Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-01-31
AGNosTIcIsM is cowARDLY.
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By Rev. DR.. D. G. Gar

AAOWIcuSe Oh 900 Is as JdnSlDlS as
that Of time and space. God does not
have to be proven. He Is the condi-
ton of every thought.
The subtle skepticism of to-day as
sumes the attitude Of agnosticism. In
its popular but superficial form it has
affected numbers, who find thereby an
easy escape from thinking about spir
itual truths, release from all re-
ligious responsibilities.
| AS a matter of philosophy, agnosti-
cism is the doctrine of the unknow-
able All knowledge, it is said, is rela-
| tive. We can only know an object by
its lacking what something else pos
, sesses or possessing what some other
lacks. AS the infinite or absolute can
not be thus limited, it is unthink-
| able, and therefore unknowable. The
agnOstic processes to believe only phe-
nomena or appearances he will not adj
! NIT the reality of anything behind or
! through appearances. That which can
not be proven by strict inductive rea-
soning must be relegated to the realm
/ VI Tic ullhllOW dDIe.
L would have you notice in the first
i place that there is a reverent, even
| religious, kind of agnosticism. Indeed,
the origin of this philosophy lay in
the attempt to strengthen faith. If
| God is unknowable, there is all the
more reason for reliance upon testi-
monies in the shape of belief. 1t has
| been remarkable transition of agnos-
! tic philosophy from Mansel and Sir
| William Hamilton to Herbert Spencer
Even Spencer postulates a great Gre
| ative energy.
| The first answer to aggressive agnOs-
ticism is that it is a cowardly com
promise.
| Another stand Christianity takes
against the new skepticism is that it
| is philosophically contradictory, and
| Judged at the bar of reason, is con-
demned as false To say that the alb
solute or God is unknoWable and in
the same breath to hold that one may
know the unknown is un1nowable is an
absurdity.
III hOlu IuuI ODJSCI 10 ulIAuoWA
that is, to some persons or at GER
tain point of time or growth, or as
regards all of it's characteristics, is
logical; but to declare it is unknOwable
is the grossest dogmatism, contradicted
by reason and experience.
Still another reply to unbelieving ag-
Mysticism is that it is scientifically I'M
true and practically untenable. It is
fatty contradicted by facts of every
day life. Against the assumption of not
believing what one does not know is
the whole progress of mankind. The
man of business believes what he does
not know when he buys a certain stock
of goods on faith that they will bring
| a certain profit. The business world
would be paralyzed if for a single day
there was universal doubt as to ordi-
nary credit, personal honor and integ-
rity.
The man Of science believes what he
does not know, and there has not been
a single discovery or invention in the
line of natural sciences that has not
movable, but the unknown.
Columbus believed what he did not
know when he set sail for the unknown
world.
Finally, Christianity challenges ag-
Mysticism by proclaiming mans need of
religion, and showing how the relig
ion of Christ, not exclusively, but in
the highest and fullest form, answers
this need Frederick Harrison, not a
Christian. but positivist, which makes
the argument all the stronger, has
given agnostcism the worst drubbing
1t has ever received in language which.
if coming from the pulpit, might be
considered intolerant.
Says Mr.. Harrison, one of the ablest
thinkers Of his day: "Agnosticism says
to the churches that 1t declines to be-
lieve in your religion. But the necessi-
ty for some religion remains, just as it
did before. And until agnosticiSm has
told us what religion We are to believe,
or why religion is henceforth super
fuous, it will remain the private opin-
ion of isolated and cultivated minds
in more or less comfortable surround
ings This explains the mysterious fact
that. in spite of the hailstorm Of criti
cism which is necessarily poured into
every bastion, fort and G<itwork of the
churches. they still continue to reply
TO the fire of the enemy and are still
full of enthusiastic defenders. He only
destroys who can replace. And the
agnostic position ex hypothesi is a pure
negation. The profound instinct of all
healthy spirits recognizes that a state
of no religion, Of deliberate acquies-
cence in negation, or non-interest on
principle in these dominant questions.
is weak. unworthy and even immoral"
But there are other phenomena that
appeal to the animal senses. How
about religious phenomena? 1t is too
late to scout the experience Of count
less intelligent and noble-hearted per
sons. 1t is futile to deny the reality