54 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



theology supplies a parallel to that of science and that of the state. 

 Christianity, based on the claim of its 'founder to be the Lord and 

 Saviour of men, finds its strongest and most consistent exponent in 

 the Roman Catholic Church. That Church presents its dogmas with 

 absolute claims to truth and infallibility, and demands the complete 

 submission of mind and will, as the representative on earth of the 

 Divine Saviour. The yoke of this Church, though firmly fixed about 

 the necks of its followers, grew so burdensome at last that the Refor- 

 mation arose, and belief was transferred by millions of men from the 

 infallible Church to an infallible book, which book, however, was to be 

 interpreted in the light of private judgment. While the ecclesiastical 

 government of Rome was discarded, much of its creed was retained ; 

 and to this day Protestantism, in its ritualistic and more authoritative 

 forms, is scarcely to be distinguished from its parent. Dissatisfied 

 with the Bible as an infallible standard of faith and morals, the Lib- 

 eral Churches have discarded it from its place of supreme authority 

 and accept Christ as spiritual Lord and teacher. The Liberal fold in 

 turn has developed a school of much influence, which, unable to bow 

 to any external guide, looks within and finds in intuition direction 

 sufficient for spiritual life. The history of Christianity, from the time 

 of the apostles to that of Theodore Parker, manifests first the gradual 

 evolution of authority, and then tells us how by abusing its power and 

 becoming corrupt and arbitrary it incited the rebellion of bold and 

 free men, who point by point have taken the citadels of assertion and 

 dogma. Theology proves on examination to be no more than the 

 views of Nature entertained by observers in the remote past. These 

 views, formulated into creeds and crystallized into institutions, have 

 established churches, ruled not less by the love of power than by the 

 desire to do good. 



The church-makers, in a very different spirit from that of men of 

 science, have not dealt directly with facts, but with opinions about 

 facts, and on examination it would appear that they have proceeded 

 on some erroneous lines. In refusing competency to the intellect in 

 its attempt at dealing with the problems of life, the theologians have 

 on another hand overrated the powers of this same intellect. 



While affirming the supreme mystery which infolds the universe, 

 they have inconsistently given verbal explanations of that mystery. 

 In the same page which speaks of the untrust worthiness and weakness 

 of the human mind, we may find a full account of the origin and des- 

 tiny of all things, and an analysis of the Divine nature and intention. 

 The depreciation of human ability and the need of modesty in attack- 

 ing the great questions of life and death are stated very forcibly, and 

 thereupon solutions are offered us of all that a little before was de- 

 clared inscrutable. In endeavoring to rise from Nature to a concep- 

 tion of a creating and ruling spirit, different in character from what 

 observation of Nature would lead us to imagine that spirit to be, the- 



