David Ross Boyd

“ Hence theology can have no "complement of cognition" out of which to classify a science.
In another place we find that the cry of conflict has its origin in confounding theology with religion. "Theology is not religion any more than psychology is human life, or zoölogy animal life, or botany plant-life. Theology is objective, religion is subjective. Theology is the scientific classification of what is known of God; religion is a loving obedience to God's commandments. Every religious man must have a theology, but it does not follow that every theologian must have a religion. ”

“ But first we are compelled to controvert the assertion that it is necessary to believe the three following propositions, or there can be no geometry, namely, that "space is infinite in extent, that it is infinitely divisible, and that it is infinitely continuous."
Now, I deny that geometry has anything to do with infinity; indeed, the doctor, before he gets through, says even more than this. "Science," says he, "has the finite for its domain, religion the infinite." What we have to do with in geometry is simply the relations of the attributes or propria of definite extension. ”

“ Science is real knowledge logically classified. But, as Bain remarks, positive definition is not thorough enough. As he says in his second canon on definition, it is needful to assemble for comparison the particulars of the contrasting or opposed notion. We can never know distinctly what a notion is until we contrast it with its opposite. Knowing is discriminating. What is not science? ”

“ But narrowing the definition further by qualifying knowledge by the terms "logically classified," we then have science as contrasted with or opposed to particular knowledge, or knowledge imperfectly classified. Qualifying further by placing the word real before knowledge, we have it contrasted with error or not genuine knowledge. By reading Hamilton, it will be seen that error is his antithesis to his real truth in the definition. But hypotheses are not error, since they are not held as truth. ”

“ Now, a man may believe in that command simply as a dogma, but, being indifferent in the matter of rendering a loving obedience, he will not let it influence his conduct, and so will make no effort to hunt up and have witches burnt. If, on the contrary, he has a loving obedience to God's word, he will trample upon every kindly feeling and instinct of his nature rather than not have the command carried out. ”

“ Says he, "Do not allow yourself to be misled by the common notion that an hypothesis is untrustworthy because it is an hypothesis. What more have we to guide us in nine-tenths of the most important affairs of daily life than hypotheses, and often very ill-based ones? So then in science, where the evidence of an hypothesis is subjected to the most rigid examination, we may rightly pursue the same course. You may have hypotheses and hypotheses. A man may say, if he like, that the moon is made of preen cheese ”

“ A man may hold what theological views you please and make no disturbance in the world, provided he does not think much about his duty in obeying the commands, word, or will of God, all of which are a part of his theology. For instance, one of the commands of God, as contained in his word, and to which he should render a "loving obedience," is "Suffer not a witch to live." ”

“ Indefinite extension, or the notion of space in general, is very different from the notion, if there be such a one, the words infinite space would connote. Indefinite space is comprehensible in the only sense that it needs to be comprehended, namely, as the correlative of extension or definite space.
This brings us to the genesis of the definitions of geometry. Experience makes us at first acquainted with extended bodies. This acquaintance goes no further than a knowledge of their attributes, or propria. ”

“ Now, in our opinion, if every religious man must have a theology, and if his theology be in conflict with science, he must either be in conflict in opinion with that science or abandon his theology. But the truth is, that the real, actual conflict arises from the religious element. The conflict of opinion is in the theology of a man ”

“ You perceive that it makes a good deal of difference both as to who guesses and as to what is guessed. Indeed, so many scientific hypotheses have been verified in the face of the opposing theological hypotheses, that there begins to be a strong presumption in their favor before verification. ”

“ It is sheer nonsense to attempt to construct lines out of points, surfaces out of lines, and volumes out of surfaces. All that it is necessary to say further upon this subject is, that the differentiæ of the higher mathematics are not nothings, but quantities the least conceivable. ”

“ Many of those persons who were supposed to have committed suicide had in reality been seized by the devil and strangled by him, as the traveler is strangled by the robber. The devil could transport men through the air. ”

“ Satan became, in consequence, the dominating conception of his life. In every critical event, in every mental perturbation, he recognized satanic power. Fools, deformed persons, the blind and the dumb, were possessed by devils. ”

“ But another man, who has devoted a great deal of time and attention to the subject, and availed himself of the most powerful telescopes, and the results of the observations of others, declares that it is probably composed of materials very similar to those of which the earth is made up ”

“ The second of these three infinite persons, which all make one infinite person, is now sitting in heaven upon a throne on the right hand of the first infinite person, neither of which has any parts, but all three make one indivisible unity. Most men will continue to think that the above propositions differ very much from the two fundamental axioms of mathematics, "Equals added to equals and the sums are equal ”