The Leavenworth weekly times., 1876-04-06
pARWINIsM IN THE PULPIT.

The Rev ]. T. Sutherland, pastor OF the
Fourth Unitarian Church, Chicago,
preached remarkable sermon two weeks
ago. He reviewed the conflict between
Darwinism and religion, and pointed out
the fact that the conflict was not 70 great
as the strictly orthodox sought to make
their followers believe. In every struggle
with scientific truth the orthodox have had
to yield. He contended that Mr.. Darwin
does not seek to remove God from develop
ment; that it does not any the less require
gradual growth Of fifty years than it would
to create a tree at once full size. The
Scientists idea Of God makes him a God
of law, a God of order and a God Of mag
ni6cent, never-iesting, all comprehending
progress. Darwinism does not necessarily
involve a denial of the existence of the
soul and life beyond. As utterances like
these are 90 seldom heard from the pulpit,
Mr.. Sutherland's sermon is worth at least
passing notice. As specimen argument
we quote the following:
''The ground that rarwinism proposes to investi-
gate if not metaphysical or theological, inclusive
OF the spirit world ather taking man as he is
as We all see hiran know him, il asks the simple
question How did he come to be what he Is
Was it by q single, sudden act of creation, by
process Of gradual development? Nothing less nor
more than that. And may not man be an immor-
tai spirit Just well il he came TO his present
dition by one road as by another? Is there any
particular virtue in the dust of the ground, that
he should he more likely 10 be immortal if made out
of that than if he developed from the intelli
gent of the brute creation? Why may We not argue
jus the other way, and say the higher the origin
destiny we have n right 10 claim for him And
surely rigin from ether forms of animal life is
higher than origin f. ON red EARTH for the word
Adam means red earth Mo- IL coming 10 be
what W are Ms q race, through develo lnent, pre-
vents having souls, and destroys our immortali
", then II must be thas coming L, what in
diyidualy you and l. by DEVELOPMENT, prevents
our, your and my immortality, AMI possession of
souls For, whatever may be said OF the race, you
and did come to be what We are by development
this nobody can deny. And We have developed
into men and women from forms Of life lower,
too in intelligence, than apes and monkeys and
gorilla, Indeed we can scarcely conceive of a liv
ing thing with less intelligence than a new born
babe And if from an infant that terally does not
know anything not black from white, not an ob-
ject a mile away from object within arms reach,
not a living person from DEAD thing splendid in
anu utNtioH
say that the development Of the race race from
animals well nigh as intelligent now some men,
and a thousand times more intelligent than infants,
involves a loss of mans immortality and the inn
Possibility Of his having soul distinct from his
body Nay, mo than that, if in order TO be pos
sessed of living soul and an essential Immortality,
there must be sudden creation, then the only I'M
mortal persons and the only persons with souls that
have ever lived on the earth were Adam and Eve.
For they were the only man and woman created.
All the rest came 10 manhood and womanbood by
fha x.f al
spiritual and even bodily powers il involves than
Darwinism claims for the race a race"