The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-24
THE TWO FACTORS
Rabbi Voorsanger's Ideas
of Civilization.
Science and Religion Coordinate.
The Functions of Each-When
They Parted Company.

For the Friday night lecture at Temple
Emanuel Rabbi Voorsanger chose as lis sub
jeet, "Science and Religion as Coordinate Fac
tors In Civilization" and said h meant by il
exactly what il expressed-seence and religion
of equal degree. OF equal Influence, of equal
Importance TO humanity. Religion is. of course,
divine. The function of science is TO discover
truth. A greater function is 10 rebabilItaIs old
truths.
Science and religion, the rabbi ssid. parted
company many centuries ago when Christian
ity ser up its authority, which was the axpres-
sion OF its own power. II religion is TO be re-
garded as the rule OF life we have only TO go
back TO the pagan paDtheistic. dualistlc and
monothesiic times. read the open book OF HIS
Tory and see what is written down. Science is
interested in going down through the strata OF
ancient times, digging out old truth and reha-
bilitaGing it, The function Of religion is TO take
truth and tit Ii to its lme-io use IL as a setting
and frame for the daily life of the world.
The rabbi then skeIched the similarity be-
tween the principles underlying the Jewish
and the Christian churches and declared that
Christianity and JUDAISM parted company 400
years after the Christian church was estab-
lished. During four centuries Christianity eX-
listed as a church and then took on social
power. Europe was barbarian aud needed 10
be subdued.
In the eighth century began its conflict with
religion, when the church of Rome made an
alliance with the Frankish political power.
power, the political power. He meant to
ChristianiZe verytning. He sought to shackle
the neutrality Of the people. He was fond OF
music, called art 10 aid the church, encouraged
sculpture and helped 10 found the Italian
school OF painting.
Tie lecturer referred briefly 10 the life and
influence Of Charlemagne through whom Chris
tianiiy became a power ID Western Europe.
lie spoke OF the mOnaSterieS within whose
walls were kept manuscripts of priceless value.
the songs and dramas and comedies and trage-
dies of Latin and Greek poets; the DISGUST
tons of Latin and Greek philosophers, which
were greedily devoured by thr monks, who be-
came the founders of modern science. They
made experiments, studied much philosophy
and lmbiDed much heresy, q spite the vigilance
of the pOpeS, and gave it TO he world.
DR.. VoorsangeT spoke of the inQuisition-not
Ferdinand and Isabella's IN the fifteenth u
tury, but he first lndulsition in the thirteenth
Germany became the exponent OF the church.
The inquisItIon, he declared, was the inter
prefer OF the church. IL exercised censorship
over all thought and expelled and expunged
everything nOt in consOnance with the eX-
cathedOn teachings OF the church. Ii Tesoried
to the rack and the thumbscrew for the pur-
pose of enforcing truth as it saw the truth.
Thr seeds of religion and Intellectual liberty,
said Rabbi Voorsanger, were brought back
from the Holy Lane by the crusaders, who re-
ceived light from the Saracens, whom they
sought to destroy.
In conclusion he expressed the hope that re-
iigion and science would keep up their forward
march, each in its own path. but hat occasion
ally, under Coo, they would get close enoug
TO Touch each other.