IN SEARCH OF TRUTH.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3630, 14 August 1880, Page 2

IN SEARCH OF TRUTH.

(To the Editor of (be EVBNING STAB.)

Sib,—With rery few exceptions it is ever the same with priests and parsons: if we ask for bread they giro as a stone. If we dare to think for ourselves, or make enquiries concerning the authenticity of the Bible, we are accused of desiring to " undermine the foundations of personal religion," and to " destroy the Christian's faith." If we venture to question the truth of the doctrine of eternal punish* ment or infant baptism being regeneration, we are threatened with hell or purgatory —all prepared for people who decline to give a wild and blind assent to supersti* tious creeds, false doctrine and illogical dogma. If any legal, literary, or scientific man dared meet enquiry in the same way he would be laughed to scorn, and treated as a pretender to knowledge. How is it that assumed knowledge upon all other things than religion is treated with con* tempt? Is it because people will not think for themselves on this subject P Is it because priests and parsons of all kinds and denominations throughout the universe endeavour to keep and hold in thrall the minds of the people. How is it that instead of meeting reason and argument in a philosophic spirit, they always resort to threats of future punishment (of which by-the-by, they are profoundly ignorant), and endeavour to excite the fears of the the people by dismal forebodings of the evils which will follow what they call the destruction of Christianity, and for which, in their judgment, no adequate substitute could be found. If the people will read, think,,, mark, and learn for themselves, they will demand sound reason, and solid argument, in place of puerile threats, and gloomy forebodings. I am led to make these observations from having read the reply, or rather the evasion of Mr Laishiey in reference to questions put to him. Why does he not answer the statements made as to Ist John 6th eh., 7th v.; Acts Bth eh., 37th v., and as to the first 11 verses of the Bth chap* ter of St. John's Gospel ? Why does he endeavour to burk the question and excite the prejudices of the people by raising the cry of "undermining the foundations of scripture, &c" Again, if the authen* ticity of the Old and New Testaments is beyond doubt, what need has Mr Laishiey or any other person to fear from discussion. Truth will always prevail, and the more frequent the discussion, the more searching the enquiry,. the more profound the learning brought to bear on the question, the more brightly will shine the truth, either respecting the Bible or anything else. Instead of resenting enquiry as an impertinence, priests and parsons should rejoice to promote . it, knowing the power of truth to demolish error and bring the mind to right reason. The time has gone by when the clergy of any denomination, isolated in their own importance and conceit, could resolve doubt and silence enquiry by creeds or threats. If the Christian religion »to stand, the authenticity of the Scriptures must be fully and completely established. If, as Mr Laishiey seems to admit, there is no direct proof,' let it be admitted, and the minds and consciences of the people relieved from the obligations of believing that to be divine of which there is no I certain proof. The very existence of doubt, added to the admitted difficulty of establishing the authenticity of the Gospels, militates against their assumed divine origin. Tour paper could be filled for years by the profound and learned arguments that have been written for and against the authenticity of the Bible with* out so far affording any solution of the question; I may however observe that truth, whether in respect of tho Bible or anything else, is always uniform and consistent, simple and severe; all nature, all science testify to this, and the more truth is sought in nature and in science the more beautiful and in more exact harmony will it be found with the eonsti* tution of man. If this be the quality of truth, what results from its application to • the Christian's religion of the present timeP All great reforms, in all depart* ments of life, from the time of Aristotle to that of Viscount Bacon, and from his to the present time have been dreaded by the feeble minded as destroying existing institutions without providing a better or adequate substitute. When Lord Bacon demonstrated the necessity of throwing off the thraldom in which the minds of the people had been held by the logical system of Aristotle for 2000 (two thousand) years the sinister purposed and the weakminded declared that his teaching this system would destroy existing institutions without providing a better substitute. Let experimental philosophy and science , say how far these forebiddings have been realized, and let timid people shake off the cowardly fear of reforming that which is false in religion.—l am &c, - Sciftic. Thames, 13th August 1880.