A few ideas about religion

Thursday, October 13th., Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken.

I was thinking about the distinction, if there is one, between beliefs and religions. Some of the belief systems I have been reading about seem to be accepted as religions, but where lies the difference. Clearly there are belief systems which have nothing to do with religion eg. science, evolution, communism. On the other hand, religions must, it seems to me, incorporate a belief system, but that is not in itself sufficient. So, what else. Presumably part of the belief system must include at least one deity. Additionally must there be some ritual component which attempts to communicate with or influence the deity/deities? If there is a belief system with a deity and rituals is that sufficient to constitute a religion? Or maybe there is an issue to do with people involved - would a belief system held by one person who had formulated his/her own rituals to propitiate an imagined deity be a religion? Must there be more than one person and, if so, how many are necessary? Must there be some persistence over time? My inclination is to try to get a clear definition of things but perhaps it is going to be difficult in this case.

I have no religious conviction myself. When I came to London as a young man I felt liberated from the oppressive formality of religious practise in the Potteries; not to mention its hypocrisy. I very soon became indifferent to all the forms and rites of dogmatic religion; and religion, in the accepted sense of the word, ceased entirely to enter into my life. I still shared of course the widespread objection to dying but felt that the maintenance of a healthy mind and body was more likely to delay this unpleasant but unavoidable outcome than was going to church. If anything, experience has convinced me that the material world is all we are heir to and we should make the best of it.

I am wondering what to read next. I have a couple of non-fiction books on the go and am reading about Oriental belief in a general way, but I do like to have some fiction to carry me away - was that an echo of Emily Dickinson? "There is no frigate like a novel to carry you away" Maybe I haven't got that quite right but the sense is there. I am wondering about a return to Conrad, perhaps some of his short stories?

Gloriously lost

Thursday, October 10th., Les Sablons

A magnificent October day. I walked 4 miles between 8.30 and 9.30, and then wrote 1,000 words of "The Old Wives' Tale" which I began on Tuesday.

This afternoon we penetrated into the forest with our bicycles and without a map! Had to walk miles, got gloriously lost, and at last reached home after 2 hours 40 minutes of labour. Far off, in an unfrequented path, we came across three old women sitting in the hedge and discussing mushrooms. I do so enjoy these brief glimpses into the lives of others.

I had hoped to have a quiet doze before dinner but the unexpected arrival of M. and his son put paid to that. The boy and I spent a very happy hour together making and demolishing castles we made from wooden blocks. In my view wooden blocks are the only indispensable toy for a growing child, and I welcome the excuse to play with them myself!

So, I am feeling rather tired this evening and anticipate retirement to bed with pleasure. I had hoped to devote some more time to my study of Oriental religions but the concepts I have come across so far are difficult to make sense of and I am unlikely to do them justice unless fresh and alert.

Girl talk

Thursday, October 9th., Cadogan Square, London

Friendships made between young women on the telephone - solely. I have come across more than one instance of this. They like the tone of each other's voices and the things they say. And the friendship grows. Then comes an invitation to tea, or another meal. "Do come." "I should love to." etc. I wonder what the results are but I never hear. This method of companionship (sightless) is very queer. My sense is that women, particularly young women who need to establish their social position, are necessarily more inclined to make friends than are men for reasons relating to the evolutionary development of our species. If social intercourse expands further as a result of technological developments, as it must, then we can expect to see casual "friendships" proliferating. 

One sees very frequently young women and girls together in the street giggling with much vigour. Whenever I have heard them talking in these giggles, the matter has been utterly trifling. They will giggle consumedly if crossing a road and in danger of death from a bus; or at some peculiar sight. They will cling on to each other while they giggle. In the male sex this phenomenon is practically non-existent. So the object is not to exchange information; the process is the purpose.

I am currently taking an interest in Oriental religions. An academic interest. I feel that I know very little about other cultures which distresses me. Yesterday and today I was finding out about Shintoism from Japan. I do not think it can really be called a religion at all. It is a system of belief, apparently widely adhered to in Japan, which is essentially animistic. It is puzzling to me why people in a modern, quite materialist, country should feel the need to propitiate "spirits" - they call them Kami apparently. Then again why do so many people in this country affirm a belief in a religion the central story of which would not convince an intelligent and objective 12 year old?