Article August 7, 1909 Issue

If Spirit, God, as our critic intimates, is infinite, there...

Alfred Farlow

Orangeville (Ont.) Banner

If Spirit, God, as our critic intimates, is infinite, there can be but one Spirit. The universe, including man, is spiritual, but is not Spirit. It is substantial, but is not substance. It is intelligent, but is not intelligence. The universe is not a part of the creator, but the expression or manifestation of God. God always remains God, while man always remains man. Creation always remains the expression or reflection of substance, the "image of God."

This definition of man, however, does not depreciate the importance of man or make him less an intelligent creature, for he reflects every characteristic and every attribute of God, even the rational, thinking capacity of divine Mind. Pantheism teaches that the universe, taken together as a whole, constitutes Deity. Pantheism is due to the result of an effort to establish a belief that the universe is material, and at the same time maintain the idea that God is substance and is infinite. If we assume that the universe is material and occupies space, we must either assume that a part of God is displaced or that God is subdivided to make up the universe. Both of these conclusions are erroneous and both are out of harmony with Scriptural teaching.

The only consistent deduction from the Christ-teaching is that God is All-in-all; that God is the only substance, and the universe is His reflection; that every creature of God exists as an idea in the divine Mind, and that, therefore, the material appearance of created things is only a false appearance. Sin, sickness, and death are the outcome of a misapprehension and a misuse of creation, including the false individuality of the man himself.

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