New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-05-02

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order. They cannot collect evidence in
the supernatural order because they are
not fitted to act in that order. A fish
could as easily fly in the air or bird
live under water as the sense Of sight or
touch could find a supernatural fact.And
manifestly if our senses cannot gather
supernatural evid ,nce neither can our
Reason act thereon until such evidence
is supplied. To supply such evidence is
the office and purpose of Revelation.
Now that an idea of Faith and Reason
is had. how can it be claimed that one
necessarily conflicts with the other9 If,
as I have shown, the subject-matter Of
Faith lies in the supernatural order. in a
sphere beyond and above Reason where
is the consistency in claiming that one
must throw away Reason in order to give
assent to truths which Faithhas supplied.
Yet your correspondent and his non. he
lieviug friends make this strange claim.
If you wish to he good Christian you
must exercise Faith just as Reason is ex-
ercised in order that one may become a
good scholar. ..,.<
Does Faith influence Reason in Rea-
sons own sphere? Not at all. Faith
leaves Reason absolutely free in its own
province. Whether man be Christian
or Infidel the nature and results of the
reasoning faculty remain the same; for
how can belief or unbelief IN superna-
tural order affect a natural instrument
employed on a natural subject. Such an
idea is born of ignorance and nurtured
by stupidity. Look into history. Did
the Christian belief prevent Sir Isaac
Newton from making scientific discover
les? In order to remain a good Christian
did Newton have to throw away his rea-
son? Yet, according to your correspon-
dent he had to sacrifice the one to the
other. What about Lord Bacon who
opened up the whole field of experiment
tai knowledge2 He was good Chris
tian; yet instead of getting rid of his
Reason, as your correspondent would
oblige him, to do, he did more for induc-
tive Philosophy than any man who ever
lived.
SirThomas Moore, once Lord Chancellor
Of England, was such a good christian
that he died martyr for the Faith; but
he used his reason on law and some 9TH
er things. Paley and Butler used their
reason on some arguments for the exist
ence of a personal God-argument which
the unbelievers have failed to meet.
Mivart, Gladstone, Newman and Mann
ing are good Christians; yet somehow
they managed to keep their Reason. I
have purposely selected Englishmen be-
cause your correspondent thinks they
are very level-headed race. I might
have selected Germans or Frenchmen as
we'll. These examples prove the fallacy
of the statement that Reason must be
sacrificed to Faith,
Now if belief in the supernatural does
not affect Reason either in its nature or
in its results neither can unbelief in the
supernatural affect the same intellectual
faculty. So that an unbeliever can claim
no aid to his reason from the fact of un-
belief His Reason is neither weakened
nor strengthened thereby. Huxley or
Tyndall with their unbelief gained no
clearer insight into science and exper1-
mental Philos Ophy than Sir Isaac New
ton with his belief. The fact of the mat
ter is, Belief or Unbelief cuts no figure,
has no influence with the scientific in
vestigation of these men.
There is an idea prevalent among non.
believers that they enjoy more lntellec-.
tual freedom than their Christian breth-
ren. Because they reject God and the
Supernatural order they have come to be
lieve that their intellectual horizon is
widened and in some mysterious way
the bonds of Reason are broken. No
greater delusion has ever taken posses
sion of the human mind. This deluslon
arises from confused ideas; they mistake
freedom of will and freedom of fancy
for freedom Of thought. For destroy
God and the Supernatural order, and
moral and religious bonds are all brok-.
en-; those restraints are gone which make
human life conform to the Divine Will 8
religion becomes dream and morality
in all but It's crudest forms, a fiction.
This is freedom Of the will OF rather lic-
ense: but it helps the reason in no way 8
that faculty is not thus sharpened