CHAPTER VIII 



RELIGION AND RATIONALISM i 



We are now approaching the all-important question as 

 to the use of Religion. Monists like Haeckel, who put 

 God aside as non-existent, and regard the universe as 

 the issue of blind unconscious forces, can have no religion 

 at all in the ordinary sense of the word, which always 

 implies the existence of some spiritual Power upon whom 

 man believes himself to be in some way dependent. 

 The Power is always supposed to be conscious, in some 

 sort analogous to man who possesses consciousness. 



Nevertheless, Haeckel devotes a chapter to the 

 "Monistic Religion". Let us see, therefore, what he 

 has to say about it. In drawing a comparison between 

 Science and Christianity, he says : " One of the most 

 distinctive features of the existing century (nineteenth) 

 is the increasing vehemence of the opposition between 

 Science and Christianity ".^ 



This is a somewhat too strong expression ; for many 

 scientists have been, and many are now Christians. But 

 is not Haeckel here confounding Christianity with eccles- 

 iasticism or perhaps Roman Catholicism of the continent 

 including his own country ? Did he clearly perceive 



1 1 would refer the reader to Pr. Loof s Anti-Hacckel, for a refutation 

 of Haeckel's chapter xvii., on " Science and Christianity " in his Riddle 

 of the Universe. It is published by Hodder and Stoughton, 6d. 



^ The Riddle of the Universe, p. 316. 



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