====== The Inner Life ====== == THE HERALD OF THE NEW AGE | AUGUST 1936 == ---- is soul-force? To the believer taught of the Spirit of God in the light of the Word of God, it is the power of the pit projected upon the nations of the world to deceive them, so as to bring about catastrophic changes. “Soul-force” is a word whose charm and magic is only known in the East. It is the power believed to have been exercised by holy men, known as Mahatmas, who were the spiritual leaders in India in centuries gone by, and who are credited with supernatural powers as much today as in ages past. It is said to have power, not only to energize, but also to control the will of the people. To illustrate the power of this word in the Indian mind, it is sufficient to point to the revision of the Treaty of Sevres, under which all that was lost to Turkey is restored. A greater triumph of one Eastern nation over all Western nations put together, cannot be imagined. The explanation given, and believed in by millions in India, is expressed in the word “soul-force.” This “soul-force” is believed to be cultivated by prayer, fasting, and religious meditation. The Mahommedans point with pride to their gatherings for prayer in their Mosques. Consider the mass of Mahommedans at prayer in the great Jumna Mosque of Delhi, where an hundred thousand followers of Mahomet assemble inside the Mosque, with a still larger crowd engaged in prayer outside. The crowd outside is much larger than the crowd inside. It is here where “soul-force” is generated! In the Mosques of India, which count by thousands upon thousands, where devout Mahommedans meet twice times for prayer every day; it is here that the hidden springs of Islam lie. Every Mahommedan believes that the secret of world-power is in prayer, and what he believes, he practises. They “pray”; and lo (they believe) the council of European nations is set aside. What a lesson to Christendom! And how is soul-force cultivated amongst the vast Hindu population of India? The gatherings of Mahommedans for prayer are large, those of Hindus, who meet for devotional exercise at their great festivals, are ten times larger. The Hindus point with pride to their sacred places of pilgrimage, where they assemble by hundreds of thousands. At the great Magh Festival at Allahabad, millions of Hindus assemble every seven years. Prayer—an exercise of devotion which unites Hindu and Mohammedan into one common action, to generate “soul-force” in {{ :36-344.jpg |}} ---- //⥳ [[soul_force_versus_spirit_force_aug36|previous page]] // | // [[soul_force_versus_spirit_force_aug36_3|next page]] ⥴ //