Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 234
THE CONCEPT OF GOD AMONG. THE ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA religion in the concept of the High Gods, by arguing that the original idea of High Gods had become mixed up with the later growth of superstitious gibberish. . However, there are some anthropologists who continue to insist that the idea of High Gods was the product of myths. Among them is the leading figure of. Raffaele Pettazzoni in Dio, (1922) but it is surprising to note that his argument is not at all supported by the evidence consistently found in all the main Aboriginal tribes. For him to extend his conclusions drawn from the mythical traditions of only one particular tribe to all the. Aborigines of Australia is neither honest nor logical. 6. Most Aboriginal tribes do not share the same myths as mentioned by him. As for their belief in God, they all subscribe to the idea of One Supreme, Conscious, Eternal. Cause of creation. Moreover, despite the great name of. Pettazzoni as an anthropologist, his insistence that the coexistsence of myths and the idea of One Supreme Creator must mean that the superstitions preceded the more highly developed idea of God is unentertainable without the least evidence to support it. He has not even attempted to connect the development of their myths to the idea of a. Supreme God through an evolutionary process. . The theory of the evolutionary growth of the idea of. God from myths and superstitions is simply not relevant to the Australian evidence. There is no evidence whatsoever of nature worship under the influence of awe and wonder. . No such step by step worship practices can be traced in the. Aboriginal religious practices, ultimately leading to the more advanced belief in God. One has to agree therefore with Andrew Lang that the myth definitely followed and did not precede the idea of One God. . The myths among Aborigines are scattered unrelated pieces of superstitions which can be justifiably related to 228