The Truth about Jesus : Is He a Myth?Mangasarian, M. M. (Mangasar Mugurditch)
Religion
The Truth about Jesus : Is He a Myth?
Mangasarian, M. M. (Mangasar Mugurditch)
Jesus Christ -- Historicity; Rationalism
But if there is "some ultimate fount of being," to which our "highest"
nature "can be traced," whence did our lower nature come? Is Prof.
Adler trying to say God? We do not object to the word, we only ask
that he give the word a more intelligible meaning than has yet been
given. If God is the "ultimate fount of being to which all that is
highest in us can be traced," who or what is the ultimate fount to
which all that is lowest in us can be traced? Let us have the names of
the two ultimate founts of being, and also to what still more ultimate
founts _these_ founts may be traced.
In our opinion Dr. Adler has failed to do justice to Prof.
Metchnikoff. It is no answer to the Darwinian Theory, which the
Russian scientist accepts in earnest, and in all its fullness,--not
fractionally, as Adler seems to do--to say that it does not explain
everything. No one claims that it does. Not all the mystery of life
has been cleared. Evolution has offered us only a new key, so to
speak, with which to attempt the doors which have not yielded to
metaphysics. And if the key has not opened all the doors, it has
opened many. Prof. Adler seems to think that the doctrine of evolution
explains only the physical descent of man; for the genesis of the
spiritual man, he looks for some supernatural "fount" in the skies.
Well, that is not science; that is theology, and Adler's estimate of
Jesus is just as theological as his criticism of evolution.
APPENDIX
The argument in this volume will be better understood if we give to
our readers the comments and criticisms which our little pamphlet,
_Jesus a Myth,_ and _The Mangasarian-Crapsey Debate on the Historicity
of Jesus, _[Footnote: Price, 25c. Independent Religious Society,
Orchestra Hall, Chicago.] called forth from orthodox and liberal
clergymen. We shall present these together with our reply as they
appeared on the Sunday Programs of the Independent Religious Society.
Criticism is welcome. If the criticism is just, it prevents us from
making the same mistake twice; if it is unjust, it gives us an
opportunity to correct the error our critic has fallen into. No one's
knowledge is perfect. But the question is, does a teacher suppress the
facts? Does he insist on remaining ignorant of the facts?
FROM THE SUNDAY PROGRAMS
I
Now that the debate on one of the most vital questions of modern
religious thought--The Historicity of Jesus--is in print, a few
further reflections on some minor points in Dr. Crapsey's argument may
add to the value of the published copy.
REV. DR. CRAPSEY: "Now, I say this is the great law of religious
variation, that in almost every instance, indeed, I think, in every
single instance in history, all such movements begin with a _single_
personality." (P. 5, _Mangasarian-Crapsey Debate._)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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