The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-03-25
POPULAR APoLoGETIcs.
Adapted from the German of Rev.
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
XXEVll. Creation lmpossibIe.-(Con.
tinued.)

tinued.)
Objection V: You are hopeless |
case! We are now in the sign OF cvo-
luton. Every phase of the world has |
. been evolved from the preceding and
thus has a sufficient reason for its ex-
istence, Thus, it is from eternity to |
eternity. Evolution, however, is u re-
lation between the preceding and the |
following, which descendS from the |
anteCcdent. AS soon as an antccedent
is wanting an evolution or develop |
ment is impossible. The one term or |
link OF this relation is wanting. There |
must, therefore, have been always and |
an eternal something preceding, ami /
hence the world must exist from cter-
nifty.
Answer: % Wonderful logic,
which could make the great Greek
philosopher Aristotle CTS22 b. O.,
turn i'll his grave! Sound human rea,
son judges as follows:
ta) The evolutionary phases of the
world can al|'o begin with first stage
which IS produced by another cause,
namely God; to deny this possibility
Is n0IS6nsG.
'b) But the evolutionary phases of
the world must bc traced back to
cause outside themselves; otherwise
we gct into conflict with the logical
4&w OF an adequate cause.
FOR every resulting stage or phase
has tfe reason of it's being and being.
J1st-so not in itself, but from the pre-.
tGding stage from which it results
This preceding stage has just as little
the reason Of its being and being just
so in itself, bat in q former stage; if
1t mad the reason of it's being in itself
It, would be Interchangeable; for what
ever Is OF itself, of its very essence
80 and not otherwise, can not change
itself without Ceasing to be that being,
or losing its identity. (Cf. No. 3D.
The same is true of every stage no
matter however far we may go back.
Hence the sufficient reason or cause
OF this series must necessarily be out
side itself, no matter whether it be 10,
20, 200 or Infinite, for the greater or
less number of links in this series
does not change anything in the Iogi-
cal necessity Of a sufficient reason or
cause.
Let me give YOU another example,
and / dare you deny its aptitude. Let
uS imagine Il row of ascending pals.
Starting from below we find that No. /
has no water of itself, but receives it's
water from No. 2; No 2 has no water
of itself, but receives it from No. s.
no. from No. 4, etc. Now since
none Of these pals has or furnishes
its own water, it is Clear that the
water must ultimately come from out,
side; and it is just as clear that the
greater or less number of pals does
rot change this logical necessity
Even if this series of pals would be
infinite, they would still not get or
have their water of themselves but
from outside.
In the same way the different stages
of the evolution OF the world, which
have not the reason Of their being or
being juStSO i'll themselves, demand,
even il this series should be infinite
tthc possibility of which is denied by
most thinkcrs), that there be an cter-
nal reason Of their being or existence
outside themselves, which is God.
(Cf. Hontheim, Theodicaea, y. 710).
Emperor William IL. rightly says
that all earnest science leads TO the
Creator of heaven and earth.
GU Really remarkable is the con-
tradiction in which these positivists
set tangled up. On the one hand they
declare all metaphysical Investigations
as Old-faShioncd and scholastic aberra-
lions OF judgment, and on the other
hand they build their system of re-
Elections on the absolute and relative,
the relations, the nature of causes, the
idea of the infinite, ETC., all of which
are certainly nothing positive and i'm
pirical Chased on eXpGriencel, but the
purest metaphysics.
Only their awkwardness in this
sphere of knowledge shows that we
have no "super-men," but not even
everyday thinkers before us. The
researches and achievements of former
centuries they seem not to know; with
naive joy and pride they bring up as
their own discoveries difficulties that
have been solved long ago. In their
tottering systems we find defects
everywhere, and it is the more humor
Gus, as they PROFOUND them with such
earnest mien and bold front.
For a more complete treatment OF
this matter see Tilmann Pcsch, S. J
tTlS99), Weltraetsel H. No. 642 fiji.