Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-18

"HE universal acceptance OF the theory OF
descent with modification since The
Origin OF Species" was published in
1859, the recent triumphs Of chemistry ano
physics, especially in their biological connec-
lions. the rapid progress Of democracy since
the American Revolution. and the carrying
into effect not generally. yet frequently OF the
doctrine of human brotherhood have moolned
profoundly the thinking worlds religious con
ceptions. Thoughtful people have dismissed
the anthropomorphic ideas OF God as monarch
king or Lord OF Hosts with all the lmperlai
and feudal-system ideas OF God which nave
30 long prevailed, not only among the masses
of mankind but among the intellectual lead
Of the race.
No ideas about God have changed so much,
however. as the ideas about him as creator
The doctrine Of evo ton represents creation,
vhether of the heavenly bodies OF plants
and animals, not az . piece OF WORK Done once
for all by an infinite arti1cer In snort ume'
and then left to automatically on pre-
determined scheme called natural law. but as
growing or gradually developing and having
an immense historic past, fluent present ana
an upmeasured future
No thinking person now accepts as anything
but primitive myth or fanciiui poetry inc
story OF the Garden of Eden, or the portrait or
God in the second chapter Of Genesis as be-
ing who formed man out OF the DUST OF the
ground. as q child fashions an image out OF
snow or clay. The Creator Is for modern men
terday, to-day and forever actuates all thlngs'
as the human spirit aotuates It's own Dooy'
SO small and yet so inconcevably complex
Bv savage man the gods were recognized
chiefly In the irresistible catastrophes OF ma
lure in the lightning, the earthquake, tho HOOD
and the drought, the volcano, and the mighty
wind Twentieth century people recognize God
chiefly In the wonderful energies OF souho,
light and electricity. In the vital processes o.
plants and animals. in human loves and aspF
rations and In the evolution Of human society
Through the application of the inductiye
method the human race has within hunoreo
years gained the power OF applying prodigious
natural forces to benehcent human uses. In
40 doing II has obtained great spiritual ad-
vantages In new conceptions OF God and ma
turs.
God Not King, but Workman
The thought OF God monarch or king Is
inconsistent with the nineteenth-century reve-
lation of him through the achievements OF nat
ural science. He now appears as incessant
workman, as universal servant as nreless,
omniscient energizer. Is this thought OF God
unchristian7 Not II we accept literally two
sublime sentences in the New Testament ono
uttered by Jesus and the other by Paul-'God
is a spirit, and they that worship Him must
worship Him in spirit and In truth and In
Him we live and move and have our being
Democracy has produced a great change In
the popular conception Of the human ruler.
So long as the ruler held his place by right
of strength and prowess or by right OF birth,
he was often deihed by the multitude, and so
became the type Of the god or gods All
through the Middle Ages the feudal system
supplied the popular conception OF the king
dom of heaven and indeed, to this day the
commonest conceptions of Gods kingdom are
based on feudalsys tem creations and prsc-
tises The intimate connection between Church
and State, which has come down through IN
numbered centuries and exists to-day in most
nations was natural and inevitable 20 long as
rulers held by divine right and God was only
a magnifed human ruler.
Into this obdurate mass of inherited opinion
and tradition has burst democracy. and par
ticularly American democracy. with Ws COM
plete separation between Church and State
Democracy regards its rulers selected ser
wants 1t respects them because they repre-
sent for the time being the mind and power