The Daily Missoulian., 1911-06-05

search for reality and for even better
adjustment of all knowledge of that
reality; to understand every thuth and
Its relation to the universe: TO blend
the old truths with the new and true
in every fresh discovery; to appre-
hend tho spiritual content Of each
day 4 conception OF the, universe. His
concern IL not with definitions--that
was the sin Of lasticism--resulting
in what Milton called the barbarous
ignorance or the schools" but with
things. with facts. with experiments
and experiences, with truths In rela
lon to truth, In correspondence with
readily. He strives to enter into res
l.iutions with life and reality: religion
is not merely q matter Of definition
OF the belief. of symbol and sacra
ment--it Is essentially An experience
into which he can ever more deeply
enter. The heart of the religious man
of scientific spirit is "hitched upon
realty" and he cannot afford To be q
"pnrtisnn of mere, beliefs
Religion Needs Science.
Religion needs the scientific spirit,
then, firstly In order that religion may
become more free from accretions OF
superstitions and outgr0wn traditions
dead weights to the religious spirit.
obstacles To religious progress, limiting
the, power of religious motives. In
asmuch MS religious beliefs based on
error or superstition.' at variance with
the facts of experience and the laws Of
the universe. are inimical to right
religious development. the sooner they
are shown to be erroneous the better
for religion and for man. Even mega
lively considered. the scientific spirit.
In that II tests all things, holding fast
only to that which Is good, passing
all claims and ideas over the sieve of
classification into the crucble of crIti-
| clsm and through the alembic of rea-
| son. is Indispensable TO real religion. II
tests not only logic. but II tries the
premises underlying the argument.
theory or belief: IL reasons from es-
tabllshed facts towards conclusions: 1t
bases religion upon the broad and firm
foundation of reality. The religious
man OF scientific spirit may not adopt
all the dlcta of science. but In the con
sideintion of all phases OF religion he
VIII be nv exact In observation. expert
tment and vcrifcatlon as IN the com
pctent and. noble scientist In his labor
atory; for the disciple of religion H.
dealing with reality as truly as IL the
scientist: the materials. the facts OF
religion are az real as are those of
sciences; tho latter deals with phenom-
ena, processes and sequences IN nature:
the scientific religious man deals with
origins. with purposes, with destiny In
the, realms, or morals and character
Each has his special sphere, and those
spheres arc supplementary; neither
may Justly disrcspect the other: when
Theological science. has had it's Newton
ana the. great religious theological
synthesis has been reached. the scien-
tific spirit In religion. and the religious
spirit In science, both will stand out
clear In living life as one and each.
shriven of pride ana prejudice. will
reveal equal patience. equal loyaltn to
the limitations Of ignorance. will he
glorious for sacramental devotion to
truth. courageous initiative and enter
prise: noble with the spirit of rev.
ercnce
Science 10 Faith.
| In the meantime religion needs the
scientific spirit in order thnt II may
afford n more positive and inclusive
faith. Herbert Spencer said Science
rests upon a great act OF faith" So
also does religion. But the danger Ia
that the religious man shall mistake
credulity for faith whereas real faith
fs based upon evidence obtained by
thoughtful and faithful observation ,oi
facts and experience. Faith puts each
reported or assumed fact to the test
to determine whether IL accords with
known and established facts. all in the
interest of precise conformity with
reality CredulIty. ignorance and
superstition fear this test. when q
doubt enters credulous minds they put
IL aside In fear lest II discredt theif
darling beliefs. despite that In the spc-
ctffQ instances real faith has vanished
before a new discovery that has Great
ed the doubt, and. II they but dared Il
follow it's CLEAN they would know itf
stimulating, qnickening power of fresh
discovery. OF Reality Fear blinds
| WIS NiSioV dIu SlutS out all UeuF FeNelA-
tions of God to tho soul. Tho scien.
tiflc spirit Will lead phe religionist Il
accept the vanerai results or science;
to realize that truth IN apprehended In
multiplex ways; whether In the secret
experience OF the soul or in the exei,-
else Of the reasoning faculties, on the
Sinats or In the caverns of the earth. Il,
the experimentation OF the laborator,
or the illumination OF insight that al
nature Is Il record Of the thought ani
activity OF God, that the universe IL
His unabridged Bible: that com.
mensurate with human effort all rev.
elation IN progressive AMI cumulative:
that all mankind manlfests "a heredit,
from God" whereby humanity Is essen
tally divine; that tho universe Is per
feet In the exactness of it's obedience
to. the divine will Expressed in fted
sequences. In modes of motion, In thu
law OF evolution. no element of the ma.
terial world ever falling from grace o,
from lis place In the perfect whole;
that We must all be faithful to our ig-
norance of the vast. complex asterI,
ana matter and hfr, The scientific