Telegram-herald., 1891-06-01
STORY OF CREATION
Charles Watts shows the Natural
nsss OF Reason.
EOH The UNIVERSE 6aS EVOLVED
tmPsssiesiiry of tbs sspera~tarAI-rws
Stories sf ths seriptaFss--Errsrs
sf the bibi~-MAa's Frlsad
His servant

last night, upon "The Bible Story OF
Creation" with reference 10 Or. Briggs
Hefesy. The speaker said. The bible
Is no longer regarded as too sacred or
venerable for criticism. For ages the bi-
bic has been held al infslhble standard.
The very existence Of so many sects ar
CUES against is being perfect stan
osrd. WHAT truth IL contains depends
upon the reason OF the man reading u.
Zach sect tinds IN II a different truth.
IL we ought 10 receive the same stories
that are found IN the bible simply be-
cause II Is there, there would not be
such great variety Of sects- SO with
the story of creation. The story must
be lunged on It's own merit. In this
PRACTICAL sge we DO not care so much
about the creation of the universe as
about It's order. The two main theories
of creation are the story OF the
blble and the theory of evolution.
Some have tried 10 amalgamate or con.
e.llate them, but they cannot be recon.
Clled. one teaches an act OF creation;
the other teaches thst there IS no new
life or thing. Science knows nothing
of creation. We can't conceive OF It's
meaning; 70 IS outside the power OF
human cognItIon. People think they
have ideas OF Il. but strictly they have
ideas of theories about Il. Science has
demonstrated the Indestructlbilty of
matter. No atom can be destroyed.
II can only be changed IN form. You
cannot conceive OF the beginning OF
creation, for TO DO 20 you have TO think
OF the end OF intinity, and where there
was no place
A Change of Force.
II you allege that this universe WAS
created? l ask from WHAT From moth
ing? No, Then if II was something
there was no creation, but change OF
form. No orthodox believer can be-
leye IN creation, for that would deprive
him of believe IN intinity. God could
not be infinite and at the same time
create the universe. II he were infinite
he was every where, and always was.
III be was always every where he was on
the universe. II he was on the universe
always, IL always existed. and hence
was always IN existence and not
created.
Is IL not unreasonable to affirm of
that or which nothing is known? Is 1t
not unreasonable TO talk OF creation in
the face of the fact of the stability of
natural law? Is IL not unreasonable to
say what nature cannot do till we find
out something of what she can do? II
any minister or any one else can point TO
any event IN nature that can prove that
nature could not 10. and will prove il.
i Will never more advocate free
thought. From scientific standpoint
the creation as told IN the bible Is a
false story. The bases OF biological
theory on this point is that there is a
great existence from which all other
existence comes. Did tue created come
from the infinite? IL so the lufinlte
was limited TO that extent. Did IL come
from somewhere else? If so the exist
ence OF that some where else di.proves
his lnfinity. Third. the created could
not come from nothing for the infinite
was eternal.
The Bibles Two Stories
The two stories of the Bible differ in
almost all the details of the creation.
The second story Is evidently written by
a different author than the frat. The
whole story Is nothing more or less than
a copy OF the old Oriental myths. Why,
according TO the story, God grieved that
pronounced IL good. A man would
have made good one. but according
10 tho story He let il stay till 10 was too
terribly bad, and then He tried the
cold water cure OF the flood. Then
why was woman created from the rib
of man AS the darkey said, because
IL was side issue Ii Is SAID that man
was made OF dust. Dust contains none
: Al IL ,t
nor has the body any OF The; elements
at dust. The Bible teaches that the
universe IL little over 5000 years Of
age. | believe In the eternity OF the
universe. It's present or past form can
only be accounted for by the theory of
evolution. This Is n theory that IS ad-
mitted by the greatest OF all phil
OsOphers and scientists. do not state
that there - no difference between
lower forms snd man, but the differ
ence - only IN degree. Taken from
the geological stantpoIt and Il -
proved. Prom the standpoint of the
embryologist and you again lind il
proven in the changes of form taking
place IN the embryo "a u passes through
a speck OF matter, an organism, a fist
Ike form, a serpent-like, qusdruped,
a man. lime and time again has living
matter been produced from non-hving.
Errors Of the BibIe.
Then Is it remarkable that, thinking
men IKE pr. Briggs openly announces
his heresy, and others IKE him IN great
numbers may ssy The bible contains
errors winch We cannot explain errors
which We cannot explain away THIS
hsresy on the church indicates that the
continuity Of Christianity IsImpossibie.
IL has changed through the sges aud
oranges every day The protestant
form 0f reiigion itseif was a change
from ia preceding form. Tne greatest
Grange OF modern tunes was the repose
OF unitsrisnism. 63rriually the theo.
res Of the vicarious atonemsnt, etc,
are passing awsv. Where ls CaTstisn-
,fv today7 There q no CHRISTIAN church
today that follows TIE rules aid down
hv Christ. A mighty revolution Is due
for orthodoxy. Reasoning men inside
and out of orthodoxy are working
taward each other and they viii meet
some day aud the shsdowy hsz of or
thodoxv shall fail aad reason shsii
Swav ard crssds stall disappear. Men
OF intellect no longer believe n
he'll or n ths devil. Lf. Riggs
today i leading glorious army of
hsr~sies. tnbeiief has siwsys been
the precu rssf ~ sdvsnseua~st in eisilt-
1ausn. Ilon { hsllss@ snY IN ~ ss long
=. you can be.p a. The wateh safd 81
modern fhougts = onward snd onNaFt
staG he great .aw a sFciptlo4 eat
show arsss sesfl.fs m thr nseilset ansi
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