The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-06-13
KNOWLEDGE VS.. FAITH.


MANY people believe in an emo
tional religion. I do not 1 believe in
sound. practical, logical religion,
based on facts. John D. Rockefeller,
Jr
This young man seems to be much
troubled by the size of his head. Hav-
ing explained away the difficulties
which attend the advent of the rich
man into heaven to his own satisfac-
ton, he now seems so much encour-
aged that he bids fair to start new
religion and found a church of his own.
Having studied the subject carefully,
he will no doubt be able to make it
comfortable for the irresponsible rich
whose admission ticket to the pearly
gates will probably take the form of
Chemical bank book, and whose sta
ton near the throne, size of harp, etc.,
will be graded according to the ratings
to be found in Bradstreet's or Dun's
directories. There is no reason why he
should not succeed quite as well as
Dowie and others, especially since he
will not have to graft for his own pc
cuniary profit.
Rockefeller the younger, Sunday
school teacher, Bible class leader AMI
all the rest of it, has at last proved
that he has not the faintese conception
of the meaning of true religion. A re-
ligion based on fact is an impossible
ity. Were it possible that all the facts
regarding God, heaven and eternity
could be unfolded before the eyes of
men, their brains would be unable to
grasp the stupendous idea. The hui
man mind can form no conception of
eternity. 1t is mere expression,
without definite meaning.
The mind of man is finite and, there
fore, limited in it's grasp of knowledge,
but belief is infinite and can achieve
all things. We cannot know that God
exists and has ruled and will rule,
the universe for all eternity. We can
not see God No man will ever see
Him in this life. The whole idea is
too stupendous to be comprised as a
fact
But we can believe it. Faith may be
perfect and complete. We cannot rely
on fact, because the mind of no man
is capable of absorbing all knowledge,
even of a single subject. Were saliva
ton to depend on logic based on facts,
then heaven would be only for intel
lectual giants. That would be as I'M
Just as if it were based on the posses
sion of wealth. But the faith of child
is as perfect as that of the greatest of
men, as perfect as that of the pope OF
Rome. Herein lies the supreme jus
tice of the scheme of salvation which
the Standard Oil apostle would de
stroy
What is TRUTH" Plate received nc
reply to this question. Our Blessed
Lord answered what went before il
His examination by the Roman gov
ernor, but remained silent when the
question of the age kas put to Him
Faith, not knowledge Of all things, HI
taught was the way of salvation.
Reasonableness of belief is a goot
argument in favor of the truths of re
vealed religion. When an atheist say
he does not believe in an eterna
Creator of the universe, a fair ques
: ton to put to him would be: do yol
believe in the eternity of matter?" HI
, must believe in the one or the other
: His mind cannot know, cannot grasl
, the idea of eternity. He can find n,
words to express it. He cannot evel
attempt to explain whence came tn
first atom of matter. In the end
: comes down to a matter of belief, O
faith, for the mind refuses to go fal
2 Their. Which, therefore, is the mos
reasonable, faith, belief in the eternit
= of God, or in the eternity of matter?
-O-