Whatever is, is Right by James White

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 17, 1859

"Whatever is, is Right."

By James White

This saying has been corrected by a Spiritualist. Mr. A. E. Newton, one of the ablest, if not the very ablest, of the Spiritual writers and speakers, at the Utica Convention on the cause and cure of evil, said:

"The a priori argument sometimes adduced on this point, is a very plausible one—and it once for a time came near bewildering my own mind. It is this—that as God is perfect, infinitely good, and everywhere present in the universe, there is no possible place for evil to get in! This would be perfectly conclusive but for one thing—evil is in! It is thus in flat defiance of the facts. To come in conflict with so crushing a theory may be very bad for the facts, I allow; nevertheless, they are 'stubborn things,' and my own opinion is that the theory gets the greatest share of the damage. Whatever is, is POSSIBLE!"

"I see not how it would be any easier for physical evil to get its 'infernal hoof' into the universe under this theory, than for moral. Yet, as a matter of fact, both are here, and we must shape our theories and our acts accordingly. . . . It seems plain, then, that any theory of God, any system of theology, which does not leave man an ability to choose what is wrong instead of what is right—and thus to debase himself and aid in debasing others, wants mending. It does not conform to facts."

A sensible conclusion. We were once aroused from our day-dream theories by a consciousness of the existence of these facts, and on examination became convinced that the introduction of the evils of the present state of our race was not accidental, but criminal; and that a remedy which would honor the government of God, and respect his attributes of love and justice, is only found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. J. H. W.