The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-05-08


knows that God is good, is love, as
the Apostle says.
There can be, in reality, no suct
thing as disbelief in the existence OF
God. There is denial of the existence
of the God that the Christian wer
ships, of the god that the HindoC
worships, of the god that the idola
tors worship, as described by al
these. But there can not be, to any
one who thinks, a denial of the fact
that there is a God, by whatever
name he may call Him. He may call
Him the First Cause the Infinite
Intelligence, Nature, Force, or what
not, but it is God He may assign
different attributes, different charac'
teristics, different objects, give Him
different origin. and attribute to
| Him different purposes, but like the
idolator who bows down to wood or
stone, he is recognizing Him in some
form. Infidelity, or unbelief in God
as worshiped by any particular sect,
does not mean disbelief in the ex-
istence of God. Mems minds may
differ as to Gods attributes and pur-
poses, but they can not differ as to
the fact that He exists. The recog-
milton of a Power and Wisdom SUI
10 Of ic
ton of God. Men worship every
thing, from stone to spirit in proper
ton to the intelligence of their con
cept of what God is; indeed, what
they worship is what they believe
God to be, whether it be God or not.
The more intelligent men become,
the more intelligent their concept Of
God. The clearer they see the wis
dom, power and goodness of God,
the wiser, stronger and better they
themselves are. This thought is
given wonderfully impressive inter-
pretation in these lines from Chad
wick:
AS wider skies break on mans view,
God greatens in his growing mind,
Each age he dreams his God anew,
And leaves his older God behind.
He sees the wondrous scheme dliate,
In sky and flower, star and cloud,
And as his universe grows great
He dreams for it greater God.
Therein is the solution of the prob
lem of why 1t Is that men differ in
their conception of God. They diff
fer as their intelligences and expert
ences impress them, because these
experiences have given them different
ideas as to what God should be, and
il Is what they think He should be
that they worship. No one would
continue to believe for minute that
God was different from his conception
of what He should be and continue
to worship Him. One of the worlds
greatest thinkers along all the serious
lines of thought, philosopher, states
man, poet and scholar, General AL
bert Pike, said: There are as many
gods as there as men" Meaning
that there are as many different ideas
as to who and what God is, as TO
His attributes, purposes and desires.
as there are men, for no two minds
think exactly alike on any subject,
much less that of God. Men not only
differ as to God, but also as to the
plan of salvation and every detail as
to doctrine" etc.
The Psalmist was logical as well as
observant when he declared, "Tha
heavens declare the glory of God,
and the armament showeth His handi-
work" Wisdom, design, power and
intelligence are seen in everything
about us-in every movement in ma
ture. every planet in its orbit every
comet in its journey through illim-
table and inconceivable space, every
tree and flower, every counsel of wis
dom. The dumb brute instinctively
refuses to eat that which is fatally
poisonous to his existence; the rep
tile and even the insect know how
to undertake their own defense; the
flower, the tree, the vine, take from
the earth only those elements ncCes-
sary to their growth and productive
capacity. The strawberry and the
peach do not take into their systems
the poisons taken in by poison oak
and the deadly nightshade. The frag-
rant and luscious grape and the sweet
and delicious melon do not gather
from the ground the elements max
ing the crab-apple sour or the Gin
chona bitter. Thus rejecting inteili-
gence, and silently proclaiming Gods
existence and wisdom.
Now. as thousands of years ago,
THE fool hath said in his heart,
there is no God."+Iallas News.
:: :: :: 8: :: Il - - :: ;: :: ;: {. ;: :: u