p. 7 | Astute Reasoning

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 4, 1909

Astute Reasoning

Some religious teachers who regard it as too much of a strain on their credulity to believe the plain statements of revelation, seem perfectly willing to adopt very large conclusions from extremely small evidence when it is in harmony with their evolutionary theory. As a case in point, we note that the recent discovery of what are regarded as “portions of the cranium and skeleton of a primeval man,” near which were found “part of the hind leg of an animal of the ox family,” is made the basis for the conclusion that primeval man “had a religion, and belief in a future life.” The argument runs thus:—

The body had apparently been buried. That implies some respect for the body of the dead. Why so? . . . Why was it [the portion of the ox] put there? Was it as food for the dead? Even so in early Egyptian, Babylonian, and Hittite art, the leg of an animal is often associated with other food for the dead in funeral ceremonies.

This convincing argument in proof of the existence of religion on this planet long before any revelation was made to Adam and his descendants, deserves to be classed with the proof for infant baptism, which was adduced on a certain occasion. The proof-text cited was 1 Kings 13:13: “And he [the prophet] said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon.” The conclusion drawn from this text was that the prophet must have been going in search of some one to baptize his children, else why should he ask for the ass to be saddled? When men are determined to establish certain conclusions, it seems to matter little what kind of arguments are employed.