Agnosticism

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 29, 11 August 1883, Page 4

Agnosticism

' The Rev. Mr Murray delivered bis s lecture as announced on Sunday evening 1 4 itf' the PrcsUy terbrn ■ hurch, the subject ■ "being tbe " fyill-u-y of Agnosticism." He s ' chose for his text 1 Peter. 111, 15. "Be 'r ready always to jd^e an answer to every L one that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in voir." He said there were • people in the days of the Apostles wbo j called in question the rational grounds of f | the faith of Christians. This laid upon rithe latter the duty of examining the . grounds of their faith, and so exercising tlieir minds upon the subject that they 1 /might be able promptly nnd clearly to s state, and defend the reason of thoir c faith and hope. This is no less a duty " of Christians now, for if there were imt pugners of the' faith then, they ara not if 'less numerous or less active in their - hostility now. Wlmt renders the propag anda of unbelief so dangerous is not the weight or even- the plausibility of the ) arguments used against the faith, for I these are often weak and puerile, but it • is the unprepared state of those to whpm f these arguments are addressed. They r are not " ready to give a reason to every man who asketh a reason of the hope 1 that is in them." They are too untaught 1 in the things of God. They have not \ their senses exercised to discern both good aud evil. One means of preparedness is to have some acquaintance with theforui which infidelity assumes at the present day For although the spirit and essence of infidelity is always the same, it as>uiues different forms, and uses different arguments in different ages and stales of society. The most prevalent and influential type of infidelity at the present i!ay is lhat to which its authors have given the name of "Agnosticism." This term is derived from a Greek word meaning to be ignorant, and it signifies the opinion of those who hold that mankind are incapable of knowing anyt' ing beyond phenomena — that is, appearances as distinguished from the reality which may underlie them. All the knowledge we possess, or ever can pos« sess must come to us through the senses. Religion is therefore relegated to the region of shams and delusions. We may fancy or believe certain ti ings about 'a^Gc-d and another world, but we can never know anything about such matters. But " Aunosticism" not only renounces religion, but also philosophy, as being equally vain and unreal. Philosophy proposes to search into being, to explain the real essential nature of things. But according to " Agnosticism" we can only know appearances. We can never .know the bemg of substance of anything. Our senses, ffhich are our only means .of information, only giving us appearances. Physical science is the systematic and verified knowledge of appearances. It supplies us therefore with the only real knowledge we possess. Another name for this system is positism, the great teacher and apostle of which was Comte, a, mathematician and savant of Paris. Not content with teaching this theory of knowledge, Comte actually invented a religion on the basis of it, shaped in close imitation of the heararchy ritual and discipline of the I .oman Catholic Church. He 'constructed a calendar in which/for saints' days he had days for celebrating the heroes and martyrs of humanity. There is in London a temple of this strange worship, in which every Sunday hymns are sung, a sermon preached, and, strangest of all, prayers are offered to hm-lgnity. 'I he' fallacy of "Agnosticism may be shown or .f^, grounds of reason (2), grouu£s*fmorai*ftlf, $ gßKg^f>&sfy. Firsts Reason. Th'e f,< Agnostic" position is wholly unsupported "by rear-on. It is a limitation of the intellectual horizon utterly im- , warranted and hitherto unattempted in :. the history of the world. We cannot, as rational beings, confine our knowledge to . phenomena. We are unavoidably carried on to the transcendental — to the real and abinding. Man has always asked and will always ask whence this worjd, ', whence himself — aye, ' and ' he has : attempted an ariswer^tdo. That answer le- religion, and although that; answer, . anarjt from Revelation, is both imperfect , and tfrrrupt, it nevertheless witnesses to the fact of a real though uriseftiy world beyond this fleeting scene-} The lecturer > remarked that the great cause of lifeepticism amongythose who had been religiously educatetl was want of earnestness. A very large pirqportion of sceptics were trifters. Here was the explanation of the fact that when a nam like Moody came j their? way,- who was not only earnest [ himself, .but had the extraordinary gift ■ of infecting others with his earnestness, I saw 5 so - many conversions among those who had been long indifferent or sceptical, ihe explanation is then, first, /they became earnest ton the most important questions.; Their earnestness made them believers^ Second, its "fallacy on moral g/ounds;^ If : the principles of ,- y Agnosticism" .'were 'generally received, j, the moral bondsyof Society would be I loosened. Itst foundations would, be i< undermined .^-} it would assuredly V be^ dissolved. 'Society ia founded on fl|^Mtft/) and held together by it. A which destroys all properly moral if generally j accepted, would L^L^bK? society. It cannot therefore system. The proof from histo some future occalectuie was listened to with and interest. bilious conditions, con-H^^^^^^ft-8> dyspepsia,, Pills." Sd H^^^^^^^^B&ggists. 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