The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-09-25
POPULAR APoLoeErlcs.
Translated From the German of Rev,
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.

Leasing, the German poet, critic, and
philosopher (died 1781), when he says
so ingeniously: IF God held locked
s up in His right hand all truth and in
His left hand the only, always-aetive
impulse of striving after truth, on
condition always and eternally to err,
and He would say to me: Choose!-r
would fall with humility CD on His
left hand and would say: Father, give
me this; pure truth is surely only for
Thee
Answer: If that is to say that here
on earth we do not possess all truth,
but always strive to know more OF It,,
then it is true indeed. But Leasing
wants to cast doubt on all religious
truth He prefers the seeking and
striving after truth to it's possession.
That is just as ingenious as if a very
hungry man would prefer the seeking
after a piece of beefsteak to its eat
ing. Cook! o cook! the beefsteak
is only for you; to me belongs the
seeking after it or at most to get a
smell of it,"
more dog-like than hunger To
choose the hunger after truth freely
instead of at least satisfying it partly
would be for man an objectionable
modesty, bordering on insanity. Be-
ing in full possession of all truth, it
would be objectionable cruelty on the
part of God to grant us such choice,
to let us starve on the husks of re-
ligious doubt God has made revela-
ton and He wants us to be happy in
the possession of religious truth.
x. ReIigion-Superfluou
Objections: Religion and belief in
the existence of God are superfuous
for human life. If every one lives
reasonably and decently and does his
duty faithfully, mankind can get along
very we'll without God.
Answer: H. If there were no If,
it might work very well. l propose
first of all to abolish police, penal
laws and courts; for, as you say SO
nicely "if everyone lives reasonably
and decently and does his duty faith
fully" mankind can indeed get along
very we'll without police, judges and
punishments.
81 Morality without religion! A
building without a foundation! If
there is no God above me, then ! am
God myself. Who will impose duties
on me? In any case / am not respon-
sible to anyone, and I can dispense
myself from what we call duties. To
live reasonablyAve we'll, what does
that mean? An anarchist, for example,
thinks it very unreasonable to work
and eat potatoes, while the rich idler
eats oysters and drinks champagne;
he considers it more unreasonable to
leave this inequality in social condi-
tions.
81 The very liberal professor of
political economy, Emile de Laveley,
puts the questions: Can civilized So
ciety in the long run exist without
religion? Is morality without the be-
lief in the existence of God and the
Immortality of the soul true morality?
His answer is decided no. without
these two truths there is nothing that
could reasonably keep me from graft
flying my passions or seeking my gain
at another expense. If can
enrich myself and escape the law,
why should | not do it? The glitter
of gold soon makes people forget the
moral stain on their character. see
no reasonable ground why / should
restrain myself from any unbecoming
deed, abuse a persons confidence,
even steal, as long as it remains I'M
punished and l gain thereby.
Honor! What does the pleasure
hunter care for that?-Conscience
Without God there is none. -. With
out religion the relapse into barbar-
ism would be unavoidable (Cf.
Laacher Stimmen, vol. 3S, p. 271.)
A. The former minister of Spain,
Don Alexandra Pidal Mon, said at
the Catholic Convention of 1889:
''The savant in his learned conceit
Announces from his PROFESSIONAL
chair: There is no Cod
In establishment the government
hears it, translates it for for its con-
science and says: There is no JUS
tice.'
1t reverberates in the ears of the
criminal, and he says to himself:
There is no wrong-doing.'
THE passionate youth hears it and
concludes logically: There is no
virtue
1t comes to the knowledge of the
subject, and he thinks: There is no
law
IF this doctrine descends into the
street, blood will flow, and amid the
report of guns we will hear the howl
ing of the revolutionary mob: Away
with God, heaven, eternity! Science
has proved that they are only dream
and lies. We desire only for our hell
nothingness- and the lusts that come
before"
3D. One day the frivolous scoffer,
Voltaire, sat at table with his two
goddess friends, d'Alambert and Did
erot, and they began to unfold their
infidel principles. Voltaire, although
just as goddess as his friends, sud
denly interrupted them with the re-
mark: Wait till my servants are
gone; don't want to be murdered
by them next night"
g. Napoleon l. says: Without re-
ligion men would kill one another for
the juiciest pear or the most beautiful
woman -