deprivation, but they generally hold on to life because it contains much that is bearable and joyful. The religious optimist therefore thanks God for life and uses its laws for the good of oneself and humanity.

The author asks the reader to examine a day, week, month or year of experience rather than repeat a fashionable pessimistic formula. Religious belief becomes sound when it recognises facts, gratitude and the beneficial order operating in life.

The same practical test applies to equality. Seeing earth, stone and gold with equal vision is an ideal, not an instant claim about one’s feelings. A person can train the mind toward that ideal by reducing attachment, controlling impulses and practising equal treatment. Commonsense, gratitude and steady practice thus give religion its working form.

Editorial note: This page is a concise paraphrase for web presentation and does not reproduce the complete chapter. Please consult the original PDF for the full account and wording.