The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-04-05
Views Of Rev. ". NJ. Kincaid
Meet with Opposition.
ITS RELATION TO RELIGION
The Progress I'm Religious Thought
Ancient Prejudices-Work
Of Prof. Burbank,
(Communicated.)

NOInlnS cOulu nave DetIeF Illustrated
the great progress in religious though
than the Rev. Mr.. Kincaid's sermon OF
Sunday evening. Only few years ago
if minister of the gospel had had the
temerity 20 cite the evolution theory
las evidence of the immortality of the
soul, he would have been read out OF
the ministry. In fact even in this day
of enlightenment it Is to the credit OF
the reverend gentleman that he has the
courage, in spite Of the strong element
that still adheres to obsolete dogma,
to speak fearlessly the convictions of
an unprecedented mind receptive Of the
truths science has made so conclusive.
1t is this fearlessness in the presence
| of truth from whatever source it comes,
that has made Rev Mr. Kincaid so pop
ular.
If religious convictions are founded
upon principles of truth, and it must
be admitted that they are, for, the in
| tuitive faculty of the mind is conceded
| and the universally OF the conviction
|
and if the facts laid down by science
| are true, which are easily proven to
our material consciousness, then the
time must come when the truths of fact
| will prove the truth of conviction.
If religion has the courage to break
away from ancient prejudices, and it is
doing it with rapidity that is encour-
aging, the time will be fastened when
the two will meet on common ground;
when the divine and eternal will be
brought within the material conscious
ness of human intelligence. Truth is
single not dual If religion embodies
the great central truth of life, then
science is leading up to the realization
of that truth step by step, and each
successive scientific fact evolved from
experiment should be embodied in re-
ligious thought, even if every doctrine
of the middle ages is swept into OBJ
| livion. If there be faith in religion
then it can afford to accept on faith
each demonstrated truth as a step
|
central truth nov largely accepted on
conviction
While the Darwinian Theory is yet
| incomplete, in it's chain of demonstrate
| ed facts, the doctrine of special crea-
ton has d leg to stand on. But the
ever increasing probability that each
apparent break in the chain will in a
few years be proven by mathematical
evidence, is having the most remark
able influence upon religious thought,
as, indeed, it should, if religion pre-
tends to be progressive. 1t is now gen
orally conceded by all thinking per-
sons, except those whose minds are
|still controlled by dogma, that the evo-
luton theory will be proven to be the
complete plan of creation. 1t will then
only remain to be demonstrated that
nipotent intelligence or force, that per-
vades all nature, to prove the convic-
ton of religious truth-to make evolu-
ton part of religion itself.
AS far as religion is concerned OAR
win left three important points in
doubt: Cd the necessity for geograph-
ical environment for the segregation OF
species, which was improbable in gen
eral practice: CD natural selection,
which was taken exception to by Her.
bert Spencer, and which is incompat-
able with an intelligent plan of crea-
ton, as nothing can come about by
chance. All things must be governed
by law go Accounting for the mis-
sing link and the evolution Of reason.
The first of these doubts was cleared
away by Rev. John T. Gulick, who was
born in Honolulu, in his famous PAM
phlet published in London in 1888. His
observations were based upon expert
ments with Hawaiian land shells. He
proved fundamentally that once in so
often a special popularity in variation
would be so tenacious of its popularity
as to withstand the leveling tenden-
cies of inbreeding, thus causing the
segregation Of species within the same
environment.
The second objection, i. E., that nat
ural selection introduces the element
of chance, will soon be answered by
the great Luther Burbank, the wizard
of horticulture, who is closer than any
other man that ever lived, to a concep-
ton of the plan of creation. He has
in his short life created more distinct
|species of domestic plants and flowers
than were in the world when he
entered it. He has discovered, during