The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-04
THE EVILS OF sKEPTICIsM.
DIR. Joseph SiIvermnn Answers Col.
InRersOiIs Lecture.
From the New York Times.

rom the New 1OIk llHleS-
The Rev. DR.. Joseph Siiverman preach
ed yesterday in Temple Emanuel before
large audience on What Have the
Skeptics Done?" in reply to Col. Inger-
soils recent lecture. in which he asked,
What good has the church done?" he
said:
go What good has the church done?'
asked Col Inserson in a recent lecture.
Has it taught men to cultivate the earth,
10 build homes. TO weave cloth. to cure
and prevent disease, to conquer pain. or
TO lengthen life? These questions the
lecturer answers in the negative, and
therefore concludes that the church.
meaning thereby religion in general has
not benefited mankind.
There could scarcely be a more flag
rant piece of sophistry. This is another
evidence of the fact that if we permit a
man TO make his own premises and his
own definition without question he is able
to prove anything. First, the lecturer as
sumes that mankind can be benefited only
by those who are farmers. weavers, build
ers. navigators or physicians. He as
sumes that only those who feed OF shelter
man are its benefactors. He overlooks
the fact that man does not live by bread
alone, that there are certain spiritual
needs that must be satisfied before man
can live peaceably and happily.
In the second place, the lecturer as
sumes that the church that religion,
ought to advance agriculture shipbuild-
ing, etc, and he thus ignores the right
full province of religion. In effect he sets
up for religion a purpose which 1t never
had, and then endeavors TO show that
religion has not fulfilled an aim which it
intended n 1t- of he
lecturer ask Did religion fulfil its real
mission? Is the church gradually Great
ing kingdom of heaven on earth?
The lecturer then attacks the Bible in
a similar manner, asking: Is there any
thing in the Sacred Book that can help
the geologist, the astronomer, the biolo-
gist, the physician, the inventor the man
ufacturer of any useful thing@ Here is
another culpabla example of begging the
question Why should there be anything
in the Bible to help them? Was the Bible
written for the purpose of teaching
science, or giving suggestions TO inven-
tors? Must book cover every branch of
knowledge before it can receive the APP
proval of this archskeptic? Would he ex-
pect 10 find a system for religious prac-
tees in Dana's geology. or a treatise on
astronomy in Virgil or the suggestions
for a flying machine in Tennyson's In
Memoriam'?
The lecturer then proceeds to charge
The church with teaching false science.
Was it the business of the church 10 solve
scientific problems? Science never was
infallible is not even to-day Its teachers
are far from agreement
He further charges the church with
having fostered the idea OF a cruel heart
less God. He oyerlooks the fact that re-
itgion LOCO, ECO or 1900 years ago could
not have been the same as it is to-day.
Was anything the same? Was art. lii
erature, government, or science the same ?
| Is 1t just to rdicule religion to-day be-
cause some superstitious people LOCO or
more years ago had a crude idea of God
Because our religion was Graded in
paganism, in ido,atry. and superstition.
shall we therefore discard il? What was
science few centuries ago? Is the
church responsible for the evils of bar
barism, could the church escape It's in
fections?
What has the skeptic done 20 assume
this holier attitude against the church
he mas taken the worst forms of religion
ana represented them as the religion of
the day. He has taken note of the actions
OF criminals who for their own aggran-
dizement yelled themselves under the
cloak of religion and then called the world
to witness of what stuff the church was
made The reason why the church even
to-day is often in dsrepute is due mainly
GEl0Hi n
in the church, and, being Inconsistent.
in faith and practice, create the impress
sion that the church is filled with hypo-
critics
THE skeptic has distorted the Bible
and held uD his monstrosity before the
people as the real sacred book He has
torn passages of the scriptures from their
connections and made them appear ridic-
Nous when standing alone. He has abol-
ished God and done violence 10 science and
philosophy, for without the promise of "a
first cause there can be no true science
or philosophy. Atheism involves n mon
strous assurnption-namely, that things
can create ihemSelves-that there is no
plan, harmony or design in creation
by abolishing God the skeptic has un-
dermined the moral structure of society.
He has given encouragement to Socialism
and anarchy, for infidelity usually ranks
itself with an ultra-liberal political policy.
He has driven man into worse supersti-
tons than he had thought to correct
With sophistry and rhetoric the unwarv
heart has been captured and has given up
its cherished beliefs. but the skeptic has
given nothing for what he has taken
away
What good then has the skeptic done
Do not say he has built colleges and erect
ed charities. for he has done that by vir-
tue of that part of human nature that was
tic has only looked out upon the main is
sue of destroying the churches. uprooung
religion and disappearing God and the
preachers. He has become narrow and
bigoted. and intolerant OF the rights Of
others to differ from him. He has pro-
claimed free thought, but believes free
only those who demolish what they could
not understand
These unsightly, unjustifable attacks
upon religion ought to cease. If there are
men in the church who misuse gifts for
personal advantage, surely these men who
pose as intelligent and righteous are no
more than minute mountebanks when they
resort to every trick of rhetoric, sophistry
and elecution for the mere purpose of ridi-
cuIing and belittling religion, one of the
graudest agencies OF God TO reform man
kind Let the skeptics contain themselves
in silnece until they can offer a substitute
for God, something that is better and
greater. more permanent and universal
than religion"
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