The Churches and Modern Thought: An inquiry into the grounds of unbelief and an appeal for candourPhelips, Vivian
Religion
The Churches and Modern Thought: An inquiry into the grounds of unbelief and an appeal for candour
Phelips, Vivian
Rationalism
In the chapter on "God" there is a striking exposition of the very
latest arguments for and against Theism. The opinions of Messrs. Ward,
Newman, Smythe, Le Conte, Fiske, W. N. Clarke, Croll, Aubrey Moore,
Iverach, Dallinger, Ballard, Rhondda Williams, Profeit, Kennedy,
W. James, and Royce are all considered. Many pious Christians may
have read the apologists' criticisms of Haeckel's well-known work, The
Riddle of the Universe, but few will have studied the work itself, and
still fewer these clear and convincing replies to the criticisms. It
cannot be on account of the cost, as a copy of the cheap edition of
either of these works can be obtained for 4 1/2d.
P. 253, lines 25-6.--Some such psychical experiences largely
account for religious superstitions.
With regard to phenomena at present popularly known as spiritualistic,
but for which scientists have now adopted the term "metapsychical,"
the following declaration by Professor Lombroso (appearing in the
review La Lettura, November, 1906) is of considerable interest. "As
the result," he writes, "of our researches, I have been bound to admit
the conviction that these phenomena are of colossal importance, and
that it is the plain duty of science to direct attention towards them
without delay." N.B.--The Professor, when interviewed subsequently by
the Turin correspondent of the Standard, repudiated any suggestion of
supernatural agency, and said: "All spiritualistic phenomena can be
understood and explained without any reference to the intervention of
the supernatural. Spiritualists affirm that the soul is an emanation
from God, while I contend that it is an emanation of the brain. This is
the whole thing in a nutshell. You therefore see how, from this point
of view, I cannot be called a spiritualist--at least, in the sense
in which the term is generally understood. Almost all spiritualistic
phenomena can be classed among those positive facts which science
can explain." However, in an article contributed by him to the Grand
Magazine for January, 1907, and entitled "Why I became a Spiritualist,"
Professor Lombroso admits that he has felt himself "compelled to
yield to the conviction that spiritualistic phenomena, if due in
great part to the influence of the medium, are likewise attributable
to the influence of extra-terrestrial existences, which may, perhaps,
be compared to the radio-activity which still persists in tubes after
the radium which originated them has disappeared." Professor Cesare
Lombroso, it may be mentioned, is Professor of Psychiatry at the
University of Turin, and the author of standard works on criminology,
hypnotism, and psychology, as well as of a number of valuable treatises
relating to cerebral study. Two of his publications, Man of Genius
(1891) and Female Offender (1895), have been issued in English.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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