EVOLUTION AMD RELIGIOUS THOUGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 248, 18 October 1924, Page 18

EVOLUTION AMD RELIGIOUS THOUGHT.

Principal E. Griffith-Jones, of the United College, Bradford, the distinguished author of "The Ascent Through Christ," has recently published an article in which he summarises and brings up to date the main contentions of his wellknown book. The following is a resume of his article:— Though in the first instance the evolutionary theory was brought into sharp conflict with the fundamental truths of the Christian faith, "the theory in question has become permanently woven into ' the tissue of modern thought." There has occurred a rapprochement arrived at by a joint movement of the opposing sides. "From the scientific side it hae long been recognised that Evolution is not in any sense a theory of origins, but only one of the factors and method of the developing procesß." It is not necessary to argue that belief in this theory precludes all sense of mystery. On the contrary, it "has made that mystery more profound and impressive than ever." Mystery "pervades the process at every step." The nature of life iteelf, the mystery of beauty, the mystery of the ethical sense, and other deep facts compel even the scientist to "whisper the word God as the only key to the riddle of the overwhelming wonder of the world." To say that the world is a mechanism does not explain away its religious meaning, for one may point out that the more perfect it is as a machine the moro loudly does it proclaim the sovereignty of the mind that conceived it and of the hand that constructed it—V. cording to plan.'" Evolution leaves unexplained the upward movement of life. Modern science, mstead of regarding ™" foreign or alien to it! eurfoundW worTd 8 « I *° r^ rd ' ,the terrestrfa **** Th£rpf l H ver 7 essence biocentric." Ihis reference to scientists like Professor the remark "the preparation for life manifested by the 'constitution 2d d£ positaen of certain elements iT fh« phyrical order and tt, iSSSI

tion of life to ite environment almost compel scientific thinkers to epeak of the whole process as teleological in its character. Here again the scientist comes to the threshold of a religious view of the cosmic process, and joins hands with the philosopher and the theologian in a common synthesis of thought." So much for the movement of the scientific position towards a religious view. On the other hand "the religious thinker has certainly grown more scientific in his methode without losing his spirituality." AH the departments of the science of human nature have come to his aid, and have furnished ample ] scope for "proving how incurably religious a being is man." Simultaneously with the acceptance of the materials furnished by these sciences, religion has also developed the historical method of investigating its own positions, so that 'it has learned to discriminate between I the husk and kernel of relig'ous truth. I Everything is still too new for us to be able to apprehend the significance of the tremendous opportunity thus given to religion, but indications point in the direction of showing that "the Queen of the sciences, who has long been disinherited in her Father's house, will resume her place on the throne of human thought and will reign, as of yore, by royal right. We do not yet know what form the ultimate synthesis of religious and scientific thought will take. That it will be rigidly scientific in method, nnd at the same timo profoundly spiritual in temper, is .not for a moment in doubt."