The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-10-29

F~o-----1rO
reverend writer, aftsr stating that at
tempts are bang made to start Q new
arctic expedition by help Of congress,
thus says, s'This is simply another evi-
dence that the fool family stiIl lives an
propoGatea" Thence he tries to pro
coed from religious standpoint to
prove thAt God has given mankind o
certain limited space 20 snusa them
selves il vain attempts % explore the
mysteries of this earth for ''so-cailed sci
entifc purposes" but when they reach
the limits and try TO exceed them, they
sre met with the flaming sword and
those words; "Thus far shalt thou 60
and no furtheT."-Well, it il an old
tory, that religion and science always
have been In strong opposition TO each
other, but it is also an evident fact that
in this struggle religion long ago has
been left far behind, for the good and
benefit of men. Still she tries to-dsy TO
take up the fight again. and though IL il
srather funny and must be little pleasant
TO tn, mselves in our days Of the nine.
teenth century, with the magnificent and
unqu fashionable proofs and facts, science
has given OF her power, religious fanat-
les dare call those great and heroic men
''the fool family" have sacrificed them
selves on the altar OF science, and still
do 1t in exploring ana uneagthlng to The
very benefit OF mankind, the so-caIled
mysteries of earth"
Now, will not condemn religion, but
confess that she has her place on earth,
aud 'es much good, inside her limits,
but she has her limits. and when che
reaches them, she has TO stop, while sci
ence and the free human mind and will
are unlimited. As soon as religion ex-
ceeds her limits she does no good, and
she looses always as against science,
because she contradicts herself at
the same moment that she takes the i'm.
portsDt step. The article, of course OPP
poses the right of science TO make un-
limited exploration of this world, asdIi it
dos this from a religious standpoint.
Very we'll. am willing to start frem
the same base
Let Us, then, take the very foundation Of
the Christian religion, the Holy scrip.
lures. They teach US that man was made
in the image of his creator, the Divine /;
and this creator thence told his creatures
TO cultivate the earth. make her useful
and submissive TO them. Here il the
Divine command to His creature made
in His own image. without limits ::
without thus far shalt thou 60 and no
further" Now think that every relig-
ious man will agree with me that the eve
are made in the image of God" Is to be
understood that we have gotten our free
Will and mind. This Is the Divine with
In US. According to the Bible the d.
vine Himself has no limits; thus the
Divine In US, made ia the image of Him
can have no limits. and the earth was
given to US TO be cultivated, explored
and made submissive of the Divine pow
er In US. Now, then, the teachers of the
very religion builded upon this founda-
ton come and tell us the Divine in man
is limited. Thus if the Divine in man
Is like the Creator Himself. He must, Of
course, also be limited In His Divinity,
No, says religion, "He is not limited
He is the worlds creator" Here we are
just IN the weak points of Of religion
here are contradictions. Now, sup
the Holy Scriptures ought to be more
reliable than anything else inside Of re-
ligion. "Of course" the whole reli ion
Well, then, the Bible teaches that man
is created IN the image OF God. As He
is Divine. man must be also Divine. Lei
US stop here. Will agree IN that. But
then says religion: "Wetl, that Is TO b<
understood SO loDgas man keeps him.
self inside the protecting wings of relig
ion, then he is divine like his creator
but as soon as he tries to go outside
these limits and use his divine free vii
| in its freedom, then his divinity il
strongly limited" Now, suppose tits 4
be taken for granted that either mar
divine in some parts and
| not in others, and onca
made divine he has to be divine forever
After what the Bible teaches, suppos,
also it must be granted, that man IL
diviae. Now as contradictive as relig-
ion is in this question, she is in every
thing; and therefore she cannot help q
give herself up entirely for Sciences
powerful facts and strong proofs from
the Divine nature.
The article proceeds thence in saying
that man has failed in building ~
houses fifty stories high, has failed II
navigation of steamers over $50 feet long
has failed, when he tried TO exceed
over three miles mp in thu
atmosphere, and he gives Us ihosC
things as proofs TO the limit Of scienct
and the human mind. Far from beins
proofs for failure, they just show whaI
man can do by the help OF science
Everything takes time, and Science, in
particular, takes her time, SIMPLY be-
cause she goes on facts, strong facts, moi
TO be altered. How would religion have
treated q man three hundred years
ago, If he had told the world we could
cross the ocean without sail or wind
He would have been killed as q fool
Still, in spite of religion, do we travel
all the world over by the help Of steam,
and still in spite of religion Will the
Arctic question be solved to the benefit
of the world. Because we, to-day. are
too shortsighted to see the use OF Arctic
expeditions or the explorations of these
far away parts of the earth, We have moi
the least right to call these men go fool
| family" who offer their lives snd sacTi.
fee themselves IN making those parts Of
the earth useful 60 mankind. But these
men will also be hOnored and appreci.
ated, if it also takes time. How? did il
not take time before mankind under.
stood and appreciated Calico, Newton,
James Watt. George Stephenson, Fulton,
Franklin and many others, and do we moi
honor them now?
What would the world to day have
been If the religious darkness of The
days of the middle ages still had rule
human mind broke the chains, as they
will break any chains and limits. The
Arctic and many other questions surely
will be solved in time by the UNLIMITED
divinity in human minds and science q
the great benefit of the world, and no