Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-11-04
Is Man ImmOrtaI9 Is There a God

Is Man Immortal 2 Is There q God
| We are asked by correspondents to
IeXplain many points which have puz.
zled the sharpestthinkers in thewOrld.
Here is an instance. We are request
ed to prove to the satisfaction of the
Inquirer that religion is a truth, -
and also two points of the greatest
importance, viz: "the existence of
God, and the immortality of man. -
We feel ourselves constrained to say
something in response.
| The trouble with all skeptics in re-
ligiOus matters begins in a radical
mistake, viz: that religion is to be
eOmprehended solely by the intellect.
Most skeptics are intellectual people
who deifv intellect, or at least raise il
above the emotional part of their be-
ing, and whatever cannot be reeog-
nized by intellect, they deny the truth
of; whereas the whole group of the
religious organs is located, not in the
intellectual region, but in a special
group above. The same is true of the
social group. Love is not an intellect
ual, but an emotional element. Love
of man and woman does not depend
upon their strength of intellect. Some
times people love inspite of the teach
ings of intellect, even against the sug-
gestiOns of reason. Is love, therefore,
not truth because il does not depend
upon the intellect or act according to
the strength or weakness of the rea-
son? Every body knows that we do
not love in proportion to our intellect
ual strength. Skepties say, Here is
great philosOpheF,--he does not be-
lieve in religion" Suppose we say,
Here isa great philosopher,-he does
not believe in marriage;;" would that
be an argument against marriage?
But suppose it were said, "Here is
man of weak intelligence who thinks
his wife and children are the chiefest
considerations of life he will suffer
and serve that they may enjoy" shall
we say wife and children are not de-
sirable because a very intellectual
man ignores them and the weak
minded man almost worships them ?
1t is said, "Here is philosopher who
is not Christian" If men had TO
become philosophers before they be-
came Christians there would be few
Christians among men. Every body
knows that mans love is not ground
ed upon the strength of intellect and
if you were to attempt to prove intel
lectually the existence of mans love,
you would utterly fail No man can
appreciate logical statement relative
to it who has not the feeling instinct
lively within him. We know that
love between the sexes depends upon
a certain organic condition, the brain
harmonizing with the physical nature.
Now let us suppose that the physical
las sometimesit is in animalsl was ar
tifieially changed; could a poet so sit
uated write of female beauty? Would
he have any conception of it? HistO-
~ tells us that eunuehs hate women,
that they detest and despise them |;
but they are not destitute of intellect.
Why can not they reason. out that
woman is beautiful and lovely? Show
usa man who is destitute of moral and
religious organs, or has them feebly
developed, no matter how much intel
lect he may have, he will be a eunuch
in respect to religion or religious ideas.
But men very often defy the intel
lect and think they must silence eve
~ emotion, especially in religious
matters, until tbs reason can work out
the problem,
You must see, in the light of this
argument, the folly of reducing reIig-
ion, which is the product of emotion,
to the standard of mere intellect.
True, reason helps the mother to love
her child. Reason helps man to APP
preciate the beauty which emotion
suggests; and reason aids the relig-
ious man; but the feeling must exist
first, and the reason must act seconda-
rily and under the inspiration and
guidance of the feeling. In regard TO
the existence of a Supreme Being, the
lowef'animals exhibit no recognition
of such Power. They never yield
to any being as superior to themselves
until, after they have tried their
strength with him. Man, though he
does not see God, has in his nature 8
sentiment or feeling which leads him
to look up to a Supreme Power and
willingly confess hissubjection to that
Power. Wherever man is found on
the earth, however debased, barbarOus
or ignorant, he is found with an idea
of Immortality and Supreme Being;
and though among the lOweat OrderOf
men demonolOgy perhaps is more
prevalent than theology, the feeling of
subserviency TO supernatural eXisten-
ces is substantially the same instinct
i've religious sentiment which is
known to the highest civilization.
Our inference is, that religion is not
the work of priest-craft or invention,
but that il is inwrOught with the very
essence of our being. The lower an
imals provide for their offspring pre-
cisely what should be provided for
eirhealth and comfort, and do it the
first time without any previous exam
pie. This we call instinct, and is it
not truth Is not the treatment
adapted to the necessities of the case?
Could reason alone teach the young
mother-human or animal-tO man
age as well as she does for her child? a.?
The mother that is in her, instructive
ly manages rightly, with or without
intellect. Now we may understand
what is meant by instructive sympa-
thytOward God, toward Immortality.
The lower orders of the human race
exhibit this instructive religious feel
ing. Rude, barOarous, though it may
be, still they yearn for God and inn
mortality; and as true as the needle
points to the pole, so true does the
heart of man, in spite of ignorance on
other subjects, point toward Creator
and an Immortality. 1t is a part of
mans being to be religious as it is
part of his being to love; and as love
to God and love among the human
race are emotional instincts not origi-
mating in or measured by reason, we
would thank those gentlemen who
undertake to reduce everything to
an intellectual standard to remember
that all things cannot be proved by
that standard. This instructive feel
ing when duly exercised, leads one to
go to his Lord and Redeemer in
child-like manner and say, Here l
am,-dO with me as thou wilt" and
thus find peace.-PhrcROLogicdL Jour
nal.
What Does "Selah" Mean.
Everybody has asked that question.
The RibIiOfhPcJ aSqcrn saws: