Gilpin observer., 1909-12-23
DISCUSS RELIGION

folloWlnS is MT. thompson reply
to Judge Ashbaugh's letter published
in last weeks issue:
Central City, Colo, Dec. Sd, 1909.
Judge Flor Ashbaugh,
Littleton, Colorado.
Dear Flor:
Owing to the stress of circum-
stances and the need of time to
evolve some answers to your ques-
tions, l have delayed answering your
very interesting and instructive letter.
l realize that / have a hard task
before me, and as l have no authority
particularly to back me up, l must
give you my own ideas, which may
not be of much weight or value. Tour
argument is that Christianity is the
result of civilization rather than civil
lization being the result Of Christian
ity.
You class all religions in the same
category, and all fall under the same
condemnation. l admit creeds and
dogmas are a failure, and have never
produced anything edifying, but the
law of Righteousness wherever it has
prevailed, and has been an uplifting
influence, and though Christ may
nave hlu laloe llIipl esoiOH VI
origin, and a mistaken idea of his
mission in the world, yet he gave us
clearer idea of righteousness, and
was a specialist in morals and ethics.
There are a great many tenents in
the Christian religion, that are not
the teachings Of Christ; so let us use
the word Righteousness wherever we
can instead of religion in connection
with our civilization. Lamark and
Agassiz preceded Darwin in the
science of evolution but they failed
to grasp the true idea which Darwin
discovered and he gave to the world
something practical and easily under
stood. Kepler discovered gravitation
but failed to see the real cause until
Newton gave US the physical reason
for it.
Zorvasto and CONTIGUOUS discover
ed a religion but Christ gave us the
true idea of righteousness and estab-
lished a practical code Of morals
which the civilized world is trying to
follow, and it is only where they are
practiced that we have civilization.
The standard of morals and social
ethics is the measure of civilization
of any nation, and that is why China
and India, large portions of South
! America and the Islands of the sea
are so far behind in the line Of deve-
| lopment. In other words do we con-
slider those nations who refuse to
practice the teachings of Christ, CIV
| ilized?
You believe that religion is inher-
ent in all mankind. 1t is born at the
dawn of consciousness, when the in
dividual realizes the difference be-
tween right and wrong. If there is a
reason for performing the right and
refusing to do the wrong there must
be an account rendered to an author
, ity, and this involves the complicat-
ed question of what is right and
wrong, and should be considered the
birth of religion with its creeds and
dogmas.
| If we believe evolution then right
eousness was not the first character
istic.
If man had been created perfect
| physically, then We might have ex-
pected spiritual perfection, but we
do not admit either of those prem
ises. The dog and the deer have de-
| veloped along the line of speed. the
horse and lion in the line Of strength,
and mankind along the line of men
tality and naturally as his mind un-
folded he would reach beyond the
| physical to the spiritual.
The mental and moral development
| is very slow and only the lowest cast
of morals existed at first: and as the
race developed and broadened a more
advanced code was demanded by the
| better classes of society until today
the world has the highest standard Of
o1, ny,1 tfyht n
experienced and correspondingly its
knowledge Of the laws of nature and
it's progress along every line lie, its
civilization is on a higher level than
since its foundation. 1t is only as
We become separated by time from
the carnal animalistic appetites and
passions and practice unselfishness
and brotherly love that we attain the
highest degree OF perfection. l can
not see any logic in Buckles argu-
ment, that because man was first;
religion, literature and government
cannot be the cause Of civilization.
Myron Reed said, pile rocks and
spill water as you please, you cannot
make Scotland that way, it is the
folks that make country" And /
say, Compile flesh and blood as you
please you cannot make progress that
way, it is courage, love. patriotism
and honesty that make civilization"
There must be material for those
characteristics to inhabit before there
can be results. Those elements are
born from above, for as there is no
such a thing as spontaneous genera
ton physically speaking neither is
there spontaneous generation spirit
ually speaking. AS regards to mis-
sionary work according to Buckle he
asserts that barbarians do not accept
religion and must be educated to a
certain point before they realize the
deeper sentiments.
This may be true, but they will
never arrive at that point unless by