The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-11-14

Ills idea" being modern and intended ONLY for
| the enlightened" must be the only yard measure
of truth. "The idea" of any loving father beirr
angry with his child or Furnishing him for any mis-
deed would be pari be 'monstrous" in tlr, en-
! llghtened and progressive age. For the same ra8-
"the idea" of any humane government pun
| lshing its criminal citizens is "monstrOus" Whyt
| Because ut IS not in accord with ideas of q
righteous, just and loving father and a mercj-
| full government. Hence our government, which we
heretofore considered progressive, enlightened and
humane is all wrong, for does it not still adhere
to the "monstrous doctrine of refusing to forgive
the murderer his sin till it has shed his blood"
Rev. GOshen's idea" of modern enlightenment
settles this ''monstrous" teaching. Would he en-
Tighten us still more with Ibis idea of man, orr
gin! viii he say with Darwin that his ancestors
the monkey or tadpOle or with Huxley that
he is evolved from protoplasm, or with Herbert
Spencer and host of others who answer that they
do not know? This is very important question
when the Justice of God is assaled and his infinite
mercy overlooked. His idea" may be that man
like Topsy, growed and his origin is enshrouded
III the mysterious past. That Is all he can learn
from the "ideas" of other enlightened men like
those quoted, who deny creation.
But and against these we have other great
scholqrs-men Of science, philosophers like Dante
Petrarch, Copernicus, Tasso, Shakespeare, Bacon.
Kepler, Descartes, Milton, Pascal, Locke, Newton
Leibnitz, Cuvier, Pasteur and numberess others.
especially all protesting ministers of the gospel Of
Christ who believed in creation. That profession
Is coeval, coexistent and co-eXtensive with the his
tory of the human race, and to dispossess or re-
Ject 1t need something more than a simple
idea"
Whatever may be Rev. Goshens idea" ON this
important point, it Is undoubtedly true that God
could forgive the sinner directly when he did pen
if He willed. Nay, more; sins are not for
given otherwise. Following the account of crea-
ton as given in Genesis, man requires more than
simple forgiveness Human nature required re-
demption IN order to regain its normal health and
soundness. Without this, regeneration ImpOs-
sible; and without regeneration there could be no
return of man to his Maker or final destiny.
The principle of vicarious punishment of the
innocent paying the penalty of the guilty is no
doubt wrong, according to Mr.. Goshen's ''idea" of
the relationship borne by the human race to their
progenitor-Adam. 1t has always been taught and
believed that Adam created, not generated
By Gods immediate act was he created. He was
the origin of the human race by Gods creative
act, which also applies to the original of every
genus species i'll the world. This doctrine
Charles Darwin, by his natural selection" tried to
combat but with all his experiments failed. Why.
Because, according to the latest teaching of sci
ence, generation cannot produce race
species. In Adam, as father, and through genera
ton all the individuals contained His fall
or disobedience, as recounted in Genesis, Is not,
Mr.. Goshen would suppose imputed to his chill
dren though they were guilty. Where there is
not sin God does not impute one. This would be
l
Being the sin of origin his children could not be
actually guilty of it. Neither could his children
as individuals be actually punished for it. The
real teaching, which Mr.. Goshen misunderstands
Is that as Adam the progentor of the race his
sin tainted the race, because he was the source
through generation, of all humanity. Hence. all
born of degenerate inherit the tainted nature
of the sources from which they sprang Adam
alone was guilty of actual commission of the sin:
his children. through generation, inherting his
tainted nature, have as their legacy, though not
guilty of it, the sin of origin.
The degeneracy of human nature is unfor-
tunateiy widened everywhere. 1t may not be APP
parent to the same extent everywhere or equal in
all tribes Even Rev. Goshen will find ample proofs
that there is an internal disorder, a lack of con
sistency. Experience teaches that all men could
say with ST. Paul, II do not the things which
[ will" i. e., what my judgment and spiritual ma
ture propose and approve, "but do the things
which I will not" 1t is then, evident that human
nature is not in its normal state, for "the spirit
lusteth against the flesh and the flesh against the
spirit" Hence the necessity of redemption and in
the economy of Gods designs the sending of his
only begotten son to redeem the human race.
To return to God, mans final cause and destiny.
regeneration necessary. Even though Adam
had never sinned, mans return to God required a
new birth. This attained only through the In
carnation, when "the Word was made flesh" and
became truly
In the first generation, through Adam all that
is possible to attain is a natural destiny. This in
the order of natural generation, would be its com
pletion. But to return to God, our first spiritual
regeneration needed. Hence the significance
of Jesus own words: unless one is born again
of water and the Holy Ghost he cannot enter the
kingdom of heaven" Rev. Goshen may not I'M
derstand this, but it is question between him and
his Maker, and when he discredits baptism, through
which this regeneration is effected, and which Is
logically necessary before man return to God, the
responsibility Is serious one. The objections in
his mind more imaginary than real. When
the apparent contradictions which he entertains
are removed there is but one step towards en-
bracing the real orthodox teaching of Christianity
If the given for not believing were
removed from Rev. Goshen's mind the
writer, who gives him credit for honesty
and sincerity, feels he would gladly believe
what he misunderstands and accept what
he now rejects. His present creed, which
is pure and simple unbelief, is unnatural and in
striving to sustain it he is doing violence to his
reason. "Faith is gift of God" and when that
takes the place of unbelef, 10y is attained and
is happy. All true progress and real enlghten-
ment must be founded in truth. To break from
the truth and relegate Jesus to the category of
ordinary beings, save "a great teacher of man
kind, is to deny all revealed religion and, by i'm
plication, God the creator of man and the uni
verse.