The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-05-12
NO.. 8.


FRIEND RICH: a.-s.-.,-,
must confess it impresses me
very unpleasanty to see so much of the
leading intellect and influence of your
place devoted to the ungrateful work of
assailing the foundations of the Christian
faith. l cannot but regard the tendency
of such teachings as evil and only evil
the proper work of those only whose aim
is mischief, and, for community, sui
cidal. Do not these gentlemen know
that were it possible for them TO succeed
in subverting the religion Of Jesus, that
the freedom and security and enlighten-
ment and refinement of which they are
partakers, would be destroyed with it?
The history of civilization shows unmis-
takably that the improvement of society
and Of whatever belongs to humanity in
general, is due in no small degree to the
influence of Christianity and that wher-
ever its light has waned or been extin-
guished, there has been retrograde
movement. not only in public morality,
but in the essential elements of temporal
well-being, generally. This is the obvi-
Gus reading of history. in most gener
al and superficial view, and believe. is
abundantly borne out by special and de-
tailed examination. Ought not then, ey-
cry well-wisher of his fellow men, and
of the community in which he lives, who
by the eye of reason can see g God in
history" whatever clouds obscure his
spiritual vision, to deliberate long before
attempting, by specious objections or
sophistical argument, or by any other
means, to destroy the wholesome re-
straints of religious faith, and let loose
licentious unbelief to blight all that is
hopeful. and suly all that is pure
So much concerning the poIicy-the
social economy-of teaching intidelity.
without reference to the question of truth
or error, except as the truth of religion
is implied in its good fruits. A few
words on another point.
AS an humble cultiyator, and ardent
admirer of the physical sciences. feel
called upon to enter protest against
their being falsely claimed to support
doctrines which they do not teach, NOV
ed thereto especially by two reasons =
first, that those doctrines are essentially
pernicious and, second, that thereby
undeserved discredit is brought on sci
ence.
Geology, especially, has been victim
lied by attempts to press it into the SER
vice of Inidelity. 1t is to be remem-
bered that Geology is yet young sci
ence, of which indeed something is
known, but much more remains to be
learned. II has doubtless arrived at some
conclusions that stand all tests, and arc
even confirmed by every new discovery
touching them, and may, therefore, be
accepted as true, and maintained with
confidence. Yet in the opinion of the
most eminent Of its cultiyators. many of
its theories are as yet only provisional,
and, with spirit Of candor which lesser
men may do we'll to initiate, freely admit
that in the light of future developments
they may need revision. OF its natural
conclusions, none, rightly understood,
gives countenance to the doctrines or
doubts of Atheism. On the contrary,
the more thoroughly the facts of Geolo-
gy are studied, and their manifold rela-
tons brought out, the more obvious ap-
pears harmony of parts which calls
perpetually for new admiration, and the
more clearly stands out the agency of an
Intelligent Design in their causation.
! 1t is true that some crude hypothesis
have been gotten up on the basis of early
intimations-mere foreshadowings-of
great principle which geological research
has brought to light, which (hypotheses)
the enemies of religion have thought to
make available for their purposes. The
germs of certain important principles Of
this kind, brooded upon by exuberant
fancy and purpose of perversion, rather
than by rigid reason and candid spirit.
may have seemed at first to suggest dis
crepancies between scientific and relie-
ious truth but just in proportion as
they have been developed into their full
and fair proportions. have the difficulties
disappeared. and the anticipated triumph
Of opposars, whether of revelation or Of
geology, brought to an end. SO con
stantly has this been the course of opin-
ion heretofore, that judging the future by
the past, as well as trusting in the eter-
nal truth of God. the christian geologist
has no fear that any future discoveries