The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-27
The Great Religious Discussion.

We continue to-day the publication OF q
selection from the great number OF letters
upon questions OF religion now coming by
every post to THE Sun. They constitute, in
many respects, the most remarkable dis
cussion which has ever taken place in o
newspaper, for 1t goes to the very founda-
tion Of religion the existence OF personal
GoD Himself, and the elevation Of the
subject impresses it with a gravity and a
dignity which none Of the writer's fails to
recognize and express.
Perhaps the recent death Of Col. NIGER
SOIL has given the fresh impetus to in
tercst in the discussion In The Sun which
Is now made so manifest. That event natu-
rally turns the thoughts OF the public to
the great and mysterious subject he had
made himself conspicuous by handling in
a way which shocked devout religious faith
30 rudely. INGERsoLI., however, used no
weapons against Christian faith which had
not been forged by Others and they even
men appointed to be its champions. Tho
arsenal from which he drew them was n
magazine whose contents had been manufac-
tured by critical Christian theologlans them
selves. Besides those weapons he had
eloquence in welding them. He simply
carried the arguments OF the so-called
school OF higher Biblical criticism to their
logical and inevitable conclusion. He treat
ed tho Bible in the fashion Bishop POTTER
says it should be treated-as a literature
and subject to its conditions as such. Act
ing thus on episcopal authority, he weighed
and analyzed the record and the teachings
Of the Scripture as human productions
merely, applying to them the test OF the law
OF human evidence and purely scientific
criticism. Granting that the Bible is human
literature simply. INGERsoLL was free to
treat it as he did, and there was no element
of sacrilege or blasphemy In anything he
SAID OF it. Under that license he had right
to disagree with it and reject its record as
impossible and its philosophy as fallacious
and viclous-as much right as to accept
or reject LOCKE, KANT, SP1NozA, GIBBoN,
CoMTE, or Sir WILLIAM HAMILTON. IN
GERsoLL spoke in a spirit and arrived at
conclusions concerning Scriptural prophecy
different from those of the Rev. DR.. LYMAN
ABBOTT, but he proceeded from the same
| premise-that the Prophets Of the Bible
| are entitled to no more consideration than
is due to ABRAHAM LINCOLN, for instance,
or to any great poet or lawgiver OF true
| and far discerning vision.
| We observe that some cergymen have
been assuming to exercise Divine func-
ton by passing sentence of eternal con-
domination on the dead orator. That is an
awful assumption of omnipotent authority
| by a human being. No man conscious of
his own powerlessness before the Almighty
| would dare thus to arrogate to himself
the judgment that belongs to COB alone.
| Let men rather dwell on the virtues OF
| ROBERT INGERsoLI-his superb courage.
his beautiful family life, his justice, his
loving kindness. Death silenced in him
voice whose eloquence was sweet as
music and a heart filed with humanity
with that sentiment which the Founder
of Christianity Himself has extolled as the
chief of virtues which the believer, seeing
in him. the infide, may be the more I'M
PEELED to initiate as he proceeds to work
out his own salvation with fear and tremb
ling. Therefore is judgment far from
us, neither does justice overtake US; We
wait for light, but behold obscurity; fol
brightness, but we walk in darkness"
| Tho letters we prlnG elSeWneTe dlSplt1
both scholarship and sincerity OF convic
ton, and whether those who read then
agree or disagree, they are contribu
lions which AFFORD strengthening food TO
serious and vigorous minds. They com
from Catholics and Professionals and agnos
tics, to all OF whom the subject present
itself in its fullest majesty as the greatest
the most awful mystery which can engag
the thought Of man.