The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-18

4
ever read an epitome Of any of their
| principles? We take the liberty Of
| doubling it, otherwise he would have
seen that the first and last clearly
| pointed to a future state while the
| teachings of Confucius are largely con-
fined to the teaching of moral ties. He
| believes In a great moral law, yet
! from his viewpoint, the effects of this
/; do not transcend the brief space of
| mans life on earth. If this were
| true, it would be a law which would
| defeat its own intention. Religions,
| he says, are nothing but formal,ties,
| and side issues. How does he har-
| monte this conclusion with the teach
| ings Of Christ and 'Buddha who teach
a future state? He says further, that
| Christ was wonderful teacher, who
| saw far and straight into the heart
| of the great laws which govern hui
| man life. He not only did this; but
| Use of eternal life, which Mr.. Edison
seems to have overlooked. He thinks
| the church should take the rational
view Of things" laying aside the Spir-
itual. 1t is true that the churches
are now hampered by a multitude of
| side issues, but the church that is
truly spiritual is on a totally differ
| ent plane, which Mr.. Edison does not
! understand and consequently cannot
discuss He even doubts whether
Jesus laid claim to actual divinity,
whereas we have His own words, at
was the Divine Son of God. He says,
81 am not in the least convinced that
He laid claim to any power to per-
form Miracles yet there are many
| miracles which He indisputably did
perform, and concerning which He
said His immediate disciples, that af-
ter His ascension, greater works
than these will We do He says that
our creeds and scriptures have been
infltrated with fables, misrepresenta-
tions and misstatements. This is the
same claim that was made by Mr..
1ngersoll and other infidels, but which
up to the present time, has been re-
pudiated, not only by the church, but
by the whole body of believers
throughout the world. He says, II
have tried to get as far as possible
to the bottom of all the subjects I
have studied. I have not reached my
conclusions through the study of con-
tradfctions. I have reached them
through the study Of hard facts" If
he will recite a single fact which has
enabled him to reach his conclusions,
he should state that fact. Dynamos.
ammeters and volunteers are not the
appliances with which to measure spir-
itual height and depths. He calls for
proof of the theologists. If he called
for proofs of the saving spower Of
Gods grace in the human heart and
its Transforming influence in mans
life, he could have them by the thou
sands. He has undertaken to prove
a negative, which is the most difficult
thing in logic, and in this case SIM
ply impossible. He has set up his
own mechanical and scientific brain,
wholly unacquainted, as 1t is, with the
true nature of religion, in opposition
to the religious consensus of the ages.
If is a singular SDectac1e
Mr.. Edison predicts great discoveries
In the near future-discOverie which
will upset the present trend of human
thought. This has a familiar sound.
Ingersoll made a similar p, ediction,
but his influence has already been for
gotten and his prediction came to
naught. He asserted that the country
was agnostic to the core. The repud-
fation came quickly, when practically
every prominent person in the country,
President. Supreme Court. Congress,
judges, Governors, and educators, all
came out over their own signatures,
confirming their belief in God, in the
Divh-ity of Jesus Christ and the saw
ing power of His teachings to man
kind. Further, both in the natural
and spiritual world, there is no in
tense effort or longing that is wholly |
unsatisfied. Sir oliver Lodge. one of |
the ablest scientists of our day, has
said that the desire for continued ex-I
istence is inherent in man and that
this desire is a logical proof that it
was not planted there in vain. He
has added that one who has not this |
desire, and whose spiritual nature is
apparently incapable. of being quick
ened. is abnormal Even the ancient
Stoics,, who took life and death as
matters of course. trusted their flu
ture in unknown hands.
Mr.. Edison is good citizen and a |
moral and model American; but in !
discussing spiritual things, he has err
ed, less through intention than from |
lack of experience. If he would give
the same intense study to the spiritual
side of life, for a few months, which |
he has devoted all these years to ma
terial science, he would doubtless think |
and write differently. He would then
see how the wondrous power of the |
Holy Spirit transforms and glorifies
human lives, and how daily commun- |
ion with the great invisible One, who
made and rules the world, is a very
real thing to all who seek to know
Him and the most precious of all real |
tiles to those who are striving to serve |
Him and do His will.
Succinctly stated, Mr.. Edison's creed |
is that of the pure materialist, who |
recognizes a Supreme Being whom he |
does not know and cannot understand |
Man is a machine governed by una1- |
terable laws; the worship of an in |
dividual deity is all wrong; there is |
no soul in the human Individual moth !
ing but a cell; mortality is only an |
endless chain of human lives; thera |
is no spirit; unless the mind be spir, |
it; there is no supernatural; beyond |
this existence there is-nothing and the |
whole problem of human existence |
ends here in chaos and darkness.
81 do not know the soul'' Mr. Ed |
ison says, 81 know the mind. I |
have found no evidence of athe souls |
existence
He might have searched with a mi |
croscope or an X-ray for a lifetime |
to the same purpose; but if his soul |
were once quickened to the truth of |
Christ's message and his spiritual eyes |
opened to the meaning of life here |
and hereafter, he would find that the |
soul is neither the heart nor the brain |
1t is that divine thing which God has |
given to man and which, when in true
harmony with God, is Gin His image" |
in it's righteousness, it's dispositions |
and its love of holy, helpful service |
to God and man.
LYING AND PERJURY