The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-05-16
PERFECT RELIGION
DR.. BOWNE'S
THEME
Scholarly Lecturer Discusses
It's Nature, Principles,
and Purposes.

Professor Bowne's lecture on The
Religion OF Intelligence, or the Su-
premacy of the Christian Religion" in
the First Methodist Episcopal church
last night was possibly the finest pre-
sentation and Interpretation of the
Christian faith that a Grand Forks
audience has ever been privileged to
hear. He spoke with the conviction,
certainty sweep and grasp of a mas
ter mind and profoundly sympathe-
tic heart. 1t was the climax of the
lectures thus far given, and appealed
fascinatingly to the various types of
intellect represented in the gathering
which filled the auditorium to its ut
most capacity. One could hear 1t
said on every hand at the close Of the
lecture, 1T was the finest thing l ever
heard" Following is a brief repro
duction:
The purpose of our study is to dis
cover and demonstrate that perfect
religion" is the final and consumate
thing for our race This perfect re-
ligion is what we commonly designate
1.-The Christian Faith" beyond which
there is nothing more. 1t must be
Christianity or nothing Religion is
being studied today as one of the
greater progress has been made in
the religious sphere than in any other
department OF thought or life.
But it is evident that in the pro-
gress of this study it has been made
manifest that great deal of blunder-
ing has been made and much misun-
derstanding has arisen. These have
resulted very largely from critics hos
tile to Christianity and much effort
has been expended in the attempt to
show it's invalidity. Empirical phil
osophers have called attention to the
beginnings" and history of the re-
ligious consciousness and thereby
have sought to discredit religion by
endeavoring to show that you have to
look for its genesis in fear, visions
and dreams, and in this way we are
perforce, compelled to revert to such
pathological phenomena.
But this is mere flocus-pocussing
Those empirical philosophers have
been mislead in that they have failed
to discriminate between the genesis
and development of an institution or
conception and its validity and re-
liability. The origin and history Of
an idea are forever distinct from it's
casual ground. If the contention re-
garding the genesis and history of
religious ideas and their trustworthi-
ness holds, then the same thing has
application in the realm of science
the very realm, by the way, where
those men think they stand so firmly.
If religion had crIlde origin sO had
science. education, government. 1t is
popularity known that astronomy "be-
gan in astrology, and chemistry in
alchemy II religion is invalidated
because of it's genesis and develop
ment, the same may be asserted of
astronomy and chemistry. The fact,
is, however, that men began" with
mere pOtentialities and as experience
broadened and deepened the way was
opened to fuller and richer life. As
in the field of science SO in the realm
of religious thought. Crude notions
about the power or powers behind the
universe an dtheir relation. to man
have been made instrumental in the
progression which has brought about
our present high and noble religious
and spiritual convictions and concep-
tons
Religion is here, no matter what its
genesis and history. The fact is that
although these may possess consider
able interest for us, they, however,
are not the paramount thing. Some
thing else is necessary to explain the
religious phenomenon. The historical
development is not the decisive thing.