The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-05-16
MUST
UNITE WITH
SCIENCE
Or. Robert A. MilIikan So De-
cIaras, Quoting History
Against Narrow Views.
BY WILLIAM PARKER,
Cosmopolitan News Service.

COSMaDpUhhGum 00W0 service.
copyright. 1924, by cosmopoIitan News
seryioo)
ATLANTA, Ga, MAY IA
broad. practical and scientific view
must be taken OF religion, and
religion must walk hand in hand
with science down through the
centuries II It IL to prosper spiritual.
~, in the opinion Of DR., Robert
Andrews Millikan. executive head
OF the California Institute of
Technology.
WAS It not Jesus himself who
said, I'VE shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make We free, ;?
There Is not one syllable that he
taught nor one idea which he intro.
duced into human life which would
justify one in arraying him on the
side of those who would see
antagonism between any scientific
truth and the deepest spiritual
values" said DIR. Millikan in dis.
GUESSING science and religion.
There were no creeds in Jesus
teaching, no verbal inspirations Of
any sort. Religion was to him a
life Of love and duty, the simple
expression Of the golden rule.
Warned By Augustine.
Turning next to great religious
personalities since Jesus day,
Augustine warned against religious
leaders Of such narrow insight as
to make religion q laughing stock;
John Wesley, the founder Of the
Methodist Church; and q host Of
other men Of broad vision and deep
experience have seeA science and
religion as twin sisters.
1.-THE purpose OF science 10 to de-
velop, without prejudice or precon-
ception Of any kind q knowledge Of
the facts, the laws and the pro.
cesses Of nature. The even more
important task Of religion, on the
other hand, 10 to develop the con.
sciences, the ideals. and the aspira.
tons Of mankind.
'The definition Of religion IL in
essence that embodied In the teach.
Ings Of Jesus, who, unlike many Of
his followers Of narrow vision, did
not concern himself at all with
creeds, but conferred his whole
teaching about a life Of service and
the spread Of the spirit Of love.
Science without religion obvious.
a blessing to mankind, but science
dominated by the spirit Of religion
ls the key to progress and the hope
Of the future. On the other hand,
history has shown that religion
bigotry, persecution. religious wars,
and all other disasters which in the
past have been heaped upon man.
Id ANa = ~ 80
asterS which have been 80 fatal to
tain times and in certain countries
the finest characters and the most
essentially religious men have been
found outside the church.
Result Of Development.
Both science and religion have
reached their present status through
a process Of development from the
crudest beginnings.
But religion cannot possibly rise
higher than the stage Of develop
ment of the people Of whose ideals
1t 10 the expression. Everyone who
reflects at all believes In one way
or another in God,
at seems to me as obvious az
breathing that every man who IL
sufficiently in his senses to recog.
nize his own inability to compre-
bend the problem Of existence, to
understand whence he himself
came. whittier he Is going, must IN
the very admission OF that ignorance
and finiteness recognize the exist.
ence Of q something. power, q be-
ing in whom and because Of whom
he himself lives and moves and has
his being That power, that some.
thing, that existence, we call God.
Primitive man, Of course, had
anthropomorphic conceptions of that
being. He was not able to think of
God who was very different from
himself. His God became en-
angered and had to be appeased, he
was jealous and vindictive and
moody; but mans conceptions have
widened with the process of the
suns, and as he has grown up he
has slowly been putting away
childish things.
Two Great Influences.
There have been Just two great
influences in the history of the
world which have made goodness
the outstanding characteristic In the
conception Of God. The first in.
fluence was Jesus Of Nazareth; the
second influence has been the
growth Of modern science.
"All Of us see much in life which
tends to make us pessimists. The
good does not always prevail.
Righteousness does not always
triumph. What 10 the meaning of
existence? Is 1t worth while! Are
we Boing anywhere? Jesus and
modren science have both answered
that question in the affirmative -
Jesus took 1t as his mission in life
to preach the news Of the goodness
OF Good. He came in an age which
was profoundly ignorant Of modern
science, but he saw God who was
caring for every sparrow, and who
was working out through love a
world planned for the happiness
and well being of all creatures.
Presented by Science.
mo more sublime conception of
God has ever been presented to the
mind Of man than that which is
furnished by science when II repre-.
sents him as revealing himself
through countless ages in the de-
velopment Of the earth as an
abode for man and in the age.long
inbreathing Of life into its con.
stitutent matter. eliminating in
man with his spiritual nature and
oil his god-like powers.
Science has brought to light the
fact that this is not a world in
which things happen by caprice,
but a world governed throughout
by law. Science thus has presented
the most powerful motive TO man
Tor goodness which has ever been