The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-09-03
FREE THOUGHT AND CHURCH.
MANSHIP.


MANSHIP. ~.
To THE EpIroR OF THE 6uN-Sr: The
question was started In your columns the
other day whether Christian Of my way
Of thinking could be member OF the Angli-
can Church. A professor Of the Anglican
creed no could not be, though he might sit
in an Anglican pew. But he might find
himself In other respects out Of place. !
attend church whore am safe agalhst
religious recognition Of war IN ma
terialism has thoroughly proved III case;
q man, IL seems to me, will hardly 90 Won
In outing himself of from religious NE
Extreme materialism lays It down tnst
the three great obstacles TO our wen pein&
are the belief In God, tho belief IN Inn.
mortality and the belief IN the freedom o.
the will. It Is not easy to 500 what speo'ai
harm pure theism has done. Its cnecN
might be thought even to give 1t some
claim to consideration a. Q practical key.
Immortality In the strict sense 70 unthink.
able, and the doctrine has been presented
In form which shocks. But without that
belief in accountability wfioh b the support
Of conscience the world would hardly have
been better than 1t IL.
Nor apparently would man have been
better braoed for improving effort by the
belief that he was an auton,aton and that
responsibility was . dream. The frank
abandonment Of that which reason, our
only guide. 90 Bishop Potter says, has dis
proved Is tho first step toward the attain
ment Of truth. FREQ thought does frankly
abandon, although 1t may be with . sigh,
whatever science and criticism have dis
proved. 1t admits the difficulty OF the
theistic hypothesis arising from the oon-
fiict in the universe OF that which seems TO
us disorder and evil with that which seems
to us order and good. It lays Paley's
Evidences" and the Brtdgewater.
But reason surely bids us DO on our guard,
not only against tho influence Of tradition
which now. among tho educated, fingers
chiefly In clerical circles. and even there Is
tempered by "Lux Mundi,' but against the
rush Of physical discovery and the imnne-
diate assumption that the germplasm
which science, overturning our ipfantine
oreeds, has shown to be the beginning Of
human life, must carry In 1t tho limitation
of human development, aspiration and
hope.
We may also have to be on our guard
he oh 1SnA ut
against o.eie.on A'un' '"e -. -. ~
MUMMY m ~ Ill - d.sd rsiir,on.
~ 80 .NS. ~ s,,v.hisr, rov
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poleo ~ Wv. &C. ~',.n.. ~ ,,,sr,o-v h.,no
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n. =, VIC ia COO knox. too veil.
~ - ~ - - ,oot a ,o,.nomsr. Nstber
.a,eDo.bn sr;-;tusI,sr, nor anvthino OF
tbat Lird sssr,s vet 70 have Touched or
. .na. 80 ~ hs,s torob.d the ami
p TO-. o.,O,,, :. s.,t,oaI ,,o,,snt n III.
that suieiy 70 UN,oI. a.. .s- ~
h -, - 49, ,,n,v.r.a and ~ III. own
saina sd dsstinv With raa.on ,molouded
~ -, d;,;on sinr,a ,hinkers nav hava
a. .h;. hafo-a R,t thew varo .tiil IN the
,.on,.',,-. ~, ,rod;t;on .nd had comnara-
,,,,.,r I,ttle -, The Noht ~ .cience TraH.
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