eae DT, a ppt aan aienten a Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library httos://archive.org/details/christorchaosOOscot CHRIST OR CHAOS BY / MARTIN J. SCOTT, S.J. P. J. KENEDY & SONS PUBLISHERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE NEW YORK Imprimi Potest: LAURENTIUS J. KELLY, S.J. Nihil Obstat: ARTHUR J. SCANLAN, S.T.D. Censor Librorum Imprimatur: M4 Patrick CarpINAL Hayes, D.D. Archiemscopus Neo-Hborancensts Neo-Eboraci, die 27, Augustii 1924. CoprricutT, 1924 By P. J. KENEDY & SONS Printed in the United States of America FOREWORD These pages are the A B C of the Christian Religion. Each page could be enlarged into a vol- ume. The aim is a treatment, terse, clear, and proof against every argument of false science and phi- losophy. The issue to-day is fundamental. So-called Mod- ernists reject a fixed Creed, and miracles. They want a religion which will change with time and circumstances, and which does not recognize miracu- lous happenings. But Christ delwvered to His Church a fixed Creed, and Christ Himself was the greatest of all miracles; the Apostles instructed by Him preached a fixed Creed; the Church with whom He promised to be until the end of the world has always taught a fixed Creed. If Christ is not God let us be done with Him and relegate Christianity to the realm of myths. But if He is God let us respect His word and give Him credit for knowing and teaching Truth. Truth never changes. Only error needs alteration. ‘You change therefore you have not the truth” is a philo- sophic dictum. In the witness stand a test of truth is fixity. Chemical laws do not change, yet that Vv v1 FOREWORD does not make chemistry unprogressive. So the Creed of Christ, which never changes because truth never changes, is not unprogressive because it is fixed. Christian civilization is proof. Think for yourself, PRELIMINARY “Nature declares that there is one ever-acting Creator and Ruler.” Lorp Kernvry, Presidential Address, British Association. “Nature being subject to law cannot, therefore, be God. She is the wondrous product of His Al- mighty Will. Thus the will of God is everywhere expressed by the laws of nature, since these laws originate from Him.” Lamarck, Father of Organic Evolutionism, Sys- teme Analytique, p. 43. “Tt seems to me that Creation in the ordinary sense of the word, is perfectly conceivable. I find no diffi- culty in imagining that, at some former period, this universe was not in existence, and that it made its appearance in consequence of the volition of some preexisting Being.” Houxtey, Life of Darwin, II, p. 187. “The existence of a Being endowed with intelli- gence and wisdom is a necessary infererce from a study of celestial mechanics.” Srr Isaac Newton, Principia. Vu Vlil PRELIMINARY “Design is altogether unmeaning without a design- ing mind. The study then of the phenomena of nature leads us to the contemplation of a Being from whom proceeded the orderly arrangement of natural things that we behold.” Str G. G. Sroxss, Burnett Lectures, p. 327. “Our noblest attributes as men are ours because they are essential constituents of the image of Him who in the beginning created not only the heaven and the earth, but the materials of which heaven and earth consist.” Ciuerk Maxwetz, Address to British Associa- tion. “Shall we possess these things and God not possess them? Let no worthy human attribute be denied to the Deity. Whatever worthy attribute belongs to man, be it personality or any other, its existence in the universe is thereby admitted, we can deny it no more.” Srr Ourver Lopes, “Hibbert Journal,” Jan., 1903. CONTENTS To THE Non-CaTHOLIC READER EVvoLurIon DARWINISM . MIRACLES PART I: THE CHURCH OF CHRIST CHAPTER Gop oR MATERIALISM Gop oR CHANCE . Man Is More THan MATTER Man Is Composep oF Bopy AND SouUL THERE Is a Future Lire IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL THE CREATOR AND MANKIND Gop’s Law JESUS CHRIST Jesus Curist Is Gop . dJeEsus Curist Is Gop JESUS CHRIST AND OURSELVES . THERE Is a TruE RELIcIon THERE Is BuT ONE TruE RELIGION THE TRUE RELIGION . THE PurRPOSE OF RELIGION . 1X CHAPTER XVII. XVIII. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXY. XXXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. CONTENTS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH . THe CaTHoLic CHURCH . OTHER CHRISTIAN SECTS THE CaTHOLIC CHURCH AND ABUSES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE REFOR- MATION . THE CaTHOLIC CHURCH AND INFALLIBILITY THE CaTHOLIC CHURCH AND TRUTH THe CatHotic CHurcH AND COMPROMISE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND PROGRESS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND OURSELVES THE CaTHOLIC CHURCH AND THE WORLD . THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND ACCUSATIONS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND PaTRIOTISM . THe CaTHoLic CHURCH OR PAGANISM . THe CatHotic CHurcH, THE LicHT oF THE WoRLD PART II: CATHOLIC DOCTRINE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH . AUTHORITY . AIT ED (44'S lng here aes aes Mies Mek ame SOD a lets UMAR sir aiitie en THE Fauu . REDEMPTION SALVATION THe INCARNATION . PAGE CHAPTER XXVI. XXVIT. PART III: STATEMENTS OF NON-CATH- CONTENTS CaTHoLic DuTIES . THe Ten CoMMANDMENTS Tue Srx COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH . THE SACRAMENTS . THe Mass . THe Hoty Evcuarist CoNFESSION PURGATORY . HEAVEN AND HELL DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES. THe MotHer or Gop . Honortna Gop’s MotTHeEr RH EMHOPBAG run cL aetna NY ot aut Tue BIBLE . INDULGENCGES ) SUm Aah eh ConpbucT Tue Practical CATHOLIC THe ENp or Man . OLICS WHO HAVE BECOME CATHOLICS 241-266 Excerpt from “Boston Transcript,” May, 1924. 9267 TO THE NON-CATHOLIC READER Truth asks only an impartial hearing. Neverthe- less sometimes it is hard for non-Catholics to give the Catholic Church this impartial hearing. This is due to various causes, mostly to misrepresentation and environment. Hence, from non-Catholics them- selves, [ am presenting corroboration of what is here set forth. Each subject treated will be accompanied by statements from exclusively non-Catholic sources. No institution in the world has called forth so many and such high tributes from without as has the Catholic Church. These tributes are given by per- sons distinguished in the literary and scientific world. They should carry great weight with those outside the Church, since they represent the result of rigid investigation by scholars not at all interested in being champions of the Catholic Church. Such an accumulation of non-Catholic testimony for the various truths which constitute the Catholic ereed should certainly cause serious reflection in every one who desires to embrace the truth at what- ever cost. Xiv CHRIST OR CHAOS Non-CatHortic TESTIMONY “T am convinced that Protestantism in general treats Catholics with shameful ignorance and un- fairness.” Life and Correspondence of T. Arnold Stanley, I, p. 151. “Tt is high time that, without any prejudice in favor of the Catholic Church, the nonsense whieh has been foisted on to the public by men interested in suppressing the facts should be exposed.” Hynpman, Historical Basis of Socialism wm England, p. 15. ‘“‘When Protestant ministers speak of the Roman Catholic Church, it is perforce to speak in condemna- tion of her. J propose to assume the unprotestant attitude of saying some things in the way of respect and veneration of her wonderful ministry to the cen- turies of human life. In all fairness, it must be ad- mitted that popular ignorance, superficial knowledge and malicious slander have misrepresented her teach- ing in many instances.” Rev. T. B. Tuomerson, Plymouth Congrega- tional Church, Chicago. “There is not, and there never was on this earth, a work of human policy so well deserving of exami- TO THE NON-CATHOLIC READER xv nation as the Roman Catholic Church. ... She saw the commencement of all the governments, and of all the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in this world, and we feel no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all.” Macavtay’s LHssays, Ranke’s History of the | Popes, III, p. 303. EVOLUTION It is not uncommon to hear it said that Darwinism is the same as Evolution, and also that Evolution is opposed to Christianity. Evolution is not Darwin- ism nor is Evolution as a scientific theory opposed to Christianity. Evolution existed before Darwinism, and now that Darwinism, as will be shown presently, has been rejected by the foremost scientists of the world, Evolution continues to exist as a scientific theory. Evolution is only a theory, it is not a fact, as will be made evident. As proof that it is only a theory, we need only say that it is continually changing. In the last eighty years there have been three distinct phases of Evolution.