New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-03-18
RELIGION AND MOBILITY.
LETTER FROM PROF. TAYIER LIE

LETTER FROM PROF. TAYLER LEWIS.
sruR DIM Unknown r-RELiGIoN IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT HEBREW WORDS FOR 1.-THE
GREEK woRD-PossIBLE EVOLUTION OF DEVIL
Mr. CoNwAY-THE NEW TESTAMENT PURE
RELIGION -" UNsPOTTED FROM THE WORLD"
TO me razor or The Trtd"he'
Sra. I'm the letters addressed to you by yOnr
numerou, spondents questions Biblical heoos
cal and scientific, much Interested They are some
times very suggestive often tempting me TO say few
words by way of explanation or reply There Is one III
TIE TRIBUNE VI Feb 20 which would seem 10 can ior
this and the more especially as the writer VINO signs
himself NASH" refers to me by name He mas much 10
say OF the Great Unknown" the Dim UNKNOWN whom
he perss in styling God though he has no sort OF Idea
OF him except that is not the God Of the Bible not the
cod sp,ep Of by Jesus Christ not tho God OF the dark
ages but 1.-THE larger idea OF natures Deity-whae'er
that may be-" This "Dm Unknown" he seems to regard
with immense alteration, which would not distuip'
Whether this God, rs he calls 1t, or Whatever MAY
ber is something other than ourselves" as Matthew
,r,od exnresses IT, or whether 1t belongs wholly
IN the subjective world does not clearly ap-
near MY obtusencss wholly fails to comprehend
this writer, and therefore / turn TO another
whose letter f. headed The Religion OF Morality This
correspondent ia more ineligible. He seems to be
vcr, moral man. with more religion, too, should think
than would appear he implied in hs language, Though
he evidently does not like the term. He treats the Bible
foo oUite fairly and quotes from IL as book OF good
authority but with some misapprehenson think OF its
scope aud meaning lie seems to hold that the Scriptures
both old aud new little religion In them, though "a
full as they can of morality Now this may surely DE
called strange discovery. It has been generally sup
posed that gion prominent subject OF the Bible
God seems to appear every page his worship MS
retribntions hi, interchangeable imperium demanding
the unconditional homage OF individuals and OF nations
No flesh shall glory in Ills presence :" Should lie ne
strict to mark iniquity who could stand before Him;
ITO His bchoding the heavens are Lot pure ltis
this trait I'm the Bible, God everywhere proclaming MS
holiness and demanding religious reverence, that would
seem to make dIstastefu TO nndelS whom we all
know 10 be very moral people. Surely II the Bible were
work so full Of morality and with so little Religion or
none mt ALL they would not hate IL So nor so Hereby de-
rand it's Punishment from our schools
But let us attend to the exegess Of your moral cores
ponIent at would be well TO remember" lie says,
that throughout the Old Testament at least we con
FINALLY find the words righteousness and holiness.
righteous, and gody' used instead OF religion and re-
ious" 1t has been commonly supposed that the words
bolness and cody had some intimate connection with
the religious idea but let that pass "TheSe words he
adds carry with them the very Quintesscnec OF moral
yp Let me say writer. with all respect that he
seems to have bewldered by the reading OF Matthew
Arnold Does he mean by righteousness that rigte-
business God" which Saviour commands us To seek
first OF ai God is called in the Bible the home OF
r,b,eousness the "beauty Of righteousness" lie ia
called the fountain OF e aud the recognition of this
Is religion II the worlds morality Acknowledges such
source such sanction all the better for IL we will not
quarrel about names though names are sometimes very
inporfant things II IL knows such religious source.
then does it pro-, itself worthless conventional casis
try with nothing 10 hold II up prevent its falling ever
dragging down It's professors or dragged down by them.
to any depth that may suit the social convenience est
mated by the standard of any political social economy
The writer would all this more clearly II he did not
sufer himself 10 get bcwildered by words Religion
is observed by your lady correspondent from Delaware
IA Latin word very good one properly understood,
but our old Bible rausators showed their wisdom and
their taste by rendering nervous Hebrew into
ing AngoSaxon, strong and clear IL Is this emphatic
Itcralness so enrichng Ia own language that your
correspondent oycrlooks IL comes directly In our way
and therefore hope it will not be deemed pedanc II
10 back TO the original here. The Hebrew word for re
gon in the Old Testament Is most pregnant with self
defining Significance 1t il Wrath iehordh, the fear of
the Lord" so repeatedly declared TO be the beginning
OF all wisdom" 1t ia though without this aNfu quick
enng idea all other knowledge was darkness, all phllo
sophy dead and all morality but form Of worldly ami
nal selfshness or selfinterest enlightened"
ghteped This the root religion In its ground and
principle There Is another for In its practical
aspec but still religion, because still associated with
the name Of God which the world ia commanded TO
acknowledge and adore. IL Is derek fehordh " the way
OF tho Lord Christ takes both names TO himself when he
TO remark that the primitive Greek word for religion has
precisely the same meaning and the same significant
emoogy. 1t deisidGnloia, In its earliest and prest
sense the awe OF the divine. IL afterward rails from
ths-not having been upheld rs were the Hebrew terms
and comes to mean the dread Of Fortune Fate, Des
tIny Descending still lower, it becomes synonymous
with superstton tho fear OF fetishes tho dread OF
some dim unknOwn"-to use the language OF the re
ieon hating scolist who has security against any
awful thing that nature may evolve devil that she
may develop of her dark womb Of correlated forces
even has developed Mr. Conway who does not be-
ieye In any devil yet holds that he himself all of him,
body SOUL bones brains and consciousness, with his
lecture too and all Its ideas, out OF nebuar gas
with no aid, or Interference" from anything super
natural or divine Among nations left TO themselves, It
is ever the case that whatever may be their advance in
outward civilization moral and religious terms have ever
fallen from state OF comparative prneval purity,
which, in some strange way, had been originally given
to them 1t presents interesting question for tho
phologist Should science del n to give some attention
to these spiritual phenomena she might perhaps make
discoveries of value than any the spectrum reveals
In respect to the gases Of Sirius.
"Christ never used the word religion" says your
correspondent a." Well. what would he make of that
Christ never used the word "morality." Religion. as
we have seen has very definite idea but what meant
by moral tyi The word Is well enough, II properly
used and yet In consequence Of abuse to have
lsss Of Xed meaning than almost any other ethical term