42. A RADICAL STATEMENT
and intelligence. Before Science was set up in the temple of modern civilization, men might disbelieve and reject the statements of God's Word; but there was then no counter-authority to which they could appeal in support of their unbelief. This lack of a counter-authority to the Bible, the name of "Science" has supplied, and thereby the hands of unbelief have been greatly strengthened.
What truth, then, is there in the statements, such as we have quoted, concerning the religious bearing and value of the teachings of Science? The answer is, There is in them no truth whatever. The revelations of Science, whatever else they may have accomplished, have done absolutely nothing towards meeting the spiritual needs of humanity, or enlarging its spiritual knowledge. This is a radical statement, and since the matter is of the utmost importance, the writer feels amply justified in discussing it with care and thoroughness.
Considering first the subject of "the teachings of Science," so far as they have any religious or spiritual bearing at all, it is to be noted that among the various and often contradictory things that have been taught in the name of Science, there has never been anything positive, never anything in the nature of a contribution to spiritual truth. We shall see presently that Science, by reason of its obvious and recognized limitations, could not possibly make any such contributions. But it is enough here to note the fact. The use to which the name of Science has been put in the domain of religion has been to contradict certain things which have been held and taught as true on the authority of Scripture. And the matters so contradicted have necessarily been of a historic nature and connected with the physical creation; such, for example, as the accuracy of the account of the six days' work recorded in the first chapter of Genesis, the occurrence of a universal deluge, and the like. Indeed, these two topics (the six days' work and the deluge) practically exhaust the matters revealed in Scripture upon which men who assume to speak for Science have ever had anything definite to say. Even as to such subjects as the miracles of Old Testament times, and those performed by the Lord Jesus, Science cannot speak. For these are purely questions of fact, to be believed or not according to the evidence; and Science has no evidence whatever on these subjects, and is incapable of obtaining any that has the slightest degree of pertinence. As to these matters of history, and still more so as to all matters relating to the being of God, the soul of man, the future state, eternal life and eternal death, and all that is embraced in the great theme of Redemption, human beings are absolutely and necessarily dependent upon Divine revelation for all the information they have, or ever can have. Upon these matters, or, as we might broadly say, upon all that comes within the
NO SPIRITUAL HELP IN SCIENCE scope of religious faith, Science does not, and cannot, throw the faintest ray of light. On all these subjects, the men of this scientific age have no better and no other sources of information than those of the ages that are past.
Let any one who is disposed to question this statement, test it for himself, as he may easily do. Let him diligently inquire of himself what single fact Science has revealed to him which has added in the smallest degree to his spiritual information. Let him then ask the preachers of Science to mention specifically some bits of information having a spiritual or religious value for which mankind is indebted to "the teaching of Science." The result will surely convince the inquirer that the fulsome tributes to Science, such as we have quoted above, and in which current religious literature of the popular sort abounds, have absolutely nothing to rest upon. The truth is that modern (or ancient) Science has contributed nothing whatever to our fund of spiritual or moral information. Science has brought to humanity not one thing whereby the tried and tempted soul may be helped in his struggles with the evils of his nature and environment; not one thing to aid in solving the problems of life, to strengthen and encourage the weary pilgrim on life's pathway, or to shed the feeblest ray of light upon that darkness through which it leads.
Never has there been a greater imposture practised upon the ignorant, easily deceived masses of men, who are being "destroyed for lack of knowledge," than that which certain religious teachers systematically carry on, in arraying Science as a religious authority in opposition to the Word of God. This idol, a creature of man's evil imagination, which has done no more for the spiritual good of man than Baal or Jupiter, is not only set up as a teacher and revealer of truth on a level with the Word of God, but even on a higher level; for the chief religious use to which the name of Science is put, is to appeal to it as an authority for statements contradictory to those of the Bible.
And this crime is all the worse in its nature and consequences because, of the people who look to the pulpit for their teaching, there are very few who are able to investigate these statements for themselves. A scientific education is regarded as if it were a sort of initiation into the higher mysteries; and those who have not enjoyed such privileges are easily persuaded to accept anything introduced by the conventional phrase, "Modern Science has taught us."
The writer of these pages is speaking here from an experience which is surely sufficient to test the truth of what he is saying; and, before making these radical statements concerning the relation of Science to the spiritual enlightenment of mankind, he has first assured himself that, as the result of twenty-five years' diligent scientific study and inquiry, he has not
FRUITLESS INVESTIGATIONS gained for himself so much as a single scrap of spiritual knowledge.
It is but fair to say, in this connection, that men of science themselves are relatively free from this worship of "Science." The farther a man advances in scientific studies, the less likely he is to be tainted with that particular form of idolatry, so prevalent among those who desire above all things to be thought scientific. One of the most prominent workers in the field of applied science¹ lately said that if scientific discoveries should proceed at the present rate of progress for a few thousand years, humanity might by that time have accumulated sufficient data to begin to draw a few conclusions. This is in accord with the statement of Scripture, "If any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor. viii. 2).
Such men know full well that scientific investigations have brought to light absolutely nothing that could by any possibility be the basis of religious faith, or that tends in the slightest degree to reveal the relations of the soul of man with the Supreme Being, the Creator of the Universe.
Even as to the origin and nature of physical life, the results of scientific investigations are utterly inadequate to explain its simplest phenomena. On this subject, Mr. Alfred Russel Wallace says:—
¹ Mr. Thomas A. Edison.
"As to the deeper problems of life, and growth and reproduction, though our physiologists have learned an infinite amount of curious or instructive facts, they can give us no intelligible explanation of them."
If Science can give no intelligible explanation of the phenomena of physical life, which all are able to observe, what folly it would be to look to that source for information concerning the phenomena of spiritual life, which lie in a sphere beyond the reach of the senses!
Many of those who set up Science as an authority in opposition to the Bible, fail to distinguish between Science and Philosophy. The former has solely to do with facts ascertained by examination of the accessible universe; and since it is only the physical universe that is accessible, and but very little of that, it is quite impossible that Science should bring to light any facts bearing one way or the other upon matters of spiritual truth. But Philosophy has to do with the explanation of the universe, and its contents; and of philosophies there have been no end. When one passes from the consideration of a fact or thing to the explanation of that fact or thing, he passes from the domain of Science to that of Philosophy.
For example, the stone axes, stone hammers, and other stone implements which have been discovered in various places are facts which cannot be controverted.