The Irish standard., 1896-01-25
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT GOD
Father cieary IN His Sunday Sermon
Makes This Clear to His
s Hearers.
THE REASON OF HAH AND THEOLOGY

The REASON OF HAH AND THEOLOGY
Skepttos TRY to Explain But ths Teaoh.
Il. d Inas of christianity Must Re
r ,iisd On.
';.ipAs
'sWhat Do We Know About Gcd?" was
Father Cleary's topic last Sunday evening.
The following is a brief sketch OF MS dls-
course: 81 believe in one God, the Father
Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
This said Father Cleary, is the clear ex-
preston of Christian faith in the power
as well as in the existence of God.
A certain class of skeptics indulge n the
vain delusion that this conviction could
never have taken possession OF the Chris
tfan mind, except through the influence OF
most ingen.ously devised system OF the
ology. They endeavor to strengthen their
own doubts and to awaken doubts IN
other mems minds, by assuming that
human reason had not been consulted
when the doctrine concerning Gods eter-
nal existence and infinite power was in
stilled into the credulous mind of Christian
believers. The Christian Gcd, therefore, is
not reality, they claim, but a fiction OF
superstitious fancy, conjured up by the
twin consiprators of human reason, ignor
ance and fear
This God, they will calmly assure us,
with lofty assumption of superior cui-
ture, and more enlightened intelligence,
is theological entity, and human reason,
basking in the bright sunlight Of modern
Thought" and enlightened evolution, is
not interested IN theological phantoms.
Our God. they say, is simply a. "theo-
logical God" and progressive thinkers,
such as they, are moving forward too rap
idly in the race of human perfeotibility
to be delayed by the cast-of theories of
medieval philosophy" or ''primordial
theology" and their suggestions OF an an
thropomorphologica God! These delnded,
vaingorious philosophers are extremely
fond Of filling the air with the reverbera-
ton Of resonant words.
The insinuation is often made that the
Christians firm conviction Of Gods ex-
istence attributes and greatness is most
stupid and unwarranted assumption OF
superior knowledge, on the part of super
stitious believers. The nationalist relies
solely ON what he thinks is pure rea-
son." for all his information, and he seems
to imagine that all theology IS reasons
enemy, and consequently, that reasons
first and highest duty, as precautionary
measure of self-protection, is to be fore
armed" against theology.
y The "anthropomoriphic" God, as ration
alists term him. of the Christian faith, is
not creation of theolog cal fancy, but his
existence and attributes are plainly de-
monstrable to human reason. AS a mat
ter Of course, reasoning man can know lit
tile about God without the aid of theology,
for theology is the science that treats OF
God and his mysterious power. A knoWl-
edge of God without theology is a contra
Lotion in terms. We might as we'll speak
o. knowing and not knowing him at the
e time. AS we'll claim to presume a
.owledge of electricity, and at the same
time despise ali scientific information con-
corning It, as to claim any knowledge of
God without theology. Theology, or the
sacred science that treats Of God, and
mans relations toward him, Is not con-
spiracy against human reason, is not a
structure of Observation-Disclosures theories
built upon the credulity of ma1r-but is
the fairest and most tiatter:ng appeal to
the intelligence of righl-minded men
known among all the sciences.
True theology never appeals to any fac
. ulty OF the human soul, or to any instinct
of the human heart, until it has first paid
! loyal homage to human reason, man s
=. highest, noblest endowment. Nothing
can be theologically true and phi.osopni-
cally false. Whatever is true in the do
main Of theology must also be true in
the domain of human reason. Theology
has discovered nothing concerning the
nature and the omnipotence of God, that
enlightened reason can condemn.
q Our reason, when not overshadowed by
the dark cloud Of passion and sin, asserts
with most forcible emphasis, that there
is a living God, the source and origin of
all created things. Human reason, in
all ages at AL times and under all Or
ders of civilization and development, has
loudly proclaimed that an intelligence
far superior to itself. must have given it
existence, inspires it with restless vigol
and directs the immaterial spirits in man
to higher, future destiny.
The absurd theory advanced by mate
rialists, that mans idea of God arose
from ignorance and fear, is wholly I'M
tenable, and an insult to the reason OF
man.
i The stupid theory finds it's foundation
on the assumption that the primitive con-
dition of mankind was state Of utter
ignorance and savage Iife-that man is
but the result of the gradual develop
1nent of some si1nian family. This sup
position is in blood contradiction to all
the traditions of the human race. An
investigation into the traditions of the
human race reveals unmistakable evil
dence of the fact that the primitive relig-
ion Of man was pure monotheism-be-
lief in one God. Idolatry is state OF
degeneracy. Superstition is a foul dis
ease that has followed in the wake of re-
ligious conviction.
We know. that self-existing, non
created, infinitely intelligent being, who
is not dependent for his existence upon
any power outside of himself, must exist
for our reason suggests to us most plain
ly that all being which we see existing
is contingent. We do not need any theo-
logy to tell us that we have not always
existed, that the world around us has
not always existed We do not need tc