16 THE OEIGIN OF MAN 



Second, prayer rests upon a belief in God; com- ; 

 munion with the Creator in the expression of gratitude 

 and in pleas for guidance powerfully influences man. 

 Third, belief in a personal immortality rests upon 

 . faith in God; the inward restraint that one finds in a j 

 faith that looks forward to a future life with its re- ] 

 i wards and punishments, makes outward restraint less 

 I necessary. Man is weak enough in hours of tempta- 

 I tion, even when he is fortified by the conviction that 

 I this life is but a small arc of an infinite circle; his 

 power of resistance is greatly impaired if he accepts 

 the doctrine that conscious existence terminates with 

 death. 

 / Fourth, the spirit of brotherhood rests on a belief 

 I in God. We trace our relationship to our fellowmen 

 \ through the Creator, the Common Parent of us all. 

 Fifth, belief in the Bible depends upon a belief in 

 God. Jehovah comes first; His word comes after- 

 ward. There can be no inspiration without a Heavenly 

 Father to inspire. 



Sixth, belief in God is also necessary to a belief in 



Christ; the Son could not have revealed the Father 



i 



to man according to any atheistc theory. And so with ■ 

 all other Christian doctrines: they rest upon a belief 

 in God. 1 



If belief in God is necessary to the beliefs enumer- | 

 I ated, then it follows logically that anything that weak- 

 ens belief in God weakens man, and, to the extent that 

 it impairs belief in God, reduces his power to measure 

 up to his opportunities and responsibilities. If there 

 is at work in the world to-day anything that tends to 





