Q. E. D., or New Light on the Doctrine of Creation

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Q.E.D.

Or New Light on the Doctrine of Creation

GEORGE McCREADY PRICE

_Professor of Chemistry and Physics, Lodi Academy, California

Author of "Outlines of Modern Science and Modern Christianity," "The Fundamentals of Geology," "God's Two Books," "Back to the Bible," "A Text-Book of General Science," etc._

"... and set you square with Genesis again." --_Robert Browning_.

1917

_To

WILLIAM CLEAVER WILKINSON Scholar, Critic, Poet and Christian Gentleman

This book is dedicated by one who owes to his advice and kindly sympathy more than can be expressed_

Preface

The great world disaster, ushered in with the dawn of that August morning in 1914, has already brought revolutionary changes in many departments of our thinking. But not the least of the surprises awaiting an amazed world, whenever attention can again be directed to such subjects, will be the realization that we have now definitely outgrown many notions in science and philosophy which in the old order of things were supposed to have been eternally settled.

There are but two theories regarding the origin of our world and of the various forms of plants and animals upon it, Creation and Evolution,--the latter assuming many modifications.

The essential idea of the Evolution theory is _uniformity_; that is, it seeks to show that life in all its various forms and manifestations probably originated by causes similar to or identical with forces and processes now prevailing. It teaches the absolute supremacy and the past continuity of natural law as now observed. It says that the changes now going on in our modern world have always been in action and that these present-day natural changes and processes are as much a part of the origin of things as anything that ever took place in the past. In short, Evolution as a philosophy of nature is an effort to smooth out all distinction between Creation and the ordinary processes of nature that are now under the regime of "natural law."

On the other hand, the essential idea of the doctrine of Creation is that, back at a period called the "beginning," forces and powers were brought into exercise and results were accomplished that have not since been exercised or accomplished. That is, the origin of the first organic forms, indeed of the whole world as we know it, was essentially and radically _different_ from the ways in which these forms are perpetuated and the world sustained to-day. _Time_ is in no way the essential idea in the problem. The question of _how much time_ was occupied in the work of Creation is of no importance, neither is the question of _how long ago_ it took place. The one essential idea is that in its nature Creation is essentially inscrutable; we can never hope to know just how it was accomplished; we cannot expect to know the process or the details, for we have nothing with which to measure it. The one essential thing in the doctrine of Creation is that the origin of our world and of the things upon it came about at some period of time in the past by a direct and unusual manifestation of Divine power; and that since this original Creation other and different forces and powers have prevailed to sustain and perpetuate the forms of life and indeed the entire world as then called into existence.

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