Gospel Philosophy / Showing the Absurdities of Infidelity, and the Harmony of the Gospel with Science and History
BY ELDER J. H WARD
ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS,
Salt Lake City, Utah:
Published at the Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884.
Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1884, by J. H. Ward, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
Sectarians generally dread meeting a Mormon Elder in discussion, for they well know the humiliating defeat which has been the result to their compeers in hundreds of instances.
But there is another class of persons who often bring formidable-looking arguments against the truths of the gospel. This class is composed frequently of persons of considerable learning, research and intelligence. They have long ago become disgusted with the absurdities of so-called Christianity; and are not slow in showing the disagreement of sectarian dogmas with the teachings of the Bible, or contrasting the Bible with supposed science. In some instances, otherwise valuable scientific works are marred by sneers at the books of inspiration. In this age of earnest thought and research into all branches of knowledge, many of these works fall into the hands of the young and hence the growth of skepticism in the minds of many. Many of the facts contained in this work have been collected from, and references made to larger works not easily accessible to the general reader. A large number of the illustrations have been designed expressly for this work, and engraved by Brother John Held, of Salt Lake City.
To gather into a small compass the leading arguments of infidel writers, and to refute them by well-known facts; to show the cause of the conflict between science and religion; and to harmonize true science with the teachings of God's word, has been the design in writing this little work. That in its perusal the young may find their faith strengthened in the principles of the gospel; thoughtful minds find food for reflection, and the missionary Elder a valuable book of reference, is the earnest wish of
J. H. Ward
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PREFACE.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INDEX
THE PRESENT AN EARNEST AGE—AN EARNEST RELIGION REQUIRED—YOUNG MEN LIABLE TO SKEPTICISM—LITERARY FOPS—SCIENTISTS DO NOT AGREE—TESTIMONY OF SOCRATES AND PLATO—ABSURDITIES OF BRAHMINISM—ATTEMPTS OF FRENCH INFIDELS—ROSETTA STONE—MODERN SPIRITUALISM.
SCIENCE AND REVELATION HARMONIZE—WANT OF REVELATION THE CAUSE OF BARBARISM—BENEFITS AND EVILS OF ROMANISM—CONFLICT CONCERNING GEOGRAPHY—PHILOSOPHY OF COSMAS—STRUGGLES OF COPERNICUS—BRUNO —GALILEO—OPPOSITION OF LUTHER—SERVETUS BURNED—PROTESTANT BIGOTRY—CAUSES OF INFIDELITY.
IGNORANCE OF SKEPTICS—ERRORS IN ASTRONOMY GEOLOGY NOT RELIABLE—SCIENTISTS DISAGREE—TESTIMONIES OF HUGH MILLER—HUMBOLDT —LYELL—SECOND-HAND KNOWLEDGE—OUR NEED OF FAITH.
MANIFESTATIONS OF POWER—MOUNTAIN CHAINS—PHENOMENA THE EFFECT OF CAUSE—EXTENT OF UNIVERSE—MANIFESTATIONS OF DESIGN—THE HUMAN EYE—MATTER INERT—DID THE PAVING-STONES MAKE THEMSELVES?—THEORIES OF BUFFON—OF DR. OLBERS—HISTORY DECLARES GOD'S GOVERNMENT.
REVELATION PROGRESSIVE—ITS RELATION TO CIVILIZATION—SOLOMON—HIS PROVERBS—NEWMAN'S ABSURDITIES—CARLYLE—PARKER—HEATHEN PHILOSOPHY IMMORAL—ANCIENT ROMAN SONGS—CHARACTER OF HEATHEN DEITIES—RELIGION OF INDIA—COMPTE—BRADLAUGH—CHESTERFIELD—PAINE.
INFLUENCE OF THE SCRIPTURES—THEIR AGREEMENT WITH SECULAR HISTORY—COLONY OF PHILIPPI—ANCIENT COIN—CERTAINTY OF BIBLE HISTORY—GIBBON'S TESTIMONY—QUOTATIONS OF CELSUS—MARCION THE APOSTATE—CLASSIFICATION OF NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS—AVOCATIONS OF THE APOSTLES—THEIR MANNER OF PREACHING—THEY CHALLENGED CRITICISM—DENIAL OF MIRACLES, A MODERN INVENTION—SUFFERINGS OF THE APOSTLES—THEY SEALED THEIR TESTIMONY WITH THEIR BLOOD.
TERTULIAN'S WORKS—EXTRACT FROM TACITUS—VALUE OF COTEMPORARY CORRESPONDENCE—PLINY'S LETTER—PROOF OF THE SAINTS' MORALITY—GOSPEL DISTINCTIVE FROM ALL OTHER RELIGIONS—NO OTHER SYSTEM DEPENDS UPON SIMILAR INFLUENCES.
PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF OUR SAVIOR—BY MARCUS—BY JOSEPHUS—CONDITION OF THE WORLD AT—THE BIRTH OF CHRIST—INFLUENCE OF JUDAISM HEATHEN TRADITIONS CONCERNING THE SAVIOR'S ADVENT—CHARACTER OF BARNABAS—APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER OF PAUL—PETER, THE LEADER OF THE APOSTLES—CHARACTER OF JOHN AND JAMES—STATEMENT CONCERNING MARY—HISTORY EPITOMIZED IN THE GOSPELS—DESCRIPTION OF THE CATACOMBS—INSCRIPTIONS OF THEM.
PROPHECY DEFINED—OBJECTIONS TO SYMBOLICAL LANGUAGE ANSWERED—HISTORY REVERSED, UNINTELLIGIBLE—NECESSITY OF PROPHETIC OBSCURITY—INFIDEL DREAD OF PROPHECY—PROPHECIES CONCERNING BABYLON—THEIR FULFILLMENT—PROPHECIES CONCERNING EGYPT—PROPHECIES CONCERNING JUDEA AND THE JEWS—CONCERNING THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA—TESTIMONIES OF INFIDELS—MODERN PROPHECY—ITS FULFILLMENT.
ARROGANCE OF INFIDELS—THEIR IGNORANCE—SUN'S HEAT—SATURN'S RINGS—A SCIENTIST'S THEORY OF THE DELUGE—DENSITY OF COMETS—THE MILKY WAY—UNKNOWN FORCES OF THE UNIVERSE—ANTIQUITY OF THE EARTH—TEACHINGS OF ANCIENT PROPHETS—TEACHINGS OF PRIMITIVE CHURCH—MODERN SCIENTISTS.
SCIENCE AGREES WITH RELIGION—NEBULAR THEORY—SUN A DARK BODY—SUN SPOTS—VARIOUS SOURCES OF LIGHT—PRIMEVAL OCEAN—DENSITY OF EARLY ATMOSPHERE—VEGETATION OF COAL PERIOD EVERYWHERE IDENTICAL—UNIFORMITY OF CLIMATE.
DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIES—SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST—LAWS OF VARIATION—GRADUAL EXTINCTION OF ANIMALS—AQUATIC CHARACTER OF EARLIEST BIRDS—INDICATIONS OF LIFE IN CHALK—PRIMEVAL MONSTERS—HUGE LAND ANIMALS—CHANGE IN THE CLIMATE OF THE EARTH—CREATION OF MAN—NO INTERMEDIATE LINK.
TESTIMONY OF THE SCRIPTURES—DOCTRINE OF THE SADDUCEES—REMARK OF NAPOLEON—SPIRIT CONTROLS MATTER—MICROSCOPIC ATOMS— PROTOPLASM—ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS OF LIFE—INFIDEL THEORIES—WISDOM OF SOCRATES—HERBERT SPENCER'S PHILOSOPHY—FACULTIES OF THE MIND—CONSCIOUSNESS—PERCEPTION— MEMORY—IMAGINATION—JUDGMENT—CONSCIENCE—VOLITION—ABERCROMBIE'S RECORD—TALLEYRAND—MILK POISONING.
FAITH AND SCIENCE HARMONIOUS—GREAT MEN, BELIEVERS—THE SAFETY OF SOCIETY DEMANDS RELIGION—THE GOSPEL THE BASIS OF TRUE CIVILIZATION—WHO ARE THE CREDULOUS—CONCLUSION.
CONCLUSION.
