Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-12
SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE
PRoFANE EXPLORATION vERr-
FIEs SACRED WRITINGS.
The Scriptures Do Not Contradict, but
Explain Physical
Law.
From the Montreal Star.

From the Montreal Star.
So far from being discredited, the Bible
is verified and Illustrated by science. No
true induction of the latter Is out OF accord
with anything contained In the Holy Scrip
lures. This agreement is more manifest
today than 1t ever was before Apparent
discrepancies vanish as the Bible and the
laws of the physical universe are better
understood. Science has opened our eyes
| to see the riches of revelation. 1t gives to
| the biblical account of creation a meaning
| we did not perfectly apprehend before. 1t
| does not contradict: IT explains. And II the
| cosmogony of science is not at variance
with that of Scripture neither is the study
| of science destructive of religion. On the
contrary. our knowledge OF matter in
creases. so does our wonder humility. ado
ration. for sense of the omnipresence
and infinite power of God must be borne
in upon every one who opens the book Of
nature. as upon every one who reads the
book of divine truth. DIR. Charles Wood
ruff Shields, professor OF the harmony Of
science and revealed religion at Princeton
University shows that Scripture Instead
of being controverted. is unfolded and borne
out by science. He makes IL clear that
while scientific hypothesis and religious
tenets are often discordant the established
facts of science and the essential truths of
revelation are ever in absolute harmony
Astronomy and the Bible.
The science of astronomy. DIR. Shields
points out, was long thought to be incon-
s;stent with revelation. The psalm.st poeti-
cally described the starry heavens as a
spangled canopy. In later ages was devised
the theory of Ptolemy, according to which
| the heavens were composed of vast crystal
spheres, one within another, having the
sun, moon and stars attached to them as
they revolved around the earth. which was
conceived of fiat, circular plane jm-
movably fixed in the center of the system.
This was accepted by the religious teachers
of the day.
When Nicholas Coperncus. priest of the
church, preached his great theory a
working hypothesis it seemed impious CALI
leo. who published proofs of the Copernican
theory, had to make a pretended recanta-
ton of his belief in it. Calico was impris-
| oned as a hereto and Bruno was burned at
the stake as an atheist and blaSphemer be-
cause he dared to speculate on the POSSIBLE
ity of there being other inhabited worlds.
In time the new astronomy came to be ac-
cepted as far more accordant with Scrip
ture than the old astronomy. If astronomy
tells us of an immensely of space, SO the
Bible teaches that Jehovah inha bteth
eternity. and the heaven of heavens cannot
contain him. Astronomy tells us of count
less orbs, moving with tremendous forces
in fixed orbits under immutable laws; and
| the Bible teaches us that He hath ordained
the heavens, and established in them His
power and faithfulness. Many such corre-
spondences are indicated by Prof. Shields
to show that what is accepted as true in
astronomy only makes the revelation OF
the Bible better understood.
Geology and the Creation.
Geology confirms the revealed doctrine
of an orderly creation and a sabbatical
calendar. Though the days of Genesis be
measured in hours or ages, though they
be treated as ideal rather than as actual.
they will still appear coincident acts of
creation and phases of evolution, founded
perhaps on the periodicities of nature and
expressed in the fourth commandment
Comparing the biblical and geological ac-
count we have first formless waste or a
nebulous chaos; second the earth as divid-
ed from the armament or the planet as
parted from the solar nebula; third, the
seas and the dry land bringing forth grass
and herb or the terraqueous globe with
its photoSphere and commencing verdure;
fourth, the appearing sun, moon and stars
for signs and season or the mature planet
in the solar system with its zones and
climates; fifth. the swarming of the great
fishes and winged fowl, or the production
of sea monsters and mammoth reptiles;
sixth, the earth bringing forth beasts each
after its kind and the making of man in
the image of God, or the evolution of the
higher animal and human species; seventh,
the divine day Of rest or the tranquil his
toric period. Dr. Shields also shows the
parallel between the deluge of the Bible
and the primitive watery globe of geology,
as well as between the biblical warning of
the day when the earth shall be burned I'D
and the geological hint of interior fires.
Anthropology and the Book
We are told by palaeontologsts and eth
biologists that man was but the produc. Of
the whole evolution of organic ature and
that his remote ancestor was an anthro-
poid ape 'In spite of theological prejudice
and some instructive repugnance,' says DIR.
Shields. I'VE have begun to entertain these
theories and may already provide, If neei
be, for their acceptance" f the anthro-
biologists prove all that they maintain.
the Bible will teach in correlation with
them that the first man. Adam. was of
the earth, earthly placed in d fruitful gar
den. associated with the animals, but with
dominion over them: that God breathed in
to him a living soul and made him after
His own image; that as in Adam all die,
in Christ shall all be made alive and
have borne the image of the earthly
so also shall we bear the image of the heav-
emily. and that the man of prophecy as re-
newed after the image of Christ, she Lord
from heaven. shall yet inhabit the new
heaven and the new earth. whercia dwell
eth righteousness" And such teaching Of
the Bible. he adds. will be fouud in hay
mony with such facts of anthropnlogy
In the Bible the patriarchs of the pecu-
mar people are represented worshipiny
Jehovah IN distinction from tie false gods
worshiped by the heather around them
Certain archaeoogists seem TO throw dis
credit on the biblical annals in this respect
claiming that Inscriptions on tablets ur-
earthed at Babylon bear resemblaEces with
the Genesis account of creation and para
disc Hilprecht. it is true. declares that the
BabYlonian polytheism stands in contract
with the Hebrew monotheism bu- DrIit.sSh
hastily infers that the Hebrew nonotheism
was no better than the Babylonan poly.
theism.
A House of Mystery.