Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-19
ATHElSTIC INSANITY.
" Tho Fool Hath Said In His Heart There
Ia No God"

!" Tho FOOL HATH SAID In His Heart There
IL No God"
Atheism Is a rare disease, and gen.
orally does not affect its victim very
long. At any rate it is not easy foi
the human soul to become and remain
q continuous and consistent atheist
And the reason Is that God Is stronger
than man. Paul says of the hcathen:
THAT which may be known of God
Is manifest IN them; for God hath
showed it unto them For the invisible
things Of Him from the creation of tho
world arc clearly seen. being under
stood by the things that are Qde, oven
His eternal power and Godhcad.
Here is one of the rock truths OF hui
manity which nothing can uphcave.
What some one said of Spinoza-viz..
that he was "God-intoxicated soul"
may in II certain sense be affirmed OF
every human being. No sane man can
get away from the intuitions that
rise up within-his moral powers,
his conscience and aspirations testi-
flying to the existence Of the Deity,
rnd Of accountability 20 Him. Hence
Julius Cgsar. although proiesscd un.
believer in the gods Of Romc-and per-
haps this was not very strange consid-
cring what kind of representations
they were could not resist the convic-
ton OF an unseen power at the helm OF
the universe guiding and guarding the
dcstinies Of men. And so, notwith-
standing his atheiStic creed, he fell on
his knees during his great triumphal
procession, and prayed to Nemesis, tho
goddess of vengeance, with all his
might, nay. climbed series ot stairs
on his knees, repcatingprayers Mt every
stop, that he might be protected from
the envy of mortals II it bG said this
was superstition, we reply, "but the
superstition itself sprang out OF our
moral intuitions. forcing us to recog-
nize an all-controlling hand of Provi-
dcncc behind the curtain of eternity,
and using men as puppets to play nc.
cording to its will"
We suppose that this impoSsibility OF
not acknowledging God was what
Hume meant when, being entertained
by company of brilliant Frenchmen.
he cried out: "As for an atheist, | don't
believe one exists. | never saw one,
anyhow" Diderot replied: swell.
then, Mons. Hume, open your eyes and
look around you, and you will see
seventeen atheists" No doubt Hume
knew their professions OF atheism. but
he regarded these professions as empty
boasts. lie was too well acquainted
with the fundamental needs and ire
sistiblc impulses and yearnings of hu-
man nature to conclude that man
could intelligently and for any length
Of l)mo hold to such an irrational and
violent creed, or rather let us say STUPID
superstition. There may indeed be
much practical atheism. and is; that is.
men may become so absorbedin world
illness, or so debauched by Appetite
and lust or even so wholly pre-
occupied by the pursuits Of science,
as 10 have no time and little in
clination to think about God and His
righteous claims. Thus multitudes aic
to-day acting as IL there were no God
In the universe, and yet these have ran
dom moments Of belief In Him, and in
tend somehow at some time TO make
their peace with Him. Others, like
Darwin, have never taken the pains
TO withdraw long enough from the
eager engrossmcnt of scientific studies
10 examine tho question at all. But
when man like the famous Strauss
does examine il, and deliberately de-
cides for atheism, declaring that there
Is no Creator. no Providcntial Ruler,
no Judge of all mankind, that man
does not need Deity, because human
nature is competent in itself to meet
its own exigcncies; and finally that
man Is without Immortality, and dicth
as the brute dieth; when such man
does appear, he is regarded, at least
Strauss was, by his previous followers
MS Insane. And no wonder-he is SC
far away from the normal and rational
condition Of a man that he Is fairly be-
side himself, an unsafe and dangerous
guide to others. The inspired writer
expressed the conviction of most men,
when they take the trouble to think
about it, in the words: "The fool hath
said in his heart, there Is no God."-
Christian at Work.