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About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1899)
2 THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, NOVEMBER 30, 1899. “The physical basis of intelli after the calf was drowned. The only by confirmed skeptics, but by well, around which the kind, uni- the most brilliant minds within gence is proclaimed by two facts: The U n iv e rsa list Creed. versal father has not even built a their own churches, and which in 1. The nervous system relates the paling, has no bottom nor cover on this manner has been divested of its body-cells together in the interest BY D. PRIESTLEY. of all the cells of the body. 2. The authoritative character? top. It is open at both ends. brain relates the nervous system Finally, the harmony of all souls The Universalist» have just held OPPOSED BY MATERIALISTS. more completely to the same end.” a convention in Boston, in which with God. That is not what Jesus There is only one class of think they have made a restatement of taught. The revised version, con- ers who can and will consistently —S. V. Clevinger, M. D., in the Open Court. curred in bv the ablest scholar» of their creed, as follows: ,, , * , , . , and radically oppose the Professor “The intensity of consciousness is the protestant churches, settles . .. .. . , . . .i 1. The universal fatherhood of all , J . . from New York, and that is the in direct ratio to the intensity of that. Jesus was going to t~ have ~ ... . . A 4 , God. To , . Physicist and M aterialist, functional disintegration.” — Prof. J . . . . 2. The spiritual authority and others forgive their enemies but h e! prove to them that “the soul never leadership of his son, Jesus Christ, proposed to roast his eternally. ‘ ies” will be a difficult task indeed. Herzen, in Mental Science. “Life is everywhere one. The 3. The trustworthiness of the “Then shall he say also, unto them The Christian concedes the major inferior animals are only less ad Bible, as containing a revelation on his left hand, ‘Depart ye cursed premise that man has a soul; the into eternal fire.’ ”—Matt. xxv. 41. vanced types of beings perfected in from God. materialist does not even know ourselves.”—Vestiges of Creation. 4. The certainty of retribution How is that for a universal brothtr- what a soul is; he will demand hood? Jesus did not teach a uni- “Life in a body is the totality of for sin. proof of its objective reality first— its motion. Feeling and thought 5. The final harmony of all souls versal brotherhood of man and he insists that alleged “spirit phe fatherhood of God. He and God make a part of this motion. Thus, with God. nomena” never explains “phenom Firstly, then, God is a universal were in partnership. Thooe who ena which are totally inexplicable in the dead man, these motions will cease like all others.” — Baron father; and, secondly, he has only did not obey him and follow him upon any other theory than that of D’Holbach. one son. That is a divine mystery were children of the devil. Uni- the agency of disembodied spirits,” “There is a material nervous pro which beats the trinity puzzle very versalists have made a long and until such spirits are produced in much more than sixteen to one. persevering effort to convert Jesus the open court of science, analyzed, cess coincident with every thought, If we could get at its true solution to their beneficent creed, but they dissected, resolved into their con even with the most general and ab stract kind.”—Prof. Carpenter. it would be something like the old have made a sad failure. stituents and thus explained first. “That which on its objective side gag about the boy who met a man Of course an explanation embody on a bridge. The boy said to the To P rove T he Soul N ever Dies. ing vastly more mystery than the is a nervous process, on its subject ive side is a process of thought.”— man, “You are my father but I am thing “explained” does not explain. Spencer. not your son.” The question arose BY OTTO WETTSTEIN. Think of a “medium” relating an Science classifies man as an ani and occasioned much discussion event known only to yourself and how that could be. The correct Old believers in a continuous the dead, and think of a keg of dy mal. He is bred and born like an answer was: the boy lied. How post-mortem existence, in these animal, perpetuates the species like namite exploding and blowing “the can a man be the son of a spook? days of theological unrest, should an animal, lives like an animal and grosser body” of a man to atoms, dies like an animal. In the pres IIow can he be descended from a enthusiastically welcome the pre but his “dual-body” emerging un phantom which is only a figment of sent and prospective efforts of Prof. ence of innumerable diversifications scathed and joyfully taking its his own brain? The sonship of Hyslop and of our leading spirit of animal life, some animal must Hight to heaven! Which is the Jesus is a part of the rib story, and ualists in general, to settle the mo necessarily be the highest, and this greatest mystery? But this is what corroborated by the alleged dream mentous problem of man’s immor “crowning work of nature” is man spiritualism implies. It does not of Joseph the carpenter. Our re tality, and to prove scientifically— —1 beg pardon, woman! But he simply imply continuous life or op mote ancestor was not Adam but upon natural, not supernatural or is higher simply in degree of phys tional life, it implies unconditioned pithicanthropos. ical development, and this more Bible grounds—the affirmative of eternal life—proof against explo The creed says the Bible con this question. The more so, be complex structure endows him with sives, poisons, fire, etc. If not tains a revelation from God. Why cause in the event of the “higher higher functions, especialy mental miracle, if not supernatural, the not sort it out and give it to us in criticism’’ undermining the founda activities, but he is subject to iden learned Professor or the Society of place of a creed? It may be said, tion upon which their faith has tical laws which the lower types Psychical Research better hasten a mud-hole contains water; but it heretofore been anchored, that then must submit to, the principal one to explain, before tendering such is not worth while to fool with a the belief they so ardently cherish of which is that that which begins stupendous miracles in explanation strainer trying to get a drink, and may repose upon scientific facts in must end — what is born must die. of the comparatively insignificant swallowing more dirt than water, stead of conjecture. Science does not by any means phenomena of the seance chamber. when there are thousands of clear No Christian can consistently ignore the psychical functions of springs and limpid streams from oppose or reject Spiritualism in its WHAT IS TH E SOUL? man, which in their highest mani which we may drink our fill. Not principal aim or work. All Christ What is a soul? Is it an entity? festations are seen in a Shakepeare, but what a mud-hole is worth ians are Spiritualists in fact. All Has it objective existence? Is it a Goethe, a Humboldt, a Spencer, studying. It may contain many believe that a »pirit, soul or dual an organic structure or an inorgan- an Emerson, a Bryant and an In queer organisms, and there may be man (which are synonyms), sur- ic aggregation of invisible particles 'gersoll, but in these only as a pro- curious chemical processes going on vives the disintegration of the body like electricity, ether or air? If the duct of their several magnificent in its opaque shallows; but to put and will live in a spirit world or former, how can it be uncondition animal structures. Before the birth it over against all the rest of the realm of some sort eternally. They ed and exempt from the operations of these great men we knew noth universe is to get things sadly out believe these spirits of the dead can of natural laws and forces which ing of a “Hamlet”, a “Faust”, a of proportion. soar (0 these localities. Then why govern all other organic forms? “Cosmos”, or of the world’s great- Next, the certainty of retribution doubt that they can come back? If the latter, how can we in such est poem, “Thanatopsis”; neither for sin. The idea o f retribution is Ig it reasonable to believe that we an “airy nothing” meet and em- has the world seen their like again, not entertained by a civilized brain, can travel to New York, but un- brace again the dear ones we have (If their souls had been evolving to To permit sin and then punish it reasonable to believe that we can lost? “grander possibilities” all these is fiendishly idiotic. There is a come back? What is the differ- The Materialist has no faith in years, we would, long ere this, have whole eternity behind us, and if'ence? If none, why should not supernatural living beings. All the been the fortunate recipients of t at is not long enough for God to our Christian friends joyfully wel- beings he knows anything about even sublimer achievements—alas! get t lings straightened out, when is come Spiritualists, who promise to are natural, physical organic crea- not forthcoming.) e going to begin? 1 he creed does tender to all anxious ones the olive tures—beasts, fish or fowl—and in Science insists that every part and not affirm that God is ever going brauch of peace and rest, to guide the absence of these he recognizes portion of this physical man is a to help man in this world, but he is their fears and doubts concerning no functions and attributes of such necessity to produce the perfect or expected to get back on him after the cardinal feature of their faith beings; _________ - —r ..... .... ..................... and, , _ to ___ him, , consciousness complete man. A man without he becomes a formless ghost. In which is so dear to them? Is it and mind must have a physical lungs can not breathe, and without t e case of the first “sin,” God not infinitely more preferable to basis or they are not manifest. breath there is no life. Without wai e< unti t e cool of the day. (know than to believe, to possess “Where there is thought there heart and circulating system there He let the devil have the first evidence instead of simply a fuith must be a thinker”—some living is no life, without flesh and bones c,1HnC ’ c is not so provident as based upon a - book which now organic structure which generates the form of man could not appear, e armer w o cover the well, more than ever is attacked, not or produces thought. Without eyes there is no sight, For the Torch of Reason.