Letters to a Catholic

This letter was the first in a passage of correspondence that is still continuing between our Bro. Matthews and his acquaintance. We hope to publish them all in successive issues. Scriptural references throughout are from the Catholic Douay Version.

Dear Brennan,

“The Anti-Immortals”, which you have challenged me to answer, will be answered easily, but not briefly. I note that the writer is the Rev. Dr. L. Rumble, M.S.C.; but, since “I know not to give flattering titles” ( Job 32. 22), you will perhaps excuse me for referring to him respectfully as Mr. Rumble.

In his booklet, Mr. Rumble makes 53 quotations of the Bible. Of these, one (an allusion to the Rich Man and Lazarus) is not referred, three are repeated passages, and one is from the Apocryphal book, Wis­dom. Excluding the repeated passages, he makes 24 quotations con and twenty pro: and the remaining six are explanatory. One third of the book (the first nine-and-a-half pages) are arguments from human reason­ing without any allusion to specific Scrip­tures; and the rest (as I shall show) sub­jects the Bible to human reasoning, rather than subject human reasoning to the Bible.

Of this latter point let me first say a few words. We do not agree regarding the pro­fessed inspiration of the Catholic Church; but we do agree on the inspiration of the Bible. Let that agreement be our starting point.

Since God does not contradict himself, and since you believe that Jesus is the second-person-God, then even the so-called “Living Voice of Jesus” must ultimately stand the test of Scripture.

If it is admitted (and it is—by both of us) that where the Bible is speaking God speaks, then far be it from us to subject God to the reasoning of the natural mind, as Mr. Rumble does. By this I mean that he either assumes a meaning in God’s words, or presumes to interpret them in­dependently of the inspired record and in spite of that record—that is, in spite of what the record says in context or else­where. You will notice that my answers do not follow this method of interpretation. Since the Bible is the Word of God, it is sufficient that it should explain itself, Scrip­ture answering Scripture—or, as you are bound to admit, God explaining his own words.

To the Sadducees Jesus said, “You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God”. This answer explains in a general way the errors of Mr. Rumble. Having be­lieved a theory, he seeks Scripture to sup­port it; or he reads the theory into passages that do not mention it; or, again, he explains away truths that contradict it. Let us empty ourselves of theories; and let us come with open minds and faithful hearts to hear the voice of God declare his living truths.

For these reasons, I will not be very concerned with the first nine-and-a-half pages, which speak the wisdom of this world. Later, when you have learnt to trust God first, we can consider in detail how such human speculations stand in the light of Bible Truth. For the present, because this section appears to be important to you, I will make just a few general comments.

In various places throughout these early pages, Mr. Rumble quotes philosophers, doctors and psychologists as authorities on the existence of an immortal soul in man; and the beginning of the next section (p. 10) sums up with comment that human reasoning is sufficient to enlighten man on this subject without any special revelation from God.

Paul, on the other hand, speaking of un­converted men, maintains that they are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts (Eph. 4. 17, 18).

Mr. Rumble lays great stress on the fact that the Jews themselves (who “ought to have known their own Scriptures”) believed in the immortality of the soul. Of course they did; but have not you yourself fre­quently asserted that they were blinded? And did not Paul especially exhort Titus to rebuke the Cretians sharply, “that they may be sound in the faith; not giving heed to Jewish fables”? And did not the same beloved apostle say, “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? . . . hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?”

You lay great store by the fact that so many of the wise of this world have been, or are, Catholics; but Paul lays great store by the fact that few of the wise are among the people of God. Listen to the words of truth with which he encourages the Corin­thians: “For see your vocation, brethren, that there are not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: but the foolish of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise: and the weak things of the world hath God chosen that he may confound the strong: and base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible hath God chosen, and things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his sight” (1 Cor. 1. 19-31). This is the very antithesis of the open boasting of Catholics that the wise, mighty and noble of this world were in their lifetime members of your faith.

The honest recognition of the evident testimony of these quotations from the Word of God would show that Mr. Rumble’s case is weakened, rather than strengthened, by his citing of the words of natural wisdom. And thus God again con­founds the wise in their own craftiness.

On page four of “The Anti-Immortals”, Mr. Rumble maintains that a corpse “obeys purely mechanical laws with regard to all its changes”: it is no longer a living organ­ism. He asks this question, “Where is the organising principle; and what has become of it”?

The organising principle of the body is the life—God’s spirit and breath breathed into the moulded terrestial slime (Gen. 2. 7). The body organisation depends upon the life; but so is the life dependent on the body. Body organisation goes on only so long as it has life, or soul; but, on the other hand, life continues only so long as the body is able, to maintain itself. As the body ages or deteriorates in health, so the organising power decreases—unless you are prepared to maintain that the reverse is true, the body gradually deteriorating because the soul gradually loses its power to organise!

Natural evidence shows, however, that the organising principle can be destroyed gradually: cut off your arm and it will die —the organising principle will no longer organise it. Was the principle in that arm actually cut off from the rest of the body organisation; or did it retract into the re­maining parts of the body? This is a reasonable question in view of the fact that an arm and hand will sometimes continue to function as such for several seconds after having been severed—especially if this hap­pens suddenly. The fact is, of course, that a severed member dies and disorganises simply because it has been separated from the liver, kidneys, heart and brain and all those bodily functions that gave it life and the ability to be able to function properly.

This statement is as true of the whole body as of the parts of that body. The body does not die merely because of the soul leaves it; but rather the reverse is true: the soul (life) leaves the body when that body is, for some physical reason, incapable of maintaining itself any longer in life. In other words, your soul’s presence in your flesh is entirely dependent on the healthy function of your body; and there have been cases of clinical death where the mere setting in motion of the bodily functions has restored life.

It is argued by Mr. Rumble that the organising principle is the conscious prin­ciple: intellectual activities (p. 6), innate mental tendencies (p. 7), and ideas of jus­tice (p. 8), are all quoted as evidence for the existence of an immortal soul. It is so “immortal” that if one part of your brain were destroyed you would be incapable of a certain consciousness or a certain action or bodily function which that part of your material brain gave you!

What, might I ask, becomes of the soul’s consciousness when you are given an anaes­thetic? You can become and remain so un­conscious that pieces can be hacked from your body without your knowledge of it. Surely it is only a step further to give you so much more of the anaesthetic that it would be powerful enough to separate your so-called “immortal soul” from your mortal flesh. The reason is, of course, that mus­cular contraction would then have stopped the vital organs; and the soul (which is the life) depends upon the function of those organs fully as much as those organs de­pend upon the soul!

So much, then, for the power of human reasoning!

I have had no real desire to speak “humanly”, Brennan. In the words of Paul, “Ye have compelled me”, because you re­quired an answer of me. I would stress the fact, though, that my reasoning has behind it the enlightenment of Holy Scripture; and when, at some later date, we examine the arguments of these first sections in the light of the Word, this claim will be amply demonstrated.

Next month, God willing, I will take up the succeeding sections of Mr. Rumble’s book where he considers various Biblical evidences.

In the meantime, let this thought remain with you; “And when they shall say to you: Seek of pythons, and of diviners, who mut­ter in their enchantments; should not the people seek of their God, for the living of the dead? To the law rather, and to the testimony. And if they speak not accord­ing to this word, they shall not have the morning light.” Knox is even more specific: “By these (written) instructions rather abide, this record of prophecy; who follows other inspiration shall not see the dawn” (Is. 8. 19, 20.

Sincerely,

Dean.