The St. Louis Republic., 1900-12-10
SCIENCE AND RELIGION
NOT OPPOSING FORCES

.S.ence and Religion WAS the theme of
.,scourse of :he Reverend Doctor s Sale
:, Temple Shaare Emeth yesterday. tie said
In part:
..rhe conflict between religion and science
shcur which SO many books have been writ
,sn ana OF which We near 50 much. even
IN our own uAN. Is altogether imaginary
snd unnatural ami wherever it does exist
r. Is due TO faulty conception, either oi
me scientist or the champion CT religion. as
"a what constitutes the legitimate realm o;
the one anu the osleE-
'"o ..of the Two. the domain OF religion is
much the wider aud should properly include
science. art ami politics. ana. in fact, every
thine that touches and appcrtaiuS 10 human
te ~ II is the diviuely touched anI rr-
Igtous nature of man. according 10 the
reaching OF Judaism, out Uf which all the
higher and rooleT aspirations come. ang!
,hs least Of these IS certainly not :he in
satiabIe hunger AFTER truth. the reaching;
out after a fuller ana proioundcr knowledge
Of man anu the universe. tne search after
the hidden things is a part Of the religious
endowment OF the human mind. Just as
much as the necessity FOR moral and
aesthetic culture. and the ideal man is he
In whom all these thee attributes of human
nature are most fully developed and inter
The love Of truth. which inspires the
fnan of science. and the self-denial, whicl,
= makes him conseCrate his days and nights
10 her service. are the prompting OF his
religious rGture. JuSt as much as are the
good deeds of that man who has conquered
his selfish inclinations. who has hot yielded
walks i'll the pathway of duty and right
According TO nay faith the human mind is
bathed in the sunlight of divine love ana
wisdom. Il is but the image o; the alE-soul.
and therefore l cannot understand what
men mean when they speak OF an an:acun-
tsm between the natural and necessary
manifestattCnS of the human soul. Of u
strife between religion and science.
There may he a strite between certain
forrus Of religious faith. certain GuEmaS ami
.f,es and the results of science. hut in tho
,ery nature of Jhtugs there can Ice no enui-
" between eternal essentials pf religion
aud the truths OF science. Those dussmdilc
,siicions which own a. their fundamental
,erities notions :hdU which nothing more
,epucnant TO reason ami common sense can
y ina -inod. may Justly quail before the re
suits of exact research. but the rehgloa OF
9Er prophets has never had any cause 10
regard the sciences with alienation. may, 1t
7as always II Sardsd them as its strongest
,lly. Judaism has never set an intardict on
rec thought. and its fundamental princi-
pies. when are as broad. deep ana eldS,tc
Is human nature. have always invited and
encouraged the greatest possible latitude IN
he exercise or reason. II has never
Errmn'eG at the disclosures Of the hol5eSt re-
search and since into its essential cOnstitU-
lion there enters no element opposed 10 red
son. 1t halls every discovery of the exact
sciences as the sUbiimeSt revelation.
destined to break down the obs. acias and
partition walls of s"ttarian prejudice ana
.ngrained superstition, which Usurp the
.aame "i religion. ard stand IN the way ci
so incoming Of the grand ideal OF is
he basis OF dogma. hut on the solid founda-
lion OF Justice. Righteousness ana love.
As decisive proof that there is no en-
nifty between the enlightened faith of the
Jew and the sciences. We can point almost
20 the entire paSt history of oUr people. l
need not refer you only to the Middle
A-cs when thsv. together with the NIohar1-
rledans. were tnc most jealous devotees of
the arts and sciences. when they cultivated
astronomy and mathematics. botany ana
medicine. became the purveyors of Greek
philosophy for European civilization and
Travelled through and around the known and
the unknown world by charts which they
themselves had made. | need not. say, re
cen these Tatent facts. | can point you 20
the very first chapter Of the Bible itself as
4 demonstration Of my proposition hat
theGs is no conflict between religion ard
science. / do rot mean to say that the
statements contained in that chapter ,Io
coincide with the results of modern science.
Or can be made, by any means 20 harmon
ize with them on the contrary. | am
in"rouChl-- convinced that it is an iCle and
bontlcsS task to attempt any such recon-
ciliatiCn. and yet I say that the very pres
Pnce of that chapter in the Bible is the
strongest proof of the perfect compatible
ty of religion and science. OF course, we
must not look at the Bible through specta-
el.s Of orthodox theology nor regard it in
the light in which Il was viewed long
.inle after il was compiled but must at
tempt to understand in its own light and
apply TO it the canons of criticism which We
employ in studying any other literary her
tage.
over the portal that leads to the sanctl-
ary OF Israels faith is written in charac-
ters that cannot he effaced. the truth which
has been the hope and stay OF the human
race, the source of all its bliss and in:ipira-
tion, the fountain light of all our heing.
the master light of all our day the truth
that there is central light in the uni
verse. a power resident in the world Of
matter that worlSeth with wisdom and
purposeful Intelligence the order and har--
mony of the universe. and has shed abroad
In the human heart the creative work. the
divine image. which some day shall make
radiance Of justice. righteousness and low
Ing kindness. 1t was clearly the object OF
the writers OF Genesis ard OF the Bible
generally to inculcate and enforce this high
used to bar the progress of science, this
fault must be ascribed not TO the Bible it
self hut to the shortsighteiness Of those
who misunderstood it and totally Elistook |
lis purpose |
Il venture to maintain that the higher |
criticism which has stirred up n whole |
hornets nest of theOlogians will not de |
prive tho Bible of one jot or title of fits |
real value. The, application of the canons |
brens. for that is what the higher crit |
icism is doing. will only result in bringing !
out into grea:e- prominence the eternal |
worth Of the Bible as "a help toward the |
perfect ideal Of religion 1t viii destroy |
the foolish notions Of men and the super |
ttitions which they have entertained about |
the sublimest literary heritage of the past. !
but Il will enable us thereby to arrive at a Il
thorough appreciation of its real and match /
less truths. Tne higher criticism has al /
ready demonstrated. what no trIIe believer \
Of the Bible ever doubted that there Is not. |
and never can be, any conflict between |
science and religion. when these are proper
Z understood. In the words Of Huxley. The
htagcnism of science is not to religion.
buS to the heathen Survivals and the bad |
philosophy under which religion herself is
we'll nigh crushed And, for my part, |
trust that this antagonism will never cease.
Tut that, to the end OF time true science
will continue to fulfill one of her most be-
aencent functions. that OF relieving men
rom the burden OF false science which Is
imposed upon them in the name of religion. |
! he only legitimate purpose of science must
De- by the displacement Of error, to point |
mans way to the treasure-house OF truth, |
and the eternal good and beautiful. which |
are bound up with it. Herein IL can never
.ome into conflict with true religion, which