River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-02-06

opinion that the soul is located in the
solar plexus. fear they are very apt
to judge from physical symptoms,
and, thereby, get the solar plexus and
pneumogastric nerve slightly mixed.
If the soul has local habitation-
a fixed habitation-in the human
body, l would prefer giving it room
righer up than the so-called abdom-
inal brain. .s.....-. s>,, s.s fe,.sss ,,.,sgr
AS God cannot be located in any
particular place in the universe, but is
omn1present, so the soul of man Ca
spark of the Divine) is not located in
| any particular part of the body, but
| permeates the entire being.
is God a personality? l think so.
But you should not confound the
terms personality and individuality.
Our friends know us individually but
few, II any, know us personally. We
may sense ones personality (by the
sixth sense), but it cannot be cog
inzed by the ordinary senses. Person
atty is felt; individuality is seen. We
may feel Gods presence, we cannot
see it. We speak of ones strong
personality" also, of having "a per-
sonal Acquaintance etc. These
terms signify much more than 'indi-
viduality" and individual acquaint-
ance."
Is man made in Gods image? That
depend upon your view point. An
tsropologically? No. Psychological
ly? Yes.
God is mans inspiration. Man is
Gods expression. AS the soul is inn
manent Gndwelling) in the body but
does not depend upon the body for its
existence; in like manner God is i'm
manent in the universe, but does not
depend upon the universe for his ex-
istence. The universe is not God
chat is Pantheism) but a part of, or
an expression of God We are not
God Chat is new thought) but a part
of God. Therefore, in the words O.
the late DR.. Hudson: THE Deity is a
divine immanence without pantheism,
and a personality without anthro-
pOmorphism."
AS regards the tendency to substf-
tute nature for God. l would say, in
stead, that God works through nature,
and nature is the spirit of God at
work
Will not the study of psychology in
terfere with ones religious beliefs?
That depends. AS for myself | can
truly say that nothing else has ever
given me SO true an insight into the
character and teachings of Christ i. e.,
as he taught them and as he lived
them; but we must recognize the fact
that there is wide difference in
Technology. Theology is not neces-
sarily Christology, nor is churchianity
necessarily Christianity.
When Nathaniel asked: Can any
good come out of NAZARETH" he little
thought that from that hamlet should
come one whose teachings would in
fluence the minds of men for all time,
and whose code of ethics would abide
with man and become the moving pow
er of civilization.
l am frank to admit that the study
of psychology has caused me to
change some of my earlier religious
beliefs, but at the same time it has
increased my religious faith In the
Fatherhood of God and the brother
hood of man.
"A mans belief" said the late
John Fiske, lis a part Of the man
Take it away by force and he will
bleed to death; but if the time comes
that he no longer needs it, he will
either slough it, or convert it into
something more useful"
What we really need is more ration.
al thinking. Rational thinking, how
ever, has different effect upon diff.
ferent temperaments. Rational think
ing may lead to a belief that we are
developing into an amalgamation OF
forces that will be called God; or that
we are atoms of central force called
God, from which we have emanated,
and to which we shall return; or that
there is no force that can properly be
called God.
1t is, however, of the first inpor-
lance that rational thinking should
lead to rational living-lead to the
moral and intellectual heights where
the heart of kindness and the mind
of reason rule the conduct. Ration
alism is undogmatic and regards all
religious questions as open.
Not until the brain of mankind has
been cleared of the theological weeds
and tangled undergrowths can the
higher ideals-natural happiness and
universal love-be realized.
Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles)