Belief in God, Its Origin, Nature, and Basis: Being the Winkley Lectures of the Andover Theological Seminary for the Year 1890 |
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absolute abstract actually agnostic agnosticism animism anthropic anthropocosmic theism argument from causality argument from design Aryan belief Brahminism Buddhism cause character Christian conceived conception condition cosmic course creation creator Darwin deity divine existence doctrine dogma doubt elements ence essence eternal ethical existence of God experience explain expression fact faith finite given Godhead gods Greek ground Hegel Hume hypothesis idea ideal immanent inference infinite spirit intellectual intelligence interpretation Jehovah Kant knowl knowledge lecture man's mankind material means ment metaphysical mind modern science monotheism moral natural selection never organic world origin pantheism phenomena phenomenalist philosophical scepticism philosophy polytheism postulate present primitive principle proof race rational reality reason reflection regarded relation religion reveals savage scepticism scientific scientist seems self-conscious Semitic sense soul supposed teleological theology theory things thinkers thought tion tive truth ultimate unity universe Vedic religion worship Zeus
Popular passages
Page 223 - Not for these I raise The song of thanks and praise; But for those obstinate questionings Of sense and outward things, Fallings from us, vanishings; Blank misgivings of a Creature Moving about in worlds not realized, High instincts before which our mortal Nature Did tremble like a guilty Thing surprised...
Page 223 - But for those first affections, Those shadowy recollections, Which, be they what they may, Are yet the fountain light of all our day, Are yet a master light of all our seeing ; Uphold us, cherish, and have power to make Our noisy years seem moments in the being Of the eternal Silence : truths that wake, To perish never ; Which neither listlessness, nor mad endeavour, Nor Man nor Boy, Nor all that is at enmity with joy, Can utterly abolish or destroy...
Page 82 - A jest's prosperity lies in the ear • Of him that hears it, never in the tongue Of him that makes it : then, if sickly ears, Deaf 'd with the clamours of their own dear groans.
Page 182 - The unity of this cause may be inferred from the unity of the reciprocal relation existing between the parts of the world, as portions of an artistic edifice — an inference which all our observation favours, and all principles of analogy support.
Page 194 - Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun...
Page 196 - I see no necessity in the belief that the eye was expressly designed. On the other hand, I cannot anyhow be contented to view this wonderful universe, and especially the nature of man, and to conclude that everything is the result of brute force. I am inclined to look at everything as resulting from designed laws, with the details, whether good or bad, left to the working out cf what we may call chance. Not that this notion at all satisfies me.
Page 197 - I 32 should believe in design. If I could be convinced thoroughly that life and mind was in an unknown way a function of other imponderable force, I should be convinced.
Page 198 - I may say that the impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wondrous universe, with our conscious selves, arose through chance, seems to me the chief argument for the existence of God ; but whether this is an argument of real value, I have never been able to decide. I am aware that if we admit a first cause, the mind still craves to know whence it came, and how it arose. Nor can I overlook the difficulty from the immense amount of suffering through the world.
Page 199 - The mind refuses to look at this universe, being what it is, without having been designed ; yet, where one would most expect design, viz. in the structure of a sentient being, the more I think on the subject, the less I can see proof of design.
Page 206 - But nature makes that mean : so, over that art Which you say adds to nature, is an art That nature makes. You see, sweet maid, we marry A gentler scion to the wildest stock, And make conceive a bark of baser kind By bud of nobler race : this is an art Which does mend nature, change it rather, but The art itself is nature.