The scientific bases of faith / by Joseph John Murphy.

  • Murphy, Joseph John, 1827-1894.
Date:
1873
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The scientific bases of faith / by Joseph John Murphy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    L ' ] INTRODUCTION. rilHE reader who glances at the title of this book may -*- probably suppose that it is one more attempt at what is called harmonizing Scripture with Science; that is to say, trying by how little distortion of the sense of Scripture, and by how little misrepresentation of the facts of Science, the narratives of the Old Testament may be made to coincide with the facts disclosed by scientific research. It is best to state at the outset, that I have no such purpose, I believe that no such harmonizing is either it is not necessary or possible; and if it were to be effected, it harmonize would raise far greater difficulties than it would solve; the words for it would be one of the greatest conceivable diffi- tm-e with culties in the way of understanding, or believing, athe facts °f Science ; Divine revelation, if it were made to appear that the nor is it'to Inspiring Spirit had begun His work by communicating be desired- truths of merely physical science. But not only do I admit that no such harmonizing as this is either needful or possible; I admit also that when we begin to investigate the mutual relations of Eeligion and Science, the first fact which meets us is this, that every science has prospered only when it has been freed from the influence of theological teachers. It was the dream of the Science scholastic philosophy—and a magnificent dream it was— only^hen that all science, physical, mental, and moral, should be free from deduced from theology ; or, to use less abstract language, control.' that man's knowledge of the universe should be deduced B