Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1882-08-10
(From az Raltimoriian.l

Il WV &t&% &%t&44sWagS NAAfa-
EVOLUTION AND CHRISTIANITY
Our neighbor, the american, has al
ways heretofore been regarded in the
community as among the most or
thodox, If not pious, of the secular
journals. Latterly, however, in its
Sunday editions, it INDUCES itself in
the widest latitude of modern ration
alism. The writer Of these abstruse
and reconcile dispositions upon &C.
clesiastical subjects, is evidently an
ardent disciple of Darwin, Herbert
Spencer and John Stewart Mill, and we
fear we must add, of Robert G. Tnger-
soil. We confess we have perused
them with some amazement, and
wondered why the clergy and the re-
ligious press have not taken their
author severely in hand for edifica-
ton, discipline and correction. We
do not see why they should spend
all their attention in castiga.ing Col.
Ingersoll, when so able aud audacious
a writer as this is suffered to IS I'M
challenged.
On Sunday Of last week, for in
stance, in an article entitled "Evo-
luton and Che Prophets" he assumed
that Christianity was simply grand
evolution from Genesis to Revela-
ton" He pretended to trace this
evolution through the Pentateuch,
historical period, and the Prophets Of
the Old Testament, and to quote his
own words, Christianity" he said,
twas evolved ont of Judaism, Paulism
out of Christianity, the Catholic or
ganism, priesthood and the sacra-
ments, out of the primitive faith /;
Protestanism out of Catholicism, and
rationalism out Of Professionalism. I"
From this he proceeded to argue that
the idea of the true God, or a pure
Deisms as he woald have it, struggled
through all these stages in a half-re-
allied and clouded sort of way, with
all the uncertainties Of evolution it
self, until now the full conception of
the Divine nature and attributes has
dawned Only upon modern rational
lists.
All the sacrifices and ceremonies of
the Mosaic law, this writer denounces
as idolatries, and the Sabbath, he
says, is the product of the Seven
Stars" Further on he says that
after the Sabbath was reverently set
aside by Christ and His apostles, did
not the sixteenth century Covenenters
and Puritans-idolaters and grovelers
in the Pentateuch-make a new Sab
bath ont Of the first day Of the week p
So much for his article on "Eyolu-
ton and the Prophets" But in an
other Of last Sunday, under the cap
ton Of the Rise of Man." he went
many steps further. He contended
that the idea Of the Fall of Man, :"
and original sin, was a gross super
stition and error, arising out OF 'sev-
eral Of the forms of religion, that have
originated in Asia" at II not" he
said, "easy to see how the fall Of man
and the depravity of all human ma
ture entered Christianity. In its
complete horror it is of very recent
date-not much more than three CEN
turtles old" As logical sequence,
he reasons from this, that ifthere was
no fall there was no need of the atom
ment, or as the writer states IL, -'sfor
God to kill His own Son, in ordes
that His wrath against man may be
appeased, or that man should satisfy
Divine justice BY being washed in the
blood Of an innocent victim"
Upon this view Of the subject he
says, the whole of that awful bias
phemy against God''-original sin
and the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS like a
hideous dream" He concludes with
the serene observation, which may
not be as satisfactory to many Of his
readers as to himself, that "now the
study Of prehistoric man sweeps away
the ugly myth Of the fall Of man, and
I gives us q God Of love instead Of a
/ God of wrath and vengeance
IL there is anything more thorough
II sceptical or deistical in the writ
ings Of Robert IngersOll or Thomas
Paine than in these articles Of the
American, we have failed to find it.
We turn them over 10 the theologians
and the religious journals for such
critical attention As they may deserve.
FFo8s The Cumberland AIlegaaiaa)
UNITE on PRIxcIPLEs.-The Balti-
more Day is doubtless sincere in it.
| efforts to harmonic conflicting ele-
ments ia the Democratic party, and
recently it had very able editorial
npon the necessity Of unity for par
tvs sake; but it did not follow up it.