The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-05-13
CHRISTIANITY INSEPARABLE FROM
DOGMA.
Continued from Page H.

Continued from Rage H.
This important point must not be treated
SLIGHTLY for it marks the dividing line between lib
eral and orthodox protestants, and whilst tas
former possess less of true christianity in their de-
auctions which lead to many denlaIs. they pos
sess more logic than their orthodox critic
To show how logically defective the latter arc
in proving the Inspiration of the Scriptures
give their assumptions as specimen OF their log
ic The books of the New Testament, we are told.
are credible as bearing testimony to the wonderful
or miraculous works of Christ. Therefore of his
divinity Now mark the transition. a specie adj
speciem Being admittedly credible of what they
relate of Christ ergo also credible of their own
inspiration to which they also testify. That IS.
because the Gospels, as historical documents. are
credible in matters which pertain to the natural
order: therefore also are they credible In attest
ing to their own inspiration which transcends the
natural order. and belongs solely to the supernat-
ural order. This conclusion IS defective and
direct violation of the rules of logic which SAYS
that two different conclusions from the same prem
ises are not valid conclusions. The crcdibility of
the gospels in regard to the life, words and deeds
of Christ which pertains to the natural order does
not in any sense make them credible in regard TO
Inspiration which belongs to the supernatural or
der Yet that is the argument of all who reject the
church. They assume, that because the Catholic
church adduces the credibility Of the Gospel mar
fatives to prove the divinity of Christ. that thew
can, pari, adduce them to prove the inspiration
of the Scriptures and that if they are incredible
in one case, so are they also in the other From
this specious reasoning we get the absurd conclus
ion that witness is not credible at all, unless
credible in all things. This would destroy the
value of all human testimony. Every honest SIM
cere upright man is credible in what he knows
to be facts. but take that same honest sincere. up
right whose testimony Is not doubted by those
who know him when he testifes to what he sees,
hears. etc, and let him proclaim himself to be in
spired, how few Will accept his testimony. In the
history of the past we have many religious en-
thusiasts who were honest and sincere. and believed
themselves to be inspired We may take Sweden
borg or George Fox as examples. There is no rca-
to doubt their sincerity, or that they intended
or wished to deceive But because we reject their
mere say-so that they were inspired. we would not
be justified in rejecting their credbity as witnes-
ses In matters which came directly under their
senses. The only testimony for inspiration. which
does not come under the senses, is an infabIe
teacher divinely commissioned to proclaim it dog
matieally. Then it is the church as a dogmatic
teacher or nothing. Between both there is no al
tentative. Hence the downward march from or
thodox to liberal protestanism, and from the lat
ter to infdelity, and all this. because an infallbe
teacher is a bugbear which they do not under
stand. F. d.