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THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
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ufiilenu'nts of Prejudice in B6c
ligious Di.Meuaslon."
In tho December number of tho Stu
dknt I find an article from tin' pun of 0.
13. II., having tho above caption, of which,
with your permission, I will give a short
notice.
With man' ' of tho propositions as set
forth in the article I heartily agree. That
cither religion or science is all error, is
too absurd a proposition to bo seriously
asserted by any sane person. Science, in
its true sense, is only that which is known;
therefore it must be true as far ns it is sci
ence. Keligion,although concerned chielly
with things beyond our knowledge that
is, which will not admit of logical proof
has many principles so interwoven with
our own conscious being, that to deny it
wholly is to do violence to our .nvn better
nature and throw oil' all the obligations of
virtue and the restraints of moral law.
That all tho phenomena of nature cannot
be explained by any law of science, is a
fact long since proved; that there is a
force, or intelligence, back of all visible
or Unowablo forces, is most freely admitted
by those who are best acquainted with the
laws which govern nature's phouomona.
It being tlion admitted that there is a mys
tery beyond human comprehension thai
the caused must have had a cause may
we not inquire what creative force is most
in accordance with reason and tho effects
produced ?
It is asserted by G. 13. II. that, whatever
the nature of the first cause, whether ex
iMant in matter itself, or in some external
agency, U cannot be infinite, since it "is n
cause or creator only in relation to the
tiling caused or created;" that thoro is a
mutual relation between thorn, and lie
cause a relation, a mutual limitation;
hence the first cause is not a first cause,
but must have boon caused by something
else if caused at all.
If this creative forco is in matter, it is
undoubtedly limited by tho thing created J
that is, by matter itself since the same
causes continuing to act would produce .
the same effects until the creative forco
wastxhausted ; hence tho created would j
be equal, both in duration and extent, to .
the creator, and without tho creature the
creator is non-existanl that is, tho cfi'oct
produced tho cause; which is absurd,:
showing that our hypothesis was incorrect.
If on the contrary, as tho monotheist
claims, the creative power is vested in '
Mime external agency, tho relation botweon j
the creator and the created is not so plain, I
this external cause being an intelligent
being and not a blind forco one whose
existence depends in no wise upon tho ,
works of his hands; who, had tho uni
verse never boon created, would still have
been a creator in powor.
Tho writer of the article under notico
docs well to say that this rola ion botweon
the creator and the created must linvo
been caused by something if caused at all.
It leaves him an opening at which to es
capo, but it is little calculated to inspire
confidence in the minds of his readers to
show so little faith in his theories himself.
Ho dodges the only real issue, if tho mon.
otheistic idea is correct. God was not
caused, but is solf-cxistant, the cause of all
things. "All things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made
that was made."
But such a contradiction of terms as the
gentleman has used implies to my mind
that ho was already lloatiug without rudder
or compass on that boundless ocean of
mystery of which he speaks.
Again he says, '-is it not enough 'hat wo
are conscious of a power beyond our
ken?" and "is not existence which is in-
conceivable more worthy of reverence
than a being that can bo represented in
thought with form and attributes?1" How
any one can reverence an existence of
which he cannot conceive is beyond my
ken. I can hardlylbo conscious of such
an existence, and I greatly fear that frail
bark of the writer is fast sinking beneath
the waves of this ocean of mystery.
To attempt to restrict religion to the ac
knowlcdgment of a higher power, shows
entire ignorance of the subject. Such an
abstraction is no more religion than tho
theory of evolution is science. It is a
judgment without theevidence, an attempt
to describe what ha. never been seen or
felt. Hcligion is not a form thai may be
practicod.or a science that may be learned,
but a power that must be felt. As we can
not know what death is till we die, neither
can wc realize what it is to live by faith
until we are born of the spirit; and I
doubt whether the change is more com
plete in one case than in the other. What
would such a religion bo as this reformer
tries to picture to our imagination V for
imagination alone can grasp it a religion
without love, or power, or wisdom, or any
of the attributes which oithodoxy ascribes
to God, which "merely predicates tho ex
istence of a power back of all phenomena
the unknowable mystery." If God, or
first cause, is an unknowable mystery,then
all religion is vain, or rather thoro is no
such tiling as religion, but all contempla
tion of a higher power is idle speculation.
"The groat error of religion," declares
the writer of the article, "is the unceasing
attempt to drag down the Infinite within
I lie narrow scope of human conception."
"The attempt to represent the Infinite First
Cause as possessed of attributes which
human beings can comprehend, however
pure and holy, is the chief means of solf
degradatlon." How the contemplation of
anything pure and holy can be tho means
of self-degradation is another point be
yond my comprehension. It is an asser
tion at varianco with positive facts and ex
perience. You might as well assert that
the example of a just and virtuous man is
calculated to lead men into vice and crime
as that the contemplation of a pure and
holv God conduces to human debasement.
The writer's ignorance or carelessness is
again shown in his statement "that all the
conceptions of the Infinite are mere cari
catures, more or loss crude, according to
tho development of the subject." That
the orthodox of God is perfect has never
been afilrmcd. Human conception cannot
take in tho fullness of the attributes of
God. Our standard of comparison is too
small, but it does not follow that God does
not possess those attributes because thoy
exceed tho domain of human thought, for
"we are not to constitute the capacity of
thought into the measure of existence, or
recognize the domain of our knowledge
as nocossarily co-oxtenslvc with the hori
.on of our faith V"
To the charge of a lack of candor
brought against religion I would say,
do not be harsh in judgment; it is not al
ways an evidence of hypocrisy that a man
does not wisli to argue with you; btsides,
the creed of tho church is not tho funda
mental principle of religion; but there
are certain principles which have ever
been presented boldly that God possesses
the attributes of love, power, wisdom,
justice, mercy and goodness, in the most
perfect fullness; that lie created all things,
and superintends, directs and cares for his
creatures, and therefore we are in duty
bound to love and servo him; thai he re
wards virtue and punishes vice; that ho
gives his spirit to guide and help those
who ask and trust him. Those proposl
tions have been before tho world for eigh
teen hundred years and more without suc
cessful contradiction.
In the light of tliose facts why should
religion dread seionce? The domain of
science reaches only that which can be
established by positive proof, and religion
asserts only that which never can be
proved or disproved by any course of hu
man reasoning, but must bo received by
faitli and proved by the Spirit of God.
1 fully concur in tho opinion that tho
groat question is what is and not what
ought to be truth, but 1 fear religionists
are not the only class of persons who
dodge this question in order to save pro
conceived notions and escape disagreeable
conclusions. Let the question bo answered
fairly and truly, whatever be tho result to
creed or theory. But do not in your zeal
tear down tho beautiful temple of religion
until you find it unsafe. Dig deep imd
examine the foundations, and if thoy bo
not based upon the rock then let it bo
pulled down, that we bo r.ot overwhelmed
in its ruiLs when tho winds and Hoods
beat upon it. Do not ask us to exchange
our hope based upon the word of God for
the opinions of men opinions which
lack all authority and depend upon certain
conditions which may and may not exist,
which are not susceptible of proof, and
give no reward to faith. Besides tho un
certainty of these theories, thoro is no
positive proof of a conflict between them
and the orthodox conception.
Many mon eminent in science have
found uo such conflict, and I venture tho
assertion that none ever will find it except
those who are looking more fora justillci
tion of a course of irroligion than for
truth
The idea of accounting for the joys of
Christians by psychological law seems to
mo the most absurd proposition in the ar
tide, as if any law, however general, com
passed all the varieties of temperament
and all the circumstances under which
these joys have boon experienced. What
other cause or principle has ever pro
duced the same result in thousands of
minds? Yet religion is the same in
all persons and under all conditions,
the difference in the feelings of its
possessors being onh; the difference
in their faith and perfection in the chris
tiau graces. Again what other cause has
wrought so complete a change in men ; a
change, not only in their minds but in
their acts and lives making the drunken
man sober; Jtho dishonest man honest;
the profane manareveroncorof God; and
even the scoffer, the infidel and the athe
ist, have been made humble dcsciplos by
its power. Those who have sot all the
strength of their wills against it and have
beon reached by the spirit of God and
convsneed of their error, showing that re
hgion is not dopendont entirely upon the
will. The faith of man is not entirely
within his own control. God can so im
press tilings upon his mind that he can.
not but believe thorn, but it remains for
him to decide whether he will act on his
belief or not.
But why id this desire among a ceitain
class of mon to overthrow the Bibb iUlj
religion? If the Bible is a i.,blc
Jesus Christ a myth, and the holy
spirit Hie creation of an on active
imagination, why waste so much timu
in lighting against a shadow."
Why attempt to shake the faith l nio3C
who are happy in tho possession ..( jt
since they have nothing better to offer,
and should religion be false its iulh n-ult
arc in no worse condition than tin most
poi feci theories of men would haw them
did thoy possess the soul of truth, lathis
search we should remember that truth i3
eternal, and look beyond this earthly cxis
tence. Such a religion as these n.en set
up cuts oil' all hope of a better lite and
makes death an eternal sleep. But it may
be answered that christians will n,,t ct
this subject rest but keep it continually
before the world ; true, but can you Manic
them? Would you not even dcspUi the
man who, believing you were in danger
of eternal death, should keep silent and
leave you lo escape or fall without. i wuru
ing? Would you not say, and that tuily,
that he was wanting in common humani.
ty? True religion has no place in the
heart of him who is willing to save him
self alone.
The supposition '-that the Bible is the
only interpretation of the imperfectly de
veloped finite mind could give of tin In.
finite and yotmay be a false interpretation"
is 1 think untenable. It must be either
the direct revalotion of God and therefore
true or the result of human speculation
in an age when few facilities for proving
the truth wore enjoyed, and consequently
lacks all authority.
There is no middle ground; it is God's
truth, or man's delusion.
"It is truly sad and absurd to array the
faculties of the mind against eacli other,
tho consciousness of the superhuman
against actual knowledge of Nature's
laws." It is equally sad and foolish in
tho facoof positive knowledge of sin and
degradation and the universal desire lor
a purer and betterstate of existence to de
ny tho existence of a Savior by whose
merits we may be reconciled to God.
Tho fact of sin is patent whether we
call It original, or by whatever name. It
does not require an original sin in our
first parents to condemn us since we have
violated the laws of God ourselves and
that wo have I think none will deny even
if God required at our hands obedience to
no other laws than those of nature and
our own being. It then, wo are ever to be
pure we must be purified; and If God be
pure wo must be, to enjoy his presence.
The groat questions then to be considered
are these: Is God an intelligent being or
a blind force V Are there any eternal prin
ciple of truth, justice and virtue, or are
they merely human attributes which have
no existence beyond the human mind'
These qiielion answered, the strife
ceases; for if thoy have a separate exis
tence, that existence is God. May they
bo answered speedily and may truth pre.
vail ? A. A. C.
In this number of the Studbnt will
bn found the report of our ex-business
mi'iiager, Mr. II. II. Wilson, which speaks
in more glowing terms of hia ability as
business manager than wo are able to do.
When Mr. Wilson took charge of the fi
nances of tho Student thoy were in a
very poor condition. Wo were running
behind each issue, but as soon as he ok
charge, the paper not only became self
supporting, but he has paid a part of tho
back indebtedness.
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