The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-10

Our esteemed contemporary, the Times,
says IL Is not the province OF u newspaper
to deal with religious questions. This is nm
old error and n serious one. Newspapers
should deal with every question that con-
Germs human nature, human conduct, or
human welfare. IL IL just as much their
right and their duty To deal with religious
questions as with political or social qucs-
tions, from which latter, religion as a practi-
cal force, cannot In fact DO properly sepa-
rated. No questions are so interesting to
mankind as religious questions, and none
more necessary to be discussed by news
papers, not from the point Of view OF sec
tarianism, but from that Of reason and COM
mon sense. IL IL in great part TO the neglect
of the newspapers to explain and enforce
religious truth and religious principle that
the Generalization OF these times is due.
Every day Of the week The sun receives
letters upon religious questions; and though
1t may not be in our power 10 print moro
than one IN u hundred Of them, We know
that those we arc able to give are relished,
in so far as they are true and sound, by our
readers who are imbucd with the spirit Of
truth and wisdom To-day wo present
few Of these letters which deserve notice
j. j. b., who writes one Of Them Is evidently
a man Of intelligence, but his main idea is
not satisfactory to us. He hopes that faith
will disappear from the world, and that rea-
son will take its place. We cannot Join in this
dismal hope. True faith and genuine reason
are not antagonists, but friends. One does
not require the death of the other; but both
must live together tremendously in every
mans mind. There Is a province OF faith
and n province Of reason; and the province
Of faith begins where that OF reason ends
The inilnit" is beyond the grasp Of reason,
but faith takes hold Of it, and thereby exalts
the soul OF man. We hold that the disap-
pcarance Of faith from the human mind
would involve the greatest mental degrade
tion that it is possible To conceive, and would
darkcn the horizon instead OF enlightcning
the world.
Our Alabama correspondent, GEORGE b.
GATHER who writes another OF to-days
letters, works himself up into a state Of
anger against THE Sun, which he de-
scribes as bigoted and supcrsttious
Though his charges are basclcss and
scnseless, We do not deny him the oppor-
tunity Of making them in our columns. THE
SUN does not take, and never took me posi-
tion which he assails with so much heat
We do not say, and never said. that all men
outside the churches Of these times are in
fidels. For these reasons we do not see that
we can hold a controversy with Mr.. GATHER
on the ground he has taken up. In fact, we
agree with not u few Of his notions.
We have next the letter OF Skeptomai,"
who, II VIZ understand him correctly, holds
that the doctrines Of regeneration, immor-
tality, and damnation are not taught in the
Scriptures, and thereby puts himself in an
tagonism with the fundamental doctrines Of
the theology Of the whole Christian world.
lie refrains, however, from telling us what he
docs believe; and, until nc gives us his
creed, we are unable to indulge in argument
over it, He objects to being called an intldel.
however, as strongly as Mr.. GATHER does !;
and SO among our three correspondents Of
to-day, we find but one, J. j. b., who admits
his opposition to religion, who would abolish
faith from the world, and who therefore can
not complain Of being wrongly charged with
iniidclity.