Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-11-22
BIBLE AND SCIENCE.

lfldi IL rs an VI Hulndn-NtIH hulhau VI
gin It was necessary to venture
guess as to where IT came from, and 1
has been supposed that the lsraeltei
borrowed their ideas, their theology
and cult from Babyonia. AS already
noted in these columns, the Berlin Pro
fessor Delltzsch has advocated thl;
view.
But Il does not commend Itself to all
students Of oriental languages and lit
erature on the contrary, a great many
authorities on that subject point out
that the earliest parts Of the Old Testa-
ment prove conoluslyely that the au-
thor was independent Of both Babylo-
mans and PhoeuicIans. The latter were
materialists, while the author Of the
Pentateuch ascribes creation TO the will
Of intelligent Beings. Besides, the
Rabylonlan chronology Is radically DIFF
ferent from that Of Moses showing in
depenence in this particular at least
The best proof Of the Old Testament
being a divinely inspired book what
ever were the instruments used in pro-
ducing IT and whatever was the mater
lal they availed themselves Of, is found
in It's own contents. Who can read for
instance the story Of the creation, with
out feeling impressed that the knowl-
edge Of that event was derived from
the divine source? The very manner
in which II presents the truths II Is in
tended to convey. proves that 1t was
inspired. Was there ever any grander
sentence penned in human language
than ,his. "In the beginning, God cree
ated the heavens and the earth?" In
this II is said that our solar system had
a beginning" without assigning any
age to IT, Science confirms this. There
was beginning" Even on the nebu-
lar hypothesis Of creation, there was n
beginning"
But 1t is further taught in this brief
statement that it is folly to pay homage
TO the sun, the stars, TO beasts or i'm
mutations OF objects of nature, because
all is created by the order Of an intelll-
gent Being far above and superior TO
all that has been created Why not
worship the Creator, instead OF the
sreatureY And everywhere, where this
account Of creation is accepted as true,
divine worship is directed toward the
true Godnead, Did ever a mere human
sentence produce such an effect upon
human history?
Then It is very clear that the author
of the Mosaic account, even II he was
not aware Of all that modern science
knows, or claims TO know about the
universe. yet stated the absolute truth
in all the matters Of which be spoke.
And II ought to be clear that he could
not have obtained his information from
contemporary human sources.
In Genesis the universe is not brought
into existence lnstantaneously. There
is q gradual unfolding, from the day
the natural forces are set In motion
until the earth ~ completed and made
fit to be a human habitation. The en-
tire narrative is in harmony with the
most modern ideas on this subject. We
see In this venerable account brought
before our view, first the simplest
forms of matter, all In apparent con-
fusion, then the gradual arrangement
into suitable abodes for living beings,
and then these living beings rising
higher and higher In the scale. And
finally man is introduced, as the image
Of the Creator. the ruler of all the
creatures upon the earth.
The point Is this, that so much has
been told US about an event which no
mortal eye witnessed, and that there
is not one single statement that contra.
diets any proved scientific facts. II
this Is not proof Of divine inspiration.
nothing can be proved But it is That
the Babylonians also had accounts par.
allel to the Biblical accounts. is not
strange. Originally there was but one
account. IL was the one given 10 our
first parents by their divine Instructor
Tradition transmitted this account tC
the various branches OF the human
family Naturally II became changed
In the transmission. and differences II
the details became more and NOR,
numerous, and marked. az time passed
and communication between dineren
parts Of the world was cut on tn,
Mosaic account follows the original
though II necessarily IN very mucl
abbreviated, the authors Intention onl!
being to use II as an Introduction &
the law, and not as an Independent
history Of the world. This account
both for its truth, It's brevity and It
resemblance in some parts 10 other an
Client traditions.