23-09-2025, 09:47 AM
Quote:In 1794, Erasmus wrote a book entitled Zoonomia, which delineated his theory of evolution (Taylor, 58). Being a Freemason, there is little doubt that Erasmus cribbed liberally from the Lodge's occult doctrine of 'becoming.' Before Erasmus had penned his precursory notions of progressive biological development, Freemason John Locke (1632 - 1704) extrapolated the Hindu doctrine of reincarnation into the context of metaphysical naturalism and formulated a theory of evolution (Daniel, 33-34).
The British East India Company had imported the Hindu belief in reincarnation to England where it would be adopted by the British Royal Society. A prominent member of the Royal Society, John Locke studied reincarnation extensively and, working with the occult doctrine as an extrapolative inspiration, developed his own evolutionary ideas. In fact, Locke's theory of evolution received the support of the male members of Darwin's family (Daniel, 33-34). Two centuries later, this occult concept of 'becoming' would be transmitted to Charles Darwin and On the Origin of Species would be born.
