The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-04

"AiSu Cdu De IellelOu 10 US ulSu duu
women. Let US think what that prin-
cfple was and IS
In the year 1543 one OF the great
est discoveries in the realm of sci
ence which all the history Of the world
has recorded was published. and al
most simultaneously with Its publ
cation It's author, Copernicus, passed
away. II was the discovery that, in
stead of being the center of the uni
verse with all else revolving about 1t
ana tributary to it-as the world then
helieved-the earth Is only minor
planet In one among unnumbered sys
TENS and tributary TO one OF millions
of suns. That discovery OF Copernicus
was the discovery of fact, truth.
Which time has proved to be Of most
far-reaching moment, of fundamental
Importance and value TO every sacred
interest OF human life. And 1t was In
evitable, because OF what human life
is. The human mind grows, expands.
searches for the truth-that Is the
no6lest, highest law OF its existence.
Not to do that would be the denial
and the defeat OF all that makes 1t
worth while to live, 1t was the deep
est instinct of religion which Copper
n!cus obeyed, and 1t was a service or
religion which he performed when he
gave that truth to the world. But how
was 1t received? We all know how
1t was received. Had he not died
natural death. he would have been
visited with the fate of Bruno. When
Calico dared to proclaim his faith in
that principle which Copernicus dis
covered, he was forced to recant or
burn. Indeed, this feeling of hostil-
!ty toward the truth which we now
know to have been so vital and funda-
mental to life and progress was not
confined to the Catholic church-lt
was equally strong in the Protestant
church. The whole body OF organized
religion was against IT, as It is always
arrayed against any new and vital
truth. Listen 10 what Martin Luther
had TO say about Copernicus: People
gave ear to an upstart astrologer who
strove to show that the earth revolved,
not the heavens or the armament, the
sun and the moon This fool wishes
to reverse the entire science of as
tronomy. but sacred scripture tells us
that Joshua commanded the sun to
stand still and not the earth Even
Melancthon, the greatest scholar of
the Reformation, declared that 1t Is
the part Of a good mind to accept the
truth as revealed by God and to ac.
quiesce In Ii. The earth can be no.
where except in the center OF the uni
verse And John Wesley said these
new ideas tend to infidelity.'
why was 1t that these leaders of
what was called religion three cen
turtles and less ago hold that attitude
of bitter hostility toward those who
were the discoverers OF truth In their
time? The answer Is perfectly clear.
They accepted totally irreligious
principle as the standard of their ac-
ton; the principle that authority Is
the basis of truth, and not truth the
basis of authority. Authority for
Truth, not truth for authority was
their principle, and it Is still the prin-
ciple of every organized religious body
which is clearly recognized as part
Of the Christian church. And when,
upon the new birth of science in the
Renaissance, the whole modern world
was feeling the immortal thrill of new
life and uplifting thought, the Roman
church. unable to meet the challenge
of that tremendous human uprising,
not daring squarely to face the claims
of the awakened human intelligence,
organized itself as a body apart from
and hostile to the common civic So
clety. Monks and nuns, rs the elite
Ct tnf
resentatlyes of supernatural virtue,
Of superhuman sanctity, and are so
regarded still. Indeed, that is the
only possible defense or Justification
of this violation and proclamation of
the human body and the human soul
which Catholic celibacy stands for.
Their theologians became bearers OF
supernatural revealed knowledge;
priests became bearers Of supernatu
raj authority and power lent by Christ
and the apostles, which were as SUI
perior to all secular rule as the light
OF the sun Is TO that of the moon.
Thus, the medieval church built a
second world above the natural hu.
man world, with the claim that the
former alone was true and good and
beautiful It still maintains its dwell.
ling In that same mythical and allen
and unreal world and teaches a NOR
ality and a religion which have no
single root In the soil Of human life.
Think what has been the result OF this
attitude and teaching OF the church
Of the past. and then consider wha.
is bound to be the result of that same
attitude and teaching today. What
Is II that in the name of religion has
been almost absolute over the minds
of the people of southern Europe. es-
recially Spain and Italy? Over these
peoples the Catholic church, with It's
supernatural sanctions and rites and
morality has been supreme. What Is
Ii that has dominated tho thought of
Germany and England and the United
States? The principle that created
and justified the Reformation: the
right and duty of every man to think
for himself. the supreme authority IF
reason IN human life. Think what
the situation was when Catholicism,
the religion Of supernatural authority.
took possession of southern Europe
Italy and the Italian people were the
masters Of the world. The people of
Germany and Britain We're savages.
What arc the facts toby? Who arc
the people today that have the liveli-
est part in taking possession of tho
world In political. commercial and col
onial ways? Where do you find the
greatest capacity of adaptability, com.
bined with the tensest. toughest en-
orgy? Where do you find the great.
est illiteracy. and wnere the least?
Where are the creative agencies of
olvilIzation2 Whence our philosophy?