The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-01-28
WITHOUT GOODNESS.
The Man of the World Does Not Deny
But Ignores Religious Things.

The Man of the World Does Not Deny,
But Ignores Religious Things.
Mems thinking in these days boasts
OF its uncertainty. We have come on
Hamilton's definition: 'The highest
reach of human science is the scientific
recognition of human ignorance. This
philosophy affects our religious think
ing-our faith and our conduct. The
days of persecution had this good
in them-men tremendously believed
something. That belief gave the logic
OF persecution. If heresy was deadly
sin, then it was the duty of those in
power to save souls by squeezing heresy
out of them by the rack or burning it
out by flames Nowadays men
don't care enough about any doc
trine to prosecute in it's de-
tense. Martyrdoms come only out
of resistance-never out of indifference.
Think of this hissez fare, this jaunty
and doubling generation either inflict-
ing or accepting msEtyrdom! Martyr
doms require blooc~ eEnestnesss.and
that requires deep conviction, and that
comes only from great truths believed.
The essential attitude to-day toward
religious questions is one of Wanted
ignorance and consequent Indifference.
We have no Voltaires and Diderots and
Paines. Only one man in America and
one in Britain are aggressive atheists;
and their splendid gifts give them no
influence among thinking people. The
reason is plain. They are out of
the thinking drift. This is not the
time to say with Shelley "There
is no God" This is the time
of mplaisance--the time of the
Roman Pantheon. We make room for
any and every God. In India we say
Brahm, in China Joss, in Germany Rea-
son, in England and America 1.-The I'm
known Reality" or ''The Unknowable
Cause" There may be a God-there
may not. Our polite thinkers are not
balancing arguments. They simply
don't enter upon the argument because
they have no faith in the outcome. They
don't care because they think we can't
know. The culture of this age is like
that of Gallio-it smiles serenely on
those who contend for the faith and,
like him, dismisses every appeal with a
sneer.
Again, men are religiously Indifferent
because they are absorbed in the world.
Light and heat can not at the same time
be of equal intensity. A mind can not
pour its intensity into two channels. This
is chiefly an age of affairs, not opinions.
And the affairs are on the level of this
world. This world stands out SO large
it obscures every other. Men are bent
on subduing it, Harvesting it, driving it.
They are not living on it to have good
time. Good times belong to lazier ages.
The Greeks had good times, but we have
forgotten how. Men now are digging
for power, and not in vain. Under the
visible world, they have found another
of laws and forces. Over these they are
throwing the reins of science. These
they are bringing to heel and making
their servants. In the presence of these
great ambitions what do men care for
viewless prizes in invisible worlds? Men
do not let the dust around them settle
long enough to disclose eternal things.
Notice the precise attitude Of the man
of the world to religious things. He
does not deny them. That wouldimply
consideration and he does not consider.
He simply ignores. He may get glimpses
Of them. But Heaven never gives man
an instantaneous photograph. He can
not take it on the wing. Hemust pause
little.
Again religion comes as a worn truth
1t has no charms of novelty. So much
Of the old Greeks is there about us, we
are going about after the new things
This age ID ON the track of discoveries
A new science, new art, new CONT
nent, a new machine or q new north
pole. these are the attractions
1t is vain to try to conciliate THU
spirit of the age by the inven
ton Of new theologies. Even If mer
are Indifferent to old religion, they an
very suspicious of the new. They have
no use for schools of thought that treat
religion as an almanac, good for one
year only. That offends their unborn
sense of eternity.
Sin must be assigned as one explana
ton of religion Of Indifference. Ths