WHEN people were ignorant of all the sciences the Bible was understood
by those who read it the same as by those who wrote it. From time to
time discoveries were made that seemed inconsistent with the
Scriptures. At first, theologians denounced the discoverers of all facts
inconsistent with the Bible, as atheists and scoffers.
The Bible teaches us that the earth is the centre of the universe; that
the sun and moon and stars revolve around this speck called the earth.
The men who discovered that all this was a mistake were denounced by
the ignorant clergy of that day, precisely as the ignorant clergy of our
time denounce the advocates of free thought. When the doctrine of the
earth's place in the solar system was demonstrated; when persecution
could no longer conceal the mighty truth, then it was that the church
made an effort to harmonize the Scriptures with the discoveries of
science. When the utter absurdity of the Mosaic account of creation
became apparent to all thoughtful men, the church changed the reading of
the Bible. Then it was pretended that the "days" of creation were vast
periods of time. When it was shown to be utterly impossible that the sun
revolved around the earth, then the account given by Joshua of the sun
standing still for the space of a whole day, was changed into a figure
of speech. It was said that Joshua merely conformed to the mode of
speech common in his day; and that when he said the sun stood still, he
merely intended to convey the idea that the earth ceased turning upon
its axis. They admitted that stopping the sun could not lengthen the
day, and for that reason it must have been the earth that stopped.
But you will remember that the moon stood still in the valley of
Ajalon--that the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves
upon their enemies.
One would naturally suppose that the sun would have given sufficient
light to enable the Jews to avenge themselves upon their enemies without
any assistance from the moon. Of course, if the moon had not stopped,
the relations between the earth and moon would have been changed.
Is there a sensible man in the world who believes this wretched piece of
ignorance? Is it possible that the religion of this nineteenth century
has for its basis such childish absurdities? According to this account,
what was the sun, or rather the earth, stopped for? It was stopped in
order that the Hebrews might avenge themselves upon the Amorites. For
the accomplishment of such a purpose the earth was made to pause. Why
should an almost infinite force be expended simply for the purpose of
destroying a handful of men? Why this waste of force? Let me explain.
I strike my hands together. They feel a sudden Heat. Where did the heat
come from? Motion has been changed into heat. You will remember that
there can be no destruction of force. It disappears in one form only
to reappear in another. The earth, rotating at the rate of one thousand
miles an hour, was stopped. The motion of this vast globe would have
instantly been changed into heat. It has been calculated by one of the
greatest scientists of the present day that to stop the earth would
generate as much heat as could be produced by burning a world as large
as this of solid coal. And yet, all this force was expended for the
paltry purpose of defeating a few poor barbarians. The employment of so
much force for the accomplishment of so insignificant an object would
be as useless as bringing all the intellect of a great man to bear in
answering the arguments of the clergymen of San Francisco.
The waste of that immense force in stopping the planets in their grand
courses, for the purpose claimed, would be like using a Krupp gun to
destroy an insect to which a single drop of water is "an unbounded
world." How is it possible for men of ordinary intellect, not only to
endorse such ignorant falsehoods, but to malign those who do not? Can
anything be more debasing to the intellect of man than a belief in the
astronomy of the Bible? According to the Scriptures, the world was
made out of nothing, and the sun, moon, and stars, of the nothing that
happened to be left. To the writers of the Bible the firmament was
solid, and in it were grooves along which the stars were pushed by
angels. From the Bible Cosmas constructed his geography and astronomy.
His book was passed upon by the church, and was declared to be the truth
concerning the subjects upon which he treated.
This eminent geologist and astronomer, taking the Bible as his guide,
found and taught: First, that the earth was flat; second, that it was a
vast parallelogram; third, that in the middle there was a vast body
of land, then a strip of water all around it, then a strip of land.
He thought that on the outer strip of land people lived before the
flood--that at the time of the flood, Noah in his Ark crossed the strip
of water and landed on the shore of the country, in the middle of the
world, where we now are. This great biblical scholar informed the true
believers of his day that in the outer strip of land were mountains,
around which the sun and moon revolved; that when the sun was on the
side of the mountain next the land occupied by man, it was day, and when
on the other side, it was night.
Mr. Cosmas believed the Bible, and regarded Joshua as the most eminent
astronomer of his day. He also taught that the firmament was solid, and
that the angels pushed and drew the stars. He tells us that these angels
attended strictly to their business, that each one watched the motions
of all the others so that proper distances might always be maintained,
and all confusion avoided. All this was believed by the gentlemen who
made most of our religion. The great argument made by Cosmas to show
that the earth must be flat, was the fact that the Bible stated that
when Christ should come the second time, in glory, the whole world
should see him. "Now," said Cosmas, "if the world is round, how could
the people on the other side see the Lord when he comes?" This settled
the question.
These were the ideas of the fathers of the church. These men have been
for centuries regarded as almost divinely inspired. Long after they had
become dust they governed the world. The superstitions they planted,
their descendants watered with the best and bravest blood. To maintain
their ignorant theories, the brain of the world was dwarfed for a
thousand years, and the infamous work is still being prosecuted.
The Bible was regarded as not only true, but as the best of all truth.
Any new theory advanced, was immediately examined in the light, or
rather in the darkness, of revelation, and if according to that test it
was false, it was denounced, and the person bringing it forward forced
to recant. It would have been a far better course to have discovered
every theory found to be in harmony with the Scriptures.
And yet we are told by the clergy and religious press of this city, that
the Bible is the foundation of all science.
DOES THE BIBLE TEACH THE EXISTENCE OF THAT IMPOSSIBLE CRIME CALLED
WITCHCRAFT?