The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, April, 1880Various
Religion
The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, April, 1880
Various
Religion and science -- Periodicals
The points of disagreement, however, are such as to demonstrate the fact
that the ancient mythical people knew not the character of the Being, whom
they conceived to be the “God of Gods and the Father of Gods and men.”
Those who confound the Bible with the ancient myths upon the score of the
analogy that exists between it and the myths, remind me of a very learned
gentleman with whom I was once walking around an oat field, when he
remarked, “_there_ is a very fine piece of wheat.” The man had been
brought up in an eastern city, and was unable to distinguish between oats
and wheat. I knew a gentleman who asked a man, standing by the side of an
old-fashioned flax-break, what he thought it was used for? The man took
hold of the handle, lifted it up and let it down a few times, and said:
“It looks like it might be used to chop up sausage meat.” It is very
natural for us to draw comparisons, and when we do not make ourselves
familiar with things and their uses, we are very liable to be led into
error by a few points of similitude. All the infidels with whom I have
become acquainted look upon the Bible like the man looked upon the
flax-break, and like the man looked upon the oat field. If one had looked
upon the flax-break who was familiar with it, he never could have dreamed
of chopping sausage meat; and if the other had been familiar with wheat
and oats, as they present themselves to the eye in the field in the month
of June, he never would have called the oats wheat. And if any sane man
will make himself familiar with both the Bible and the old system of myths
and mythical worship, he will never confound the two. There are a thousand
things, very different in character and origin, which have points of
similitude. But similitude never proves identity short of completeness.
While the analogy between the ancient mythical system of gods and their
worship and the true God and His worship is restricted to power and
intelligence, there exists a contrast between them deep as heaven is high
and broad as the earth in point of moral character, virtue, and every
ennobling and lovable attribute.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account