The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-03-21

other hand being but finite his powers
OF reason and understanding circum-
scrlbed-how can man hope to fathom
the infinite depths of Gods truth! Ger
talnly, if we prove by scientific expert
ment, to our own satisfaction, that it is
! philosophically and psychologically.. i'm
possible that GOO has at any time di-
rectly revealed himself to man, and
that our belief rests only on sentiment,
ldnoVed by a certain indescribable and
Inherent or imminent need of the di-
vine, there can be no absolutely firm
and immutable foundation to our re-
! ligion; since God does not enter into it,
but the whole fabric is of human make
If, as these latter-day reformers also
! attempt to show us, Jesus Christ could
not have been the Son of God because
it is scientifically impossible that the
! infinite should clothe himself in the
! flesh of a finite being, in the manner
! proposed to our belief in the dogma of
the Incarnation, that the beautiful
| teachings of the Blessed Redeemer
We're but the opinions of a good and
holy man. what right or authority does
| the church possess to define and pro-
mulgate any dogma as absolute truth?
| Whereas we know that what was truth
| 1000 years ago, is the same truth to-
day, and will be proposed by the church
to her children for their belief 10000
years hence in its identity, these
! learned scientists and philosophers will
| haze general Squaring up. a balancing
! of accounts, between science and the
dogma from epoch to epoch. at all
times, however. conforming the dogma
to the conclusions of physical science
They openly criticize the church for
conservatively holding TO her dogmas,
and refusing to subject of subordinate
them to science. AS stated at the be-
ginning of this paper. after but casual
consideration of the subject, it cannot
be at all surprising that the pope an
nounces in such unmistakable terms
where he stands, and where the church
stands in this controversy. He has
simply proven his courage to call
spade by its true name. 1t all resolves
itself into question for each individ-
ual, whether he stands by the church,
or by these ultra-human scientists; if
he accepts the church as his guide, he
may not complain if she holds to her
Revelation,
In the same manner in which these
modernists dispose of the doctrine of
direct communication between God and
man, that is Revelation, they also work
havoc with the belief in the divine in
SEPARATION Oh Ine scriptures. IGeJeCIl1lR
all supernatural influence on the minds
of the prophets, or apostles, which en-
abled them to speak with authority, as
Catholics believe, they explain this in
spiration az nothing more than the
stimulating influence which actuates
all poets and other writers, and WHICH,
melting quick Intellect, a nervous
temperament, and a mind directed to-
ward contemplation of spiritual things,
may readily be COMPOUNDED with di-
rectly divine influence. These wise
men tell us that this supposedly super
natural influence came, in reality, from
within. was entirely human.
Precisely in the same category with
their explanation of the divine inspira-
ton of the Scriptures, is the modern
lists doctrine concerning the authority
of the church and her popes. Since
Christ was not the Son of God, but sim
ply good AMI holy man, and to the
church the first believer, he felt within
himself the innate disposition, the need,
to communicate the fruits of his earn
est cogitations to others: the numbers
of those who were affected, increased;
next the need of the mass to congre-
gate exerted itself, and we have the
early church The authority of the
church in this ingenious manner being
shown to rest but on human institu-
ton, she is necessarily fallible, subject
to the collective conscience, and when
ever she rises to disown this depen
dence, her authority degenerates into
tyranny The church being founded on
faith. which must ever subordinate it
self to scientific knowledge, it is read
lily understood that the state, taking
science, art and all temporal institu-
lions under its fostering care, is SUI
perior to the church, so much so, that
every citizen must at all times work
for the common good, without needing
the wishes, orders, or even reprimands-l
of the church
Tt goes without saying that our mod
ernists are firmly welded to the prin-
ciple of evolution. Everything is sub
iect to the laws of evolution, including
the church, dogma, Bible, faith; the
two opposite forces which pervade all
nature. the one inherently tending to-
ward change and progress, the other
exerting all its power to maintain con-
servatism, effect all changes by way
of compromise, and in the same man
ner are all advances and progress in
the church to be effected.
1t were idle for me to attempt, with
any reasonble hope of success, to eX-
hibit to you the various methods by |
which these modernistic principles at
tack and undermine the conservative, |
sacred truths of the church. The same |
basic principle of denial of supernat- !
ural Revelation pervades the entire |
system. and every branch of science is |
subjected to this principle. The meth !
DDS of presenting history is on par !
with all the others What wrongs are I
being constantly perpetrated under the
guise of history! History, principally /
history of the church, is generally d |
conspiracy against truth, that sacred !
institution ever being an object of sus-
picion, and her popes constant objects
of Genom and hate. The motto of his
rorians. whenever they encounter his
torical facts pertaining to the church,
seems to be. % to falsify, or at least
TO minimize her grand deeds, her glori
ous victories over tyranny, paganism
and idolatry, her brilliant and inspiring
successes in civilizing the nations, or
ganizing, assisting and maintaining
lust and stable governments, educating1
Young and old, and leading all mankind |