The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-05-20
Written for The Spirit of Democracy
EVOLUTION VS.. CREATION.
ByWilliam Milligan.
CHAPTER I.

BY William Milligan.
CHAPTER I.
Can being bring itself into being I?
Can being, e,ernally existing, withdraw
itself from existence Does any thing
exist without beginning? If so, is it ir-
finite or finite2 Is it all or only part ?
Is it the sum or only some7 Can any
thing be added 10 the infinite in entity or
attribute, in extent, number relation,
form or motion2 Does not infinite ir-
clude all actualities, all potentialities, al
antecedents, all subscquen,s, all caus' :,
:all.effsct? Can the iEfnite be increased
or diminished'2 Is it not the all in one
the one in all Is Creation self-evident 2
Is it probable, is it possible, when the
eternally existing 'comprehends all aciu-
alilies and all possibilities2 To say that
something which always has existed is
infinite, and then say that that same thing
has created something which is not ir-
clnded within itself is equivalent to de-
nying lis infniteness, and amounts TO an
absurdity. Now give to the eternaliy
existing whatever name you please, God
or Deity, and predicate of this God or
Deity in6ni,eness.l Can you then say
that mind, matter, motion, force, space
and time existed outside Of and was Gre
ated by that God without destroying the
attribute of in6niteness IF the Uni
verse did not always exist, but was cr'-
ated by the infinite. is not the Uni
verse so much adled to that which was
before infinite? Now Create signifies
to cause to exist, to form out of nothing
But the human mind by no mental effort
can conceive of such an event. Chris
tisn philosophers deny this definition and
say "Creation is not springing of some
thing ont of nothing; it is conceivable
to US merely as an evolution Of new
form of existence out of Deity. All
that is actually existing in the universe
now existed in Deity prior to creation"
But this is Specification somewhat dif-
ferent from that in Genesis, and confound
Creation with Evolution and Deity with
the Universe. and might answer the pur-
pose of Pantheisi, but is too narrow
for an Evolnlionist and altogethar too
broad for a Creationist The mind can't
escape the conviction that something has
alwas existed. Now the ofllrmation OF
eternal existence is equivalent to the de-
nial of Creation. II something has al
ways existed, all things have, since the
infinite must include all.
We read in one of Mct1uffey's series
of school readers something like The fo..
lowing: S X thousand years ago there
was no sun, and this earth wss not, but
there never was time when God did
not exist. And when the time come to
make this universe, He created it out oil
Lnotbinn~ Suclt-istttrz==-ffuT
children and imbihed in their developing
minds before they are capable of reason
ing on such subjects, and nine -.enths o
them accept them as veritable facts, and
never make any investigation for them
selves. Is there any wonder, that sinct
such things have been impressed on the
plastic minds OF youth, that the worlt
should be still cropping along in igno
rance and superstition? This teaching
! is not pretended to be based on reason
but on the authority of book; but thu
authenticity Of that book is no bette
established than is the Koran, the Veda
the Z .ndervesta or Damphopada, or any
other of the various sacred books
These things are taken auhoritatively a,
needing no proof but self evident, and t
investigate them is dangerous and t
doubt them is to be damned" Such
course of teaching acts as lnanac!es t
the mind, and fetter our reason, dispa-a
ges thought, ,dscards investigation, makes
dupes OF mankind, easy subjects to d.
signing priests. These things have beef
taught for series Of centuries; genera
ton after generation have imbibed then
through tradition, until they have be
come pars and parcel of their being
entered into the structure of their men
tai and physical organization. Now fiv
minutes Of honest, sober thought woult
suffice to show them the absurdity O
their notions. Admit that it requires
powerful mental exertion to conceive o
the eternal existence of matter and il
concomilant force. Still it is muc
harder, aye, impossible, to think of
time when there was no matter, no force
no time and no space; to think of sue
is utterly impossible.
| The idea of Creation originated in th
uncritical and unscientificai ages, ,and ha
been transmitted to US through the abys
of darkness and superstition. But da
has began to dawn; men are beginning
to think; thought is no more regarde
as dangerous; investigation is no NOR
considered crime; men are brginnin
to respect the Apostles injunction, ant
to render hope for the reason that is i
their. Tue holy rostrum is ceasing t.
be screen behind which nonsense ca
be proclaimed with impunity; the sane
tity OF the pulpit no longer serves as
protection from criticism. The age {
faith in the supernatural has passed th
age Of reason has come. Theology al
pears to be the knowledge Of the ur
movable, or, as one has said, the ign6
rance of things reduced to system
These same Doctors emphasiz 8 faitl
stultiiies reason and science as WORTHLESS
and dangerous. Martin Luther's adviC
to his followers was to "Let natural sc
ence alone, it is enough that thou know
est that fire is hot and frost is cold
knowest thou how oughtest thou to tire,
thy fi,ld. thy cow, thy horse, thy wi
and children, that is enough of natur
science for thee. Think how thou msye
earn Christ; thus wilt thou find OF
God and thyself, which no natural ma
ter or natural scieEce can teach. Fail
is stronger than heaven or earth itturr
stone into water and brings water out {
fire." Such mumbo jumbo might pa
in the days Of Martin Luther, and
some extent, in some places. when shielt
ed by the sanctity of the pulpit, may sti
pass. But there is large number an
fast increasing class of people that wi
respect reason. Science has taught the
that theology is not to be relied on, an
they have nothing but reason aided /
experience to direct them through IL
various and conflicting scenes of life.-
They have learned by experience ar
5 observation that the so-called miracalo,
i benefits proceeding from faith in IL