THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1898.
The Resurrection.
anastasis or up-standing, as ‘he knowing of the promised rest)rrec- to be wondered at that some of thp
New Testament calls it, is the res- tion, or not believing in it, the two more advanced minds were desirou
BY MRS. M. M. TURNER.
urrection of the spirit. The phrase women went to the tomb early in of forcing conclusions in the inter
T houghts suggested by
passages in the ‘resurrection of the I mr I v ’ never oc- the morning with “sweet spices est of purifying the social life, Jjy
Rev. Lyman A btiott’s arti<Je, juiblish- curs in the New Festament. The that they might come and anoint bringing tlie long-promised redo^, *
th e resurrection, and giving his reas-
h r is tM n w h o holds this view of ¡him . I he disciples were not look- er to the birth* fitting an ancient
ons for believing th at it is “ jierhape death and resurrection believes that ¡ng for the resurrection and did not eastern savior myth, by strain md
h isto ry ” .*
‘
'
J that occurred to Jesus Christ wbkh believe it when they beard it. force, upon Old Testament pass,».
Mr. Abbott, speaking of the res- 'occurs to all of God’s children at • Even when the eleven went to th e ‘e% “ that the gospel might be ful.
urrection, says: “In the general death; the spirit was separated mountain in Galilee by appoint- filled”,
belief in a phenomenon transcend- from the body to exist in itself,
ment, “some doubted”.
W. K. Clifford says: “The fol-
ing experience there is nothing • •
appears to me not at
Now, when Science, with her lowers of the Buddha have at bast
more inconsistent with evolution
¡»credible that either the spirit torch of proved and provable as much right to appeal to individ-
than in the belief in the separation should have returned to reanimate knowledge, is flooding the world ual and social experience in sup.
of the child from the mother at the body or that it should have with a holy light, we are called up- port of the authority of the eastern
birth, or the brTM that the grub! given visible evidence of itself as on to believe in the violation of the savior. . . And surely no triumph
issues at a certain stage of its exist- disembodied.”
sublime, uniform and changeless of social morality can he greater
Hoes it not seem that so great a laws of the universe, even though than that which has kept nearly
ence from its sub-acqueous exist-
ense and enters upon a new exist­ teacher and preacher as Mr. Abbott those who lived at the time, wit- half of the human race from perse-
is should, in a matter of such vast nesged the miracles, walked, talked cuting in the name of religion.”
ence as a dragon fly.”
The child announces its separa­ importance, and in which the teach­ and communed with the Christ
The garments of the Christian re-
tion from its mother by a cry; it is ings of other denominations are in­ through the three years of his min- ligion are dyed crimson red with
generally a solid hit of humanity, volved, make up his mind as to istration, did not believe. “Some the “blood <>f the souls of the poor
visible, tangible and can he weigh­ whether the spirit of Christ “re­ doubted.” Theologians hold the innocent”.
ed; all of our senses can have cog­ turned to reanimate the body”, or threat of hell and damnation over
In fact the story of the resurrec-
nizance of it. The dragon fly has whether it gave “ visible evidence of the doubters of today, and that in tion and ascension are without
passed from one condition of phys­ itself as disembodied” ? Would it the face of the fact that the gospel any reliableauthority. Science as-
ical life to another, without the ces­ not make things easier and more writers differ generally in their re- serts that gravity, which pervades
sation of the existence of any part. harmonious to have one or the oth­ ports, and very often on most vital the universe with resistless and
The same organs are present, eyes, er theory proved?
points, which would not he the case changeless energy, never lost its
According to St. Luke, the risen if the reports were based on truth, hold upon a body of “flesh, bones,
mouth and stomach. The creature
“enters upon a new experience”, a Christ himself denied that he was even though they were written a and all things appertaining to the
visible, active being, and is suppos­ a spirit. “ A spirit hath not flesh hundred or more years after the i perfection of man’s nature”, so that
ed to be an enemy to mosquitoes. and bones as ve see me have.
transaction.
it could leave the earth, pass be-
Have
ye
here
any
meat?
They
I can see no analogy between these
At the death of Christ the “vail yond the clouds into the cold and
well known and well attested exist­ gave him a piece of broiled fish and of the temple” is said to have been dark of outer space.
of an honey-comb, and he took it “rent in twain from top to bottom”. I
ences and the soul of man.
Ecclesiastes iii. 21: “Who know- and did eat before them.”
The earth quaked and the rocks
eth the spirit of man that goeth up­ The 4th of the 39 articles of the were rent. “There was darkness
Where is God?
ward, and the spirit of the beast Episcopal church says: “Christ over the earth from the sixth hour
BY D. PRIESTLEY.
that goeth downward to the earth?” did truly rise again from death,and to the ninth” (no eclipse ever lasted
Who has ever seen a soul? It is took again his body with flesh, so long). The graves opened and! The Methodist preacher in New-
an invisible, intangible, impalpable, bones, and all things appertaining the bodies of “many of the saints . berg delivered a series of discourses,
undemonstrated something suppos­ to the perfection of man’s nature; which slept” sat up, “and came out a short time ago, on theologico-
ed to ooze slowly from the dying wherewith he ascended into heaven of the graves after his resurrection”, scientific subjects. On Sunday ev-
body and linger around until the and there sitteth until he return to on that morning there was another ening, the 20th ult., he delivered a
last breath, or to hold itself togeth­ judge all men at the last day.” earthquake. That such stupendous, discourse on the subject, “Where is
er until the last breath, when it Founded on this, the creed says, “ I bewildering, astonishing events, oc- God?” I supposed he was going to
disentangles itself from the nerves believe in the resurrection of the curring in the space of time between try to prove the existence of God,
and muscles and issues forth in the body.”
the day before the sabbath and the hut he didn’t. He started in bv
shape of the deceased to escape into
Each of the gospel writers report morning of the first day of the affirming that “All our reasoning is
outer space through walls, ceilings, that Jesus told his disciples that he week, have not been mentioned in from assumptions. The existence
through closed doors and windows, would rise again. That he had any of the histories of the time of man is an assumption. No man
or with the draught up the chim­ done so was understood by the chief (outside of the gospels, and these can prove his own existence. The
ney. The eyes it saw with, the priests and pharisees. According not agreeing with each other) is existence of God is an assumption.”
brain which controlled all its phys­ to Matthew, they went to Pilate, proof that the gospel stories are
There are two ways of attempting
ical activities, every part of the saying, “Sir, we remember that mostly fabrication.
to elucidate the question of God’s
body which the mind of man can that deceiver said, while he was
The Greek and Roman religions existence. The first is to try to
he conscious of, is dead and will yet alive, ‘After three days I will had induced a mythological inher- make this most abstruse of all prob-
“know no resurrection save in grass rise again.’ ” According to the itance and environment, which the lems appear as a mere truism—
and flowers”. Had the grub died same authority, the angel at the gospel writers did not object to, Faley’s watch argument; the other
a physical death as the human be­ sepulchre
said to the two Marys, . while they had learned to discredit is to obscure everything in the uni-
4
ing did, there would have been no ‘ He is risen, as he said.” St. Mark the many gods of the Greeks and verse so as to show that while the
dragon fly.
puts it that the angel said to the Romans. Speaking of these gods, existence of God cannot be proved,
The child and dragon fly are not women, “But go your way, tell his
\ \ . K. Clifford says: “ When we it is also impossible to prove any-
phenomena transcending experi­ disciples and Peter that he goeth reflect what criminal deities were thing else,
ence. They obey the laws of na­ before you into Galilee: there shall worshipped all over the empire, we This last i.
is the cuttle-fish method.
ture which sustain the theory of jc see him , as he said im to jo u . cannot hut wonder that any good He squirts dye-stuff through the
evolution; hut evolution and sci­ i>t. Luke says that the angel said, people were left; that man could water, when he sees an enemy coin-
ence offer no proof of a soul. No “ He is not here, but risen.
Re- still be holy, although every god ing, so he can escape in the dark-
soul
has ever
itself __
to member what he said to you when > was vile.”
. ,.fl
. yet .. submitted
.
...
ness and obscurity of his own crea-
scienUfie investigation.
W. k . he was yet in Galilee.” St. John ! The Greek and Roman mytholo- tion.
Clifford says, “It is wrong always, tells aliout destroying the temple gy is written in starry characters The man who affirms his own
everywhere, and for everyone, to and raising it up in three days, but all over the sky. The only gods we existence to be an assumption is a
believe anything upon insufficient j in chapter 20, verse 9, fie says, “For can all know of in the heavens are twin brother to the man who “talks
u u k h
♦,
ye.1 they kne.w “Gt the scripture Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
through his hat”. He is compelled
Mr. Ai o t c aims lat, There that he must rise again from the
The promise of a redeemer had to use two pronouns referring to
is at death an end of the body. It dead.”
standing over 1900 years> Jf himgelf
he
t()
knows no resurrection save in grass , This last statement of St. John’s i the bloody, typical seizures had sumption. To make an assumption
and flowers. The resurrection, the ¡must be the most truthful one. Not i been kept up all that time it is not is to think. That, I think, proves