The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-22
REIGN OF IL
By Rabbi Simon r. COIN, in Norfolk Virginian>Pilot.

than as natural and in accordance with
divine will"
You may desire to know how this
discovery was made? The writer mas
c~ondescended % enlighten Us even
upon the secret. It is somewhat as
follows: When Adam and Eve slnned
in the Garden Of Eden their trans
gression was doubtless, far
reaching than merely affecting mans
moral status" When Adam denied ne
,ne apple his falsehoOd and dis
obedience affected the whole creation.
Because Of that che forbidden bite all
nature has been cClyulsed and a
been acting in an unnatural" ungcdly
way ever since. A bene1cient Deity
cannot help that: No, never! The
thought is blasphemy. The Lord God
had destined nan TO one perpetual
round of pink teas" and Literary d.
gests;" cut the first man by his dis
obedience upset the whole plan OF ere
alton, cursed humanity with perpetual
sin, and afflicted Mother Earth with
intermittent, unnatural upheavals--
eathuuakes, volcanoes, tidal waves
subject to the divine Jaw, even battling
for supremacy with God Almighty him
self. How the shades of Zoraster
must smile at this piece Of naive dual
ism!
On, yes my beloved lay-writer, mis-
solution has a merit; we could neVer
assert, if We accepted it that Goa de-
liberately brings a catastrophe TO
mankind, as a part OF the natural or
der: but we would rather place such
catasthrope under the category OF uh-
natural phenomena. The merit Of this
solution however, is wholly lost sight
of when we remember that IN accept
ing it we must likewise accept the idea
that there are manifestations IN nat
ure which occur without the deilDera-
ton or permission of God, in fact some
could occur without Divine warrant.
confess, would rather reject this mer-
itOrious plan than deny unity, lnttnit
wisdom, and infinite power CT God.
The very idea is repugnant to the lay
man as well as the tneOlogian.
KNOWLEDGE VS.. SENTIMENT AND
FEAR.
The solution is rot to be found here;
but rather along the lines that ad-
vancing knowledge has laid out for us.
When humanity knew absolute moth
ing of the laws governing n cOntroli-
ing the world, any change in nature
was ascribed to a special Deity VINO
was angered or pleased as some act
of wisdom Oh folly committed by man
/ cannot enter into an extended lis
cussion of this subject here, but Offer
a single illustration. Before the as
tronomers discovered the exact iawi
governing eclipse, men believed tha'
they were a special manifestation o.
God ~portending some important even
affecting mankind. We do not looi
upon an eclipse in this ann toda!
We know the simple natural law gov
ernins eclipses and laugh at the fear O
the ancients. In the same way man.
manifestations in nature which at on
time were looked upon as signs o
Gods special providence are know
to be subject to laws which II under
stood can be foretold.
GENERAL AND SPECIAL PROV1-
DENCE.
This leads us to the discussion OF I'll
IDEAS comprised under p heading .
General and Special Providence. Strip
ping the subject of all theological yer
biage the common distinction betWee'
general and special providence IS this
When we use the term General Prov
idence' we mean that God has estap
lished q series of laws which COVER
{ and control the universe without con
[ sidering the individual man. Wher
God suspends the operation OF thes
, genera laws for the sake of man "
have Especial Providence" i. e., 20
t from time to time, performs what
commonly known as a miracle to save
= to punish. or to admonish 1ndlv1d
2 uals or society. Many Of thos
) to who hold this view would say tia
t the earthquake was an act OF "Specis
! Providence" 1t is true even Judalsl
. described earthquakes as special ac1
? of Providence. That was before
= knew that they were the result OF we
l defined natural causes. Judaism the
: said: God in his infinite wisdo1
e afflicted some to warn others. 1oda
the idea is discarded in the face OF ii
2 evidence available.
SCIENCE.
- Science has shown that there are cel
tain regions on earth where eartl
: uuakes are common. In TACT nlnet.
o seven per cent of all earthquakes o.
cur there; that they are due
y faults in the sub-strata in the earl
. of these regions. Mountains are
process Of growth there. AS hey gro
the material necessary to build the
q flows from beneath the affected reglc
this constitutes the fault" abo'
mentioned. When this flow occurs,
when the earth's surface through the
: flows. is left without support until II
y surface finds a new foundation to re
+ on it is subjected to violent rockln:
a and shakings. If you pull the found
q tion from under a building it w.
= crumble to pieces. 1t obeys the gener
~ law of gravity. If in the shrikage
= the mountains the earth and rocl
= which support the surface settles up
!" ;+s new foundation. it is likewise ODE