The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-04
A CHRISTIAN TO An AGNOSTIC
The Reply of Believer to the Confession
of mn A~uoattc,

OF nh ACnOsttc,
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-.Sir: A great
gain would DO made in the discussion
Of religious questions recently begun in your
columns II II were remembered that ten thou
sand difficulties need not make q single doubt.
to employ tho phrase of gront religious
thinker There Ia absolutely no conviction OF
the human mind TO which dfllculties-and on
speculative grounds no slight ones either
may not he objected. The writer who gives
his confession as an aRnostic. for instance. he
leves in the existence OF n material world
l suppose. for he quite outdoes himself In OK
pressing his agnostic pety In contemplating tho
sidereal and stellar universe yetif he!has read
beyond tho ttlo page OF philosophy he must
know that there are reasons so grave as to ar
rest the profoundest thinkers for believing
that nothing extra mental exists at all-that
wo are led into thinking THAT there Ia such
existence from tho projecting into exterior
visualiZation ot purely subjective states. De-
spite the difficulties OF tho philosopher. has
the world any practical doubt OF tho existence
OF things as we see them2 l simply set this
down as check to dogmatic unbelievers and
rs Il safeguard for those who would look on
every difficulty az a reason for positive doubt.
Tho agnostic confessor agrees with the au-
thor OF First Principles" and with all his
| lesser agnostc encourage. in saying that his
God is unknown and unrevealed." Yet.
if $ ;S3:s%: e S;s Fl:
the whole ot the spiritual and material uni;
> the primary cause; .nnnite;
justice the God OF love:" a."w6ich cam
not err, and. therefore. 10 does not re-
ssn II ene, r HsTy :" ns
should ca this enumeration Of attributes in
the mouth OF n Christian, but when il comes
from man who says. desrite these definitions.
God is unknown | simply have to walt to
see cleared W as manifest a contradiction as
unknowable all these attributes which your
ag1ostic correspondent gives Him are folly.
which they evoke from his innost soul are Just
| little bit less warranted than any vagaries we
poor anthropomotphic believers would permit
Secondly, every one Of these attributes which
nal Ike up. as he says the true conception OF
quotations iron, The Old Testament. which.
| however, according to our author, isrepulsiye-
most philosophic, characterization OF the
"ieeends'' which. some people say. simply
make God big man. | affirm that the Old
sen b r"e .pt
| tons of the eternal. sef-existing. creative
Being and ~ not single one does il force US
sem6ance Of n machine" '''''> '''''' " Wv
| A.word as TO the test submitted by "Aum." by
| the individual man which shows the
represented, or otherwse allows the individual
TO form a conception Of q higher or more per-
feet God than the God reflected BY such repre-
o"isi Hodne to thu ,ne g
perfect. wise. loyable. mercifu and self-sub-
Iaccept the test cheerfullv; Tho Christianity
profess teaches now. asst has taught without
one contradiction from the beginning. n God
who is not only in Himself infinitely perfect.
hnt in His relations to us marveously merc-
| iul. tender and misunderstanding sure salts
factor, to minds which seek to know and
| blessed rest to hearts which were made to
love, On the other hand. I cannot under
| stand with what assurance this writer
| and yet unknown God How God who has
created us and placed; consequently. within
our minds and hearts this irrepressbla reach
| ing ont Tor the infinite and the immortal can
be- in ",Aums' word unknown ar and u mi
creation With this s void od" Of His own MAXINE n
| our souls doomed to everlasting Illustration
how such God can be triumphantly set UP AS
the blessed Being who has flooded the centuries
| with consolation and called out and still calls
| WHICH is matchless in its heroism. is matter
am forced to leave to the agnostic intellect to
Finally. what in the wide world does "Aum"
mem by implying denial Of creation when a
few lines before. he distinctly .aflrms it ? He
stupid query. II you had the power to create
the world; wonld, vow make, it exactly such
world AS this p :. Yet he speaks Of God as, the
creator OF this aggregation OF giant worlds"
No less manifest is the contradiction In hid
ding US "seak God" after telling. us that God
ing Ineereoi among the most Potent ito forces pc
cHusiPe 1hH m M Of Christian The
lector OF Lonelyville in the galaxy Of the worlds
| jurisconsults. DESMOND PRoCToR
NEW YORK. Aug. /.