Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-16
THE VALUE OF RELIGION.

[G. z. Moore, in the International Jour-
nal of Ethics.]
In an address delivered before the
London school Of ethics and social phil
osophy, Mr.. G. E. Moore points out
what he considers to be the essential
value of religion after the belief in the
existence of conscious deity has been
eliminated. He brushes aside the ar
guments for the existence of God from
the necessity for first cause and from
design, and declares that IAN appeal to
faith is the sole ground for asserting
the truth Of religion" His position is
akin to that OF the leading thinkers of
ligion to be social and ethical rather
than spiritual.
The manners in which religious be-
liefs may act on different minds are
infinitely various. But think there is
at least good room to doubt whether
it ever does much good. That there is
a power who is willing and able to help
you would be, no doubt. an encourag
ing thought. But God can not interfere
In the course of natural events. This
belief, which has played such large
part in the religions of the past. is
demonstrably untrue. AT most, then,
the announcement must come from
the knowledge that He sympathizes
with US.
agree with Matthew Arnold that
q more important element in religion
than this is the belief that the good
will triumph. If we could rest in this
belief, we might surely give up the be-
lief in God, and yet get all the comfort
that we needed. But for this belief,
also, am afraid we have no reason.
That good will triumph as that God
exists is possible, but only possible.
But though our belief In this God
fail us, too, think 1t may be doubted
whether we may not still retain the
very elements which have rendered re-
ligion most effective for good In the
past. They are, in fact. elements which
have no logical connection with belief
in God. First, there is that valuable
element in religious emotion which
proceeds from the contemplation of
what we think to be most truly and
perfectly good. We are, indeed. only
entitled to think of this as we ought to
be; not as what is or will be. But /
doubt IL this emotion need lose much
of its force, because it's object is not
read. The effects of literature show
how strongly we may be moved by the
contemplation of ideal objects, of which
we nevertheless do not assert the ex
istence. 1t may, indeed. be doubted
whether the most effective part in all
religious belief has not always been
similar to that which we have In OBJ
jects of imaGination-a belief quite
consistent with a firm conviction that
they are not facts. And. secondly that
some good objects should be real, is
indeed necessary for our comfort. But
these we have in plenty. 1t surely
might be better to give up the search
for a God whose existence Is and re-
mains undemonstrable. and to divert
the feelings which the religious wish to
spend on Him toward those of our
kind, who, tho perhaps less good than
we can imagine God to be. are worthy
of all the affections that we can feel:
and whose help and sympathy are
much more certainly real We might
perhaps with advantage worship the
real creature little more. and hish ypo-
thetical Creator good deal less. Then
we would have perfect ethical sys-
tom