The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1922-03-22
RELIGION AND EVOLUTION

.HE following article will be of interest
Redwood Falls readers for several reason
the chief of them being that it was write
by A. R. A. Laudon, Judge of Probate of Rec
wood County. It appeared first in The Publ
Pulse column of the Minneapolis Tribune of las
Thursday.
To the Editor of The Tribune:
eve note from the press that some men,
bers of the Kentucky Legislature with pecu-
liar doubt (agnosticism) of the Creators alb
ility to run His creation are coming to His
rescue by proposing to repeal the natural law
of evolution. We may presume they Will
tackle gravtation next, then with some slight
readjustment of the carbureter all will be
we'll.
"The trouble with these people is that they
have but dwarfed conception of the Crea-
tor or His methods of creation. When sci
ence tells us that the Creator (not trusting
the mutations Of time; mans fleeing men,
DRY or the fading pages of book, when words
and languages have their birth and their de-
cav chiselled the wonderful story of Genesis
(eyoution) into the eternal granite OF his
hills Geology in the universal language OF
mankind, they at once become agnostic.
When the spectroscope reveals the glory OF
revelation (evolution) they are again agno-
site. They are at once agnostic to botany,
biology, embryology, archaeology, phllologv
and the whole field of nature. When the
Bible in regard to both plant and animal LIE
(organic evolution) tells us that it is pro-
cess of development, progressive growth
evolution) rather than process OF manufac-
ture, they once more become agnostlc, al
though nature piles the evidence mountain
high. The Bible tells US that the Creator
created both the Heavens and the earth and
all that in them is. The precise plans and
specifications of the process may not be de-
fnitely set forth yet the command prove all
things" commands us to examine nature, and
nature thunders forth but one word "eVolu-
tom unless we refuse to believe both eyes
and ears. "He made the stars also" was new
err intended as full and final treatise on
astronomy. To them it appears that all plant
and animal life is purely process OF manu-
facture Progressive growth (evolutlon)
seems absurd. An almighty Creator would
be powerless to use such an absurd method,
consequently He would be but half mighty.
We cannot compromise on this point about
nature and we simply refuse to let nature
(creation) be the referee.
s'The absurd result is that when some athe-
list equally ignorant of evolution issues his
unsupported and unscientifc flat that evolu-
ton and the Bible are in conflict, that the
Creator and his creation at war with
each other many of our theologians stam-
pede like flock of sheep. If our theologl-
cal cemeteries did not drill all processes OF
logic out of us, We would refuse to play sec
ond fiddle for atheism and possibly have
saved the world from being divided into war
ring theological camps, to the laughter OF
the gods.
eff nature is the garment of God, it is WOW
en- without seam throughout. Every scien-
ti6c fact will conform with and fit into every
religious fact However much theology and
science may war, there can be no war be-
tween science and religion. 1t is dangerous
practice to put God into the gaps Qgnorance)
in our knowledge. As knowledge grows we
GUST God from position after position with
the result that theology may yet succeed
in banishing the Creator from His creation.
ssThe principal foundation stone on which
all religion must logically rest is progress
sive growth evolution. In evolution there
is hope and progress, evolution carried to its