Editorial January 18, 1930 Issue

Diverse Developments

Clifford P. Smith

Just now there are diverse developments in fields adjacent to religion. For one thing, there is a distinct reaction in natural science from the belief that man evolved from an ape. In the last year, at least three natural scientists of international renown have delivered modified views of this subject. The most recent of these pronouncements was delivered last month by Dr. Henry Fairfield Osborn as retiring president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Not completely abandoning the theory of evolution, he traced the history of man as such to an antiquity not dreamed of since anthropologists accepted the Darwinian theory. In effect, also, he made intelligence the test of manhood. For instance, newspapers quoted Dr. Osborn as follows: "Anthropology is forced to share with chemistry and physics entirely new notions of space and time. To my mind, the human brain is the most marvelous and mysterious object in the whole universe, and no geologic period seems too long to allow for its natural evolution."

Interpreting the human brain as intelligence, Christian Scientists can agree that intelligence is the most marvelous object in the universe. Mrs. Eddy has spoken of it as "the primal and eternal quality of infinite Mind," and of man (the real man) as "that which possesses no life, intelligence, nor creative power of his own, but reflects spiritually all that belongs to his Maker." (See "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," pages 469, 475.) In these quotations from the Christian Science textbook, attention is drawn to the word "primal." Christian Science teaches that man is eternally distinguished from all other creatures by the degree of his intelligence.

The other development to be mentioned here is of a different sort; it is the spreading of atheism. Just now, atheism is spreading faster than any other form of materialism. It is a menace to religion needing to be actively thwarted by all devout people. Not confined to Soviet Russia, nor to a class anywhere, atheism has its most active propagandists among the so-called intelligentsia everywhere. In particular, there are many authors and teachers having access to the thought of young people who, directly and indirectly, teach them atheism instead of an intelligent faith in God.

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