The Project Gutenberg EBook of Religious Perplexities, by L. P. Jacks

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Title: Religious Perplexities

Author: L. P. Jacks

Release Date: May 31, 2010 [EBook #32578]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RELIGIOUS PERPLEXITIES ***

Produced by Al Haines

RELIGIOUS PERPLEXITIES

BY

PRINCIPAL L. P. JACKS

D.D., LL.D., D.LITT.

AUTHOR OF

"THE LEGENDS OF SMOKEOVER," ETC.

"Perplexed, yet not unto despair"

HODDER AND STOUGHTON LIMITED

LONDON

1922

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY
RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED
BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.

_A Foreword_

The substance of this little book was delivered in the form of two
lectures given at the invitation of the Hibbert Trustees in Manchester,
Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham during March and April, 1922. On
revising the spoken word for the press I have made certain
rearrangements which seemed to be required in committing the lectures
to the printed form. The first section is wholly new and may be
considered as a short introduction to the main theme. Such an
introduction is, I think, needed, but the time at my disposal did not
allow of its inclusion in the oral delivery of the lectures.

L. P. J.

_Contents_

I. THE SOURCE OF PERPLEXITY
II. RELIGIOUS PERPLEXITY IN GENERAL
III. PERPLEXITY IN THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION

_I_

_The Source of Perplexity_

The first and greatest of religious perplexities, the source of all the
rest, arises in the mysterious fact of our existence as individual
souls. Our perplexities spring from the very root of life. Why are we
here at all?

Did we but know the purpose for which we are present in the world,
should we not have in our hands the key to all the questions we raise
about God, freedom, duty and immortality? But if we know not why we
are here how can we hope to answer these other questions?

Or again, if we were forced to acknowledge that our existence has no
purpose at all, would it not be futile to embark on inquiries
concerning God, freedom, duty and immortality? What meaning could
these terms have for beings who had learnt that