EVOLUTION AND RELIGIOUS THOUGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 248, 18 October 1924, Page 54 (Supplement)

EVOLUTION AND 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 rap- • prochement arrived at by a joint move- : ment of the opposing sides. "From the < scientific side it has long been recognised : that Evolution is not in any sense a theory of origins, but only one of the fac- : tors and method of the developing pro- i cess." It is not necessary to argue that i belief in this theory precludes all sense of mystery. On the contrary, it "has made that mystery more profound and impressive than ever." Myetery "pervades the process at every step." Xhe nature of life itself, 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 floes not explain away its religious meaning, for one may point out that the more perfect it is as a machine the more loudly does it proclaim the sovereignty of the mind that conceived it and of the hand that constructed it—'ar. cording to plan.'" Evolution leaves unexplained the upward movement of life. Modern BOience, instead of regarding life™ 53T r^tddsS ™c"£ 7 faT rightly regard «*• "SThisrefl™ l V er 7 ese «>ee biocentrio." lnis reference to scientists like Professor Henderson of Harvard, is followed b ' position of certain elements in «,« pineal order and th. iSSESI rig*?.

tion of life to its environment almost compel scientific thinkers to speak 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 phUoeopher and 'he 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 gTown more scientific in his methods without losing his spirituality." All the departments of the science of human nature have come to his aid, and have furnished ample scope for "proving how incurably relii gious 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 religious 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 I 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 time profoundly spiritual in temper, is not for a moment in doubt."