The origin and development of the moral ideas

Explanation of the malevolence of savage gods, p. 728 sq.—Of the growing tendency to attribute more amiable qualities to the gods, pp. 729–731.—Men selecting their gods, p. 729 sq.—The good qualities of gods magnified by their worshippers, p. 730 sq.—How various departments of social morality have come to be placed under the supervision of gods, p. 731 sq.—How the guardianship of gods has been extended to the whole sphere of justice, p. 732.—How gods have become guardians of morality at large, p. 733 sq.—The influence of the religious sanction of morality, p. 734 sq.—Religious devotion frequently accompanied by great laxity of morals, pp. 735–737.—Greater importance attached to ceremonies or the niceties of belief than to good behaviour towards fellow men, p. 736 sq.—The religious sanction of moral rules often leads to an external observance of these rules from purely selfish motives, p. 737.—The moral influence of Christianity, ibid.