The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1882-09-14
Written for the RECORD.
WHAT Is AGNOSTICTsM !?

have seen this question asked SO frt
quently in the papers during the last fey
years and the answers have, in most cases
been SO indefinite, that it seems right tha
a more definite explanation Of this ism b
given. Agnosticism is, in the first place
an acknowledgment Of mans ignoranc
in regard to certain questions in philoso
ply. What these questions are will be ex
planned more fully as we proceed.
It will be necessary to briefly review
some of the leading systems OF philosoph,
in order to place before the reader the rela
tive position and Importance Of this com
paratively new system.
Is there q personal God? Shall we 1iy,
after death? How did the universe come
into existence or didit always exist?
These and a hundred other questions o.
a like character are answered in different
ways BY nearly every system. Material
ism denies the existence Of personal frs
cause; the existence of a soul (Ss an i'm
material something within u.s. and of g
future spiritual life for mankind. It af-
firms that the universe Of matter and force
has always existed and that nothing else
does exist
Pantheism affirms that the universe OF
matter and force is in itself God; that all
matter is portion Of His substance and
that the Universe is eternal The majority
of believers in this system deny a future
life to man and affirm that he will be an
initiated. The Hindus call this annihila-
tion Nlryana and believe that they will
lose their individuality by being reabsorb-
ed by the Spirit Of God from whence they
came.
Scepticism denies everything that can
not be verified by experience. Positiyism
gives negative answer to all these ques-
tions. 1t does, however, affirm that man
kind has kind Of post-mortem influence
ON the lives of the living, i. e., that our
good actions as well as our evil ones do
greatly influence the lives Of those who
come Immediately after rs.
Christianity, on the contrary, answers
all of these questions in the affirmative, on
at least claims to have positive knowledge
concerning them.
1t is certain that all Of these systems can
not be right, and it must also be admitted
that each system has had and still has very
many great men in its train Of disciples.
In the midst Of so many systems, and I
have noticed only the most prominent ones,
many have found it difficult to accept any.
of them. When man has reached a point
where everything seems slipping from rn-
der him, then Agnosticism steps in and
gives the only answer possible. It says
that the very fact Of the existence of so
many theories proves that all Of them are
wholly or at least partly wrong, and that
no positive knowledge is possible concern
ing these questions. For had there been
such positive knowledge then there would
have been but one system.
1t can be easily shown that all theories
concerning such questions as the existence
of a personal God, or future life, can only
give us more or less probable answers, and
that anything like certainty is in the ma
ture of things, impossible. The position
which Agnostics assume then is this: hav-
ing no certainty, we must, as honest men
and women, withhold our Judgment on all
such questions.
We will follow the golden rule until we
find a better one, and will be honest and
our ignorance on these mat |
ters.
Human life is like a party who set sail
in ship. They do not know the pilot, the /
route or the destination. Agnostics are
the same as the other passengers; if the
ship goes down, very well, If she reaches
port they will go on shore with the rest.
One result of this belief is to turn men
from all questions which do not admit of
positive answers, to the real and known
work Of life on this earth and the pursuit |
IF the good, the true and the beautiful in
al their manifold manifestations
The great majority Of mankind have
oeen Agnostics since the beginning of au-
5hentic history. The oldest book in the
Bible has given us a description Of one of
he greatest Of men as well as one Of the
irst Agnostics. Job asks the question ''If
| man die, shall he live again ?'' We the
modern followers answer his question with
he plain statement that we do not know.
G.. II. II.