The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-02-07

Of al ta@ rrystsT.s@ 81 Isfe none il 80
grsaS a. TIE problem % G1ysscaL AID r1oTal
evil II - the mystery % crtaEton- Prom
TO rrss records q aurnAz fh9ugas 4 nss
cAzGeazsd tae tnqulry ., rzaa. No ere
fsas vzs sosvs6 fAs problem Even GAFist
EfS not draw back THIS vet ard make
clear % tie weird TIE reason q pain and
s1rrex Ard this fact. Ire = enee o.
Caxfes or snss overp0weTinz mystery. tells
- that iris - onA ~ tksoz@ questions taat
cznr9< b ur5sswscod ~ Ire human fn8E'1
a. fsz present condition. We mus recog-
rlxe . Enait &c aaits comprehension.
boundary beyond wh8ch reason cannot
venture. S1cE a aGsstion as the origin OF
esf! IL on tns ether side % t82 division
ire. Every attempt 70 expsain the cif-
fculsy has bseo unsAttsfactory. one %
rfss oS5ess explains tons vas ire theory %
6aaiisn tfst hsid thai bess5ss COED God
there y an svu gower. TIE author Of al
sin and pain. Believers IN such doctrine
AAvs appeared Under FaF1ous names Ia
France they were called B1lgaYi2ns. ~
Italy. Paferfut. In Germany. hAthar-
re Alhsgsrsxes and WaI4srses % South
srn France ard Switzerland were duailsts-
The belief 30 q slngle personal eeyB. =
faEien angel rsoesszsea with considerable
power 20 work mischief. ag in a certain
sense a form of 1uaslsm- There t. roth
INK unreasonable 81 the thougat Of mere
being evil as wen az good spirits II the
aoass " darkness Lsers may BE one c2lsed
rafan. aud vino knoEs haf that these evil
sufrits may ~ able 10 tempt men 20 SIN
tast ax lu the Bible language the good
eplrlts may be msnisfeEing angel. What
ever fae truth OF All this may Dc. tae the
CRY al daalism ~ any form cannot explain
shs mystery Of evil. We are forced back
10 the main agsstiep-why. II God Is all
good and All powerful, does he allow these
evil spirits or one SATAN 70 exercise such
gsOwsfg The only recourse the Gualas.s
rave IS "a fail hack IN tae belief IN an evil
aesfy armed vita equal fs7wcr with the
COED deity 4 such q theory the human
heart rec0iis- IL the face o. ali the at
Ssupfs 10 xpiain the origin Of evil stands
the conviction that God could II he had
chosen. have made a world without sin.
Aian might have been created absolutely
perfect. wilia0Bt even tfse tendency 10 sin or
the eapabIiiky o. suffering. Bot suppose
God had taken this course and man had
uOl been given wiH 20 choose between a
good and a bad. Suppose all had been
horn a. once Into heaven. how neutral such
= heaven, Without fressfom OF viii there
could be no development. no Independence.
And how insipid. col5rless. sucn an exist
ence as that Again. II mankind had
never known any other condition than
heaven. would Il have been heaven7 Ne.
there could have been DO such realization,
no perfect Joy, no consciousness OF we'll
Won NE without flrHt experiencing an OPP
y,sslte STATE Nothing Of worth = ever aS-
fained excep. BIZ development. and Bo Joys
are appreciated except b contrast.
Thus. we find that according to the eter-
nal nature Of things pleasure implies pain
light. darkness: development freedom Of
choice. perfection. imperfectIon. heaven.
an earthly condition first. And 81 u is
asked. could rot God have changed thisg
reply. No. unless he had also changed
the eternal order OF growth implying free
dom and education. With all reverence
there h such a thing as limitation 20
fhe divine VIII. q seh9imltati0n which
means that God 10 be truly God cannot
contradict the ever existing ordsr of the
universe, cannot negative the positive
principles which are part Of the inf-
rite mind itself. Thus. while the mystery
81 evil remains. while we cannot solve
that. we can. think. clear away some OF
the religious difficulties connected with
the problem. TIE method OF creation -
one Of growth. OF evolution II you please.
for science has done service TO religion In
the preaching OF this theory az evolution.
The doctrine OF evolution belongs 20 the
sirstual world an well as 20 the natural.
At has widened the scope OF theological
hnuxht and broadened thu horizon OF
human faith. IL has taught men TO know
n great deal more about God and man
line OF thought. the religious application
OF the scientific theory Of evolution. that
we gain light and take comfort in the mat
ter Of the mystery OF evil. In the very
first chapter % the book % Genesis We
read God created man In hls own image"
From this statement the common concep-
slnn has been that man was ~ first per
feet. and that from this perfect condition
he fell bringing thereby the wrath OF God
upon the whole human race IA after ages.
il this however the true conception Of
the Bible narrativsf And does IL satisfy
the best feelings Of the heartf
I.eg us lock 81 another way az under
standing tho creation Of man. one Of ths
primary laws OF nature. which are Gels
Laws IL that the object created does not
equal the Creator an image cannot Do as
perfect as Tho reality. An artist. for eX-
ample. has conception OF an ideal he de-
Flrss 20 represent on canvas; his painting
g. an endeavor TO express this ideal But
however rare his skin. ne s. unable 10
adequately portray the mental Ideal. 1Ie
may have the master teach u a Raphael.
the precision 81 al Anelics. yct he cannot
reproduce The ecul-huiIt fancy in ali as
fullnese. The consciousness Of this dls-
parity between the actual ard tho ideal
slwuGfles the difference between che mind
CT the creator and the ohIect created. So
when sc are told tRat iran VAS made Ia
the image ~ God We tnfeF. that as tho
srags - iess than the reality. man was
inferior rs Cad. or. tn other words. I'm
perfect The words. made In TIRE image
~ ODD (" nsay mean that 10 = being ~
merely animal parts was superstard an
ether uatgre. a soul after TIE likeness %
the irvine. As has heen We'll puG. The
oYtrfnal rfxhteEuSness tn whlca ~ we're
made VAS the goodness 81 = perfectly far
sna noble beginning. II was ire goodness
az holy infancy as compared With that -
zee fslliy-deve7ope8 saint. u consisted in
q ~erfa-tsy weil-ssrtiared constitution which
Dniv needed TO ~ normally exercised that
e might reach a syge moral as wen as
natural perfection. bat in order that ere
promise az that FIRST fair start usehs -
realized 70 was necessary. 50 FAR as ~ can
sec. shat n sAeG5 - brought 20 a teet %
The realization of thIs natural lnperfer-
sihn - expressed IN TIE story 80 Csc fail
The story % the Fsrden - E1cn - fhts.
y tsea - az good He wauld wish to rave
gsaca the Earycn Nith itz streams aet
soWe~s Tse n9o~@ rivers. t-e more bark S.
ara the more banks IRE more vines aaa
serus ~ srscs thc zeeHs.
- anything weu3 tempt ore in ~ aeau-
tifu, pisce 90 aiso1sry e Woal8 BE- same
thlrK xery ntean ana iaw scgtthlus
Fnakf-itke thst Etts ttssa ~ tht earth.
ffe~ca fNe s.ery ~ ths erraeas Eteo as
a. s'1erary N contains ri.4ea pNf2rsoHhr-
Hut thraiexia9s haVn rraA sF.a tsfs So
coahd musa taat does uet Belong Users
Tan Aec,riae ~ tas fAa as Wa have Be- ia
crtha-tex lneatoSy Ne faa fa ara set rat.a
ervNhere in the Hshie- &. IS rnt m---
t5oasi ance la Jes GA Teetareer Pre- q, t-e
ser Of N0scat Il Is uot e-ce 8irestsv e.
sas~arsz srarsAf hH4 ssfha.z =s.r -rtr..