St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-09
IGNORANCE No SIN.
AGNOSTIC SPIRIT, IF HONEST, COM
MENDED BY REV. w. IL.
LORD.
FALSE AGNOSTICS A DAMAGE
TO THE TRUE CAUSE, WHICH is
AS BROAD AS CHRISTIANITY
ITSELF.
uNITY,s PASTOR PLEADS WELL
For a Greater Tolerance on the Part
of SO-CaIled Agnostics and
Others.

At Unity church yesterday morning
Rev w. r. Lord spoke upon Chris
tan Agnosticism." Among other
things he said:
Agnosticism is a Greek word, meaning not
knowing, and strictly, might be applied to a
state of mind relating to all manner of sub
jccts of which we are ignorant; but is used
solely with reference to objects which We
call spiritual-God, immortality, and so on.
There is very little pure agnosticism in the
wCrld. There is a good deal of the agnostic
quality in many minds. Many who call them
selves agnostics are not properly SUCH while
many who do not confess to themselves or to
others that state of mind, do, nevertheless,
hold a relation to the so-called spiritual
world, best described by this name.
What are the causes of this agnosticsm
On the purely intellectual side; first, the re-
moval of the bases of religious authority. Men
used to know, or think they knew, because,
as in the Roman Catholic church, the church
affirmed their dogmas for them, or, in the
Protestant church, where the Bible was the
authority for all Protestant dOgmas. The
searching question as to whether the same
judgment which is competent to receive either
of these authorities, is not itself after all, the
authority, has shaken or destroyed these old
foundations.
Then, again, the modern scientific method,
which demands that things be demonstrated
as in the laboratory, has done its work. And
people are asking what is the scientific dem
onstTation of things religious hitherto COM
monty received.
On the practical side, purpose and pursuit
without spiritual quality has produced in
many a temper uncongenial TO spiritual facts
and principles. Not that ii has operated
alone neither have either of the other in
tellectual causes. | do not find in the great
body of men who are declared agnostics, such
Intellectual culture as would alone account
for their attitude toward spiritual problems.
1t seems to me that the selfish, unspiritual
ambition and habit of these people is the
most effective cause in producing this state
of mind. 1t leaves them open to the intellect
ual impressions which, strictly speaking, are
regarded as agnostic.
Let ME now point out what I mean by
Christian agnostcism.
1t seems to me that one of the most es-
sential characteristics of Christianity. as IL
Illustrated in Jesus Himself and in His disciples
in the whole idea, is teachableness; and in
order to be teachable, it is necessary to feel
and confess our ignorance Of very many things
which have hitherto been assumed as not only
perfectly certain, but a constituent part of
the spiritual world Christianity, in a word,
is an attitude of mind open on all sides to
all manner of truth, the very opposite of that
temper which has so long prevailed in the
churches of authority. Nothing could be
further removed from the teachable spirit than
the temper of the average officer or layman
in our dogmatic Protestant church. Looking
back upon my own well-meant but mistaken
training, cannot conceive how anything could
be further removed from the true Christian
spirit than the poSitiveness with which l was
taught to regard matters Infinitely beyond
the wisest. On the religious side, thon, let
us say that We have not enough of this true
antagonism; Of the spirit of teachableness
and 1t seems to me easy to demonstrate that
could all young people be started in the Chris
tan life with this spirit, there might never
come in reaction the false agnosticisms which
now are current
On the other hand there is abroad cur.
rent .pseudo-agnosticism which a true agnos
ticisln entirely excludes. There is, first the
agnOsticism of misanthropy, a characteristic
W IN has On1U loft cd nj
account, but whose spirit turns bitter in the
reaction, and who despises those who any
longer believe anything. Nothing is further
removed from a true agnosticism than a spirit
of scorn, or cynicism. 1t has shut every
door against the truth Second the agnosti
cism of indifference. 1t is impossible that the
mind of man once having entertained thought:
OF things Infinite can ever after regard then
with Indifference. Third, the egnosticisn
OF intellectual conceit; an attitude of MIND
not uncommon with the young student
Fourth, dogmatic agnosticism-a title gro
tesquely absurd, and yet taking men fo
what they claim for themselves, and also TO-
what they show themselves to be, it describes
their temper. Men who in one sentence will
declare that they know nothing about what i
truly to them an altogether invisible world
and yet who in the next sentence will in
tolerantly reject any evidence which does no
fit their preconceiVed notions.
Some of us recently saw play called "Shor
Acres" a noble presentation of genuine hu
man life. One of the characters in that pla;
is made to say, 81 do not know anything an,
l do not want to know anything" Tha
seems to me to accurately describe the at
titude of mind of a great many men, who
having thrown away the old authority, refus
to accept any testimony from any quarter, re
lating to God and things spiritual
What is the cure for agnosticism true an
false? Agnosticism has its intellectual an
its practical ends or sides On the intel
lectual side, the cure for agnosticism is gen
uine agnosticism itself; that is, a spirit O
noble teachableness opening all the window
of the soul. for every ray of light which ca
possibly come in. Not passive attitude blu
an eager. expectant. searching of the spiritua
heaven, for the stars of faith. hope and love
But 1t Is not In the nature of the problem tina
It should he solved altogether on the intellec
tual side. 1t is strictly speaking a problem @
life, and therefore never to be resolved in tn
abstract - -