The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-02-11
THE PANTH aISTIC MOVE
MENc

/ IlOH Vi religious uuOeiIeVSFS OI
| all kinds as Society for Radical
! Religions ana S cial Reform.
| The author of this enterprise,
+. one Henry Frank. formerly an
! orthodox Protestant minister,
! has explained the theories and
| purposes Of the movement in the
metropolitan Dailies- of Sunday,
rejecting all faith in the superna-
tural and setting for b a scien-
| tific demonstration and optimis-
tic confidence in "the ultimate
happiness of humanity and har-
mony of all things" His relig-
ion, as we review it, is nothing
more than a revival of the old
pantheism hitherto always I'M
satisfactory as food for the re-
ligious aspirations of the race.
Strictly speaking, it is ii phil.
ophy rather than a religion. 1t
is not faithin a Divire Being and
| worship of Him, but admiration
OF a subjective and impersonal
Supreme IDEAL" of the "All
Good" the Supreme Good"
and faith in man." Sin the per-
sistent, pervusive ethical energy
OF the universe" Sin the super
human purposive potency of ma
ture."
These terms do not mean much.
They are vague and general; but
so is the thing itself without
form and void. Neither is there
any science about it, for it VEN
lures into a domain into which
science can never enter, domain
accessible onl v to faith, or as to
which men must content them
selves with speculations alto
getneN infantile as compared
with its ineNplorable vastness.
ILenc whoever is looking for
science to explain the probl,.m Of
existence, looks in vain. 1t can
go no fnrt her than mans capac-
ity for knowledge, and that is
limited within Il range infinitesi-
lually small. Outside Of these
bounds he must see, if he can see
at all, with the eye of firth; or
he must picture tn unknowable
regions beyond with his feeble
Imagination. All the science of |
all the ages has barely scraped |
tire surlace of knowledge, and it
can never set much deeper rela
lively.
4 religion, accordingly, which
has no other foundation than
science, is built on the sand. If
mere ethical principles are its
basis, it rests on the experience
and conviction of men only. If
it is built Up from the magma
ton, it has no substantial cor
ner stone. II it is to have abso-
lutte truth as its foundation, TIE
tldth must come as a superna-
tural revelation.
The only ST. nifcance therf is
il the enterprise described so
loosely by the author is the In
dication it affords of the era wing
for soree semblance of religion,
some sort of fetch, even among
ii ose who eject all supernatu-
They want tn worship
something, an abstiac idea, il
they con fad nothing lertel..
They want some supp' rt for
their absolute feebleness as
agains5 the laws of nature.
Taey have exiled themselves from
the Church, and in their home
sickness they are hunting for al
foster mother.
The present theological m
troversy is rapidly increasing
this multitude of the religionsly
homeless. Philosophy furnishes
a bare and cold shelter as COM
pared with religion, and it scat
tiers rlther than collects. The
only sympathy between unbe-
levers comes from their being
out in the cold together, and
they can no more warm them
selves by worshipping a Supreme
Ideal Ill common than they can
get boldly sustenance from
craving ut a stone. The only
for them to do is to travel along
as best they can without relig |
ion, and dismiss hesubject from
their thoughts, as the agnostics
try to 90.
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