The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-11-11
SCIENCE CANNOT ESTABLISH
THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST
Continued from Page 1.

mythologies, as belief in the existence of God is
older than its denial.
Assuming the antiquity of the belief in God.
and its priority in time. the atheist rests the
burden of proof to explain Its origin, and falacy.
1t will not do to say that the belief originated in ig
norance, and that as the progress and enlIghteu-
ment of succeeding ages advanced, science dis
PEELED this ignorance and enlightenment succeeded
darkness and superstition. Very PLAUSIBLE but how
prove that belief in the existence of God Is an IL
fusion, originated in ignorance! No one doubts
the deep researches scholarly attainments, and
profound knowledge of the atheistical school of
philosophers who propounded and still adhere to
this theory of ignorance, superstition, or the un-
developed state of the human family in the dim
past. But does science establish the claim they
make j. e.. prove that the belief originated in ig-
norance! If not, them again 1t be said rests
the burden of proof to establish this fact. Their
mere say so is simply begging the question, which
would be unworthy of learned men who make sci
ence, progress and enlightenment their watchword.
And yet it may be truly said, that whilst no one
should be unwilling to bestow these learned men
their well-earned and duly need of praise, still
they do not monopoize all the sciences. There are
and have been Christian philosophers and scien-
fists who were and are not only the equals, but
even superior i'll many respects 10 those who decry
the ignorance and superstition of the past, and
decaim against all supernatural power, and It's in
tervention In this mundane sphere. But this only by
the way, for whilst admitting the advance of sci
ence and the progress of the human race, this sci
and progress are confined to their own sphere
and cannot ascend from the natural to the super
natural which, at best, they admit to be unknow-
able
Whilst advancing their unverifed theories re-
garding the origin of belief in the existence of
God their ablest leaders admit at the same time
that they are unable on any scientific basis to
tablish their assumed atheistical principles Her
bert Spencer, to whom reference has been already
made, confesses that science has proof that God
does not exist. John Fiske, graduate of Harvard
college and distinguished historical writer and
lecturer, admits in lecture delivered at his Alma
Mater in 1871 that science cannot establish that
God does not exist. He said: "We are now in a re-
gion where absolute demonstration, in the scientific
sense, is impossible. 1t is beyond the power of sci
ence to prove that personal God either exists
does not exist. Here is another admission that
science does not disprove Christian theisn and as
the latter e., belief in the existence is older than
unbeef that belief in God must not yield to a
simple denial But admitting, as all do, their in
ability 10 disprove scientifically the existence of
God, their next step, to appear consistent is that
there us sufficient warrant guarantee for
the belief which is coeval and coexistent with the
history of the human race" Admitting the fail
ure of science to disprove what man has always
believed, then presumption favors the believer and
is against the unbeliever. An argument from pre-
scription may not always be valid argument, but
in no instance the possessor from prescription
be ousted by simple denials. 1t lis sufficient war;
rant or guarantee for the belief till the uubeliever
produces a better warrant guarantee" for I'M
belief.
Abandoning as hopeless the task of disproving
the existence Of God on any scientific basis log
ica argument, their next step to reach the goal of
unbelief is to train the human mind in the habit
of not believing This, unfortunately, We see re-
allied and through this mental habit as Mr..
Fske expressed it. belief in the supernatural will
die out las other doctrines have persisted through
lack of mental predisposition to accept it, This
to a great extent we see verified among our coun-
trymen, who boldly assert their unbelief, and are
mentally indsposed to accept the belief even when
scientifically established But this is not the point
Following up the objection of the pretended sci.
entists to the existence of God and belief in the
supernatural being confessedly unable to prove
what the fool said ages ago, "There is no God"
they have simply recourse to the argument of OK
pediency, viz of directing the minds of the youths
into other channels, namely those of unbelief Ig-
more God and, as Mr. Fiske hopes, ''the thestical
hypothesis will generally fall into discredit not be-
cause it viii have been dsproved but because there
will be no sufficient warrant for maintaining it."
Whv not Being unable TO "disprove," presumption
again fayors theism and is against atheism even
though fifty millions of our most learned citizens
were mentally trained to reject belief in God and
the supernatural. Nothing but proofs based on
scientific basis will justify the presumptive argu-
ment based ON the tradition of ages and consecrat
ed by the hallowed teaching of parent to child.
From child to parent go back step by step to
the first parent where faith began. Here the seri-
Gus minded and great Christian philosophers pause.
and the only logical solution for the great question
which pretended scientists try to dispose of through
mental habit" acquired by early training of
not knowing or ignoring God, and that is, God is;
he is our creator; we are placed in this world for
time our real destiny is only attained by knowing.
loving and serving him here on earth and sharing
in that infinite happiness which he has in store for
those who do his viii, by obeying his command
ments. T. D.