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My Experience with Higher Criticism
IV. A CONSIDERATION OF ITS RESULTS Ten or twenty years ago these scholars believed their views would immensely advance thé cause of Christianity and true religion. They are by no means so sure of that now. It is not meeting with the universal acceptance they anticipated. Making a mere hypothesis the supreme thing in our thinking, we are forced to construe everything accordingly. Thus the Bible, the Christ and the religious experiences of men are sub jected to the same scientific analysis. Carry this out to its logical conclusion and what would be the result ? There would be all science and no 'religion. In the array of scientific facts all religion would be evaporated. God, Christ, the Bible, and all else would be reduced to a mathematical or chemical formula. This is the ideal and goal of the evolutionary hypoth esis. The rationalist would rejoice at it, but the Christian mind shrinks with horror from it. The Christian conscious ness perceives that an hypothesis which leads to such results is one of its deadliest foes. Another danger also arises here. When one makes his philosophy his authority, it is not a long step until he makes himself his own god. His own reason becomes supreme in his thinking and this reason becomes his lord. This is the inevi table logic of the hypothesis mentioned, and some adherents of the school have taken this step. They recognize no author ity but their own moral instincts and philosophical reason. Now, as the evolution theory makes all things exist only in a state of change, of flux, or of becoming, God is therefore changing and developing, the Bible and Christ will be out grown, Christianity itself will be left behind. Hence, there is no absolute truth, nothing in the moral religious world is fixed or certain. All truth is in solution; there is no precipitate upon which we can rely. There is no absolute standard of Ethics, no authority in religion, every one is practically his own god. Jesus Christ is politely thanked for His services in
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