The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-06-15
IGNORANCE.

When man starts out a campaign of Wifi
cation, denunciation and abuse of anything, jhe
greatest asset he can have is profound ignorance
of the thing attacked. Especially is this true OF
religious matters. For example, take the Christian
Science church. which has accomplished some real
~ wonderful good in the world. In addition to the
Bible which is its basic foundation, the Christian
Science church has an individual Interpretation of
the sacred text by Mrs. Mary Baker G. Eddy, which
is read conscientiously by the adherents of that
! faith and furnishes, as its name implies, key to
| the scripture. We not attempting defense f
jhs religious cult but wish merely to point that
it has been the object of much bitter condemnation
and this by who have never read the text book
probably never saw copy of it-and some Of
whom have never even read the Bible. They get
vague idea of the teachings of the church and
pile up anathemas out of their own ignorance Of
it. If they honestly studied and sought the truth
concerning Christian Science, and knew the peo-
pie making up the membership of the church, thew
might learn some few things which would profit
them by their emulation
The Catholic church, which is centuries old
whore the Christian Science church is years, has
received its quota of utilization and denunciation
in just about the proportion as their ages 1t
is alleged that Catholicism is opposed to progress
that it fights natural science and ressts the spread
of enlightenment Ignorance, it is charged, is the
strength of the church. and the only hope of con-
tinuing in its position, according to the assaantS
Is to keep the adherents of the faith benghted as
to the glorious discoveries of the twentieth CEN
fury. Facts, they say, would refute the creed AMI
dogmas of Catholicism and leave the members of
the church free to keep step with the march of pro-
gressive thought
These charges and the insinuations which al
ways patent though yelled and which carry
the grossest insult to Catholics generally and the
clergy particularly, usually the product OF those
Who are entirely ignorant of the teachings Of the
church; or whose information has been CLEANED
from sources antagonistic to the church No fair
minded investigator would accept a speech Of
Colonel Robert G.. IngersolI as good Catholic doc
trne, nor as the doctrine of any other church But
how many attacks on Christianity are based on his
utteraneesl 1t isn't logical to accept as the final
ruth the denial of God simply because the denial
IS couched in eloquent words or is q fine example
OF satire Nor, on the other hand is it logical 10
Feeept Christianity the Catholic church on the
mere statement of the professors of religion.
Ii God endowed man with intellectual penetra-
lion, it is certain he should use it. is equally
certain that if tie Catholic church Opposes that use
OF God-given faculty, the church must fail, in
deed, would long ago have passed into oblivion That
1t has survived all these years, notwithstanding
SANDER and attack, furnishes almost sufficient proof
that the church is not what its enemies saw it is
that Its teachings not opposed to scientific re-
search or even to lot of pseudo-scienti6c theories
which even the originators do not mt forward ~
fnalities
Science and religion are hand maidens and
lactS eStapshed by science agree pretty thoroughly
Win the facts OF religion. Conclusions arrived at
by an elaboration of false hypothesis do not dis
prove the fact but only the falsity of the theory.
Ignorance denies the fact and science and religion
go tumbllng down before it. Happily there are still
upon the earth some men who seek truth and who
possess enough perspicacity to study Catholicism
from those capable and honest enough to mt for.
ward facts, and not from its avowed enemies M
one would ask an anarchist for theory of govern.
nent or taxation. Anarchists do not believe m
either Neither should the teachings of the Catbo.
lc church as propounded by its enemies be accented
me church is not mysterious 1t is not idoatrous.
ior pagan. 1t has no secrets There are many
BOOKS ana many newspapers printed under author
" OF the church which seek to disseminate the
ruins OF the church, and counterfeit the notion
nat IL Is relic of the dark ages When an intel.
leent man reads these works and studies both sides
4 the question, calmly and dispassionatelv weigh.
ne the evidence as presented, and then decides tba
merits of the case, the Catholic church fears not
ne result II he does not embrace the faith, and is
onest IN his rejection, he at least has learned
ONE things which must make him better man.