Rationalism
as a "system of belief regulated by reason," might be exbelief regulated by reason," might be ex- RATIONALISM, as a "system of ality, crass ignorance, and perverse prejudice; and the rationalism mean the progress of civilization, the detionalism would then RATIONALISM velopment of the intellectual_and moral in this sense that Lecky uses the word; attributing to its wholesome influence the decay of the belief in magic, witchnature of men and nations. It is nearly tion. ance in place of blind zeal for persecu- and the substitution of a kindly toler- But in ordinary English usage, gention.
SO ent. It is generally employed as a term tion of the word is substantially differ- eral as well as theological, the connotation of the word is substantially different. It is generally employed as a term But in ordinary English usage, genof reproach for those who, without utthe foundations of religion, make such terly denying or attempting to overthrow the foundations of religion, make such concessions to the enemy as tend to subvert the faith; who admit the thin end of a wedge that pressed home will rend and destroy the fabric. They rely, more ply, frankly, and fully accepting the on mere human reason instead of simwould not be spoken of as a rationalist, dicta of the divine word. An atheist on mere human reason instead of simfreethinker. eral" or "advanced" than the main body nor would an irreligious, blaspheming of the orthodox; in especial those who take a "low" view of inspiration, and parlance are those who are more "lib- freethinker. Rationalists in ordinary minimize or explain away the miraculous details of the history of revelation and redemption. Rationalism is not trine, the sacred story, and the sacred much a body of doctrine as a mood of Scriptures the same methods of research mind, a tendency of thought shown in and proof as are used in mere human the attempt to apply to religious docscience and history, and the literatures of all times and peoples. This feature by Lecky in his wid is also recognized, though with approval, of all times and peoples. This feature all occasions to subordinate dogmatic is also recognized, though with approval, "Rationalism," he says, "leads men on conscience. wider use of the word: in history to attribute all kinds of phenin history to attribute all kinds of phen- theology to the dictates of reason and ceeding religious systems the expression of the wants and aspirations of that conscience. all occasions to subordinate dogmatic It predisposes men religious sentiment which is implanted such." Rationalism, not being a system in man; and in ethics to regard as duties ceeding religious systems the expression but a temper or drift of mind, has after, or in 1832 what it was in 1867, different aims at different times; just 1885, or 1900. Opinions are heard in as "liberalism" in politics was not the sermons and expounded in books by same thing before 1832 as it came to be theological professors in 1902 without majority, which in 1860 would by all but after, or in 1832 what it was in 1867, same thing before 1832 as it came to be RATIONALISM a small minority have been regarded as distinctly rationalistic. Thus, till lately it was alarming rationalism to dispute the Mosaic author authorship of Genesis, the Solomonic authorship of the Song of Songs, and the Davidic authorship of any of the Psalms, now the newer view is assumed by many orthodox teachers.
And in the last quarter of the 19th century scholars earnestly supported views which they themselves treated as highly dangerous 20 or 30 years earlier.
Rationalism of this kind is a transition stage, but not necessarily a transition to unbelief.
The rationalistic temper may be traced in almost every age of the Church's his tory; no doubt the extremer representatives of the Petrine party in sub-apostolic times regarded Paul's views as lax and rationalistic. If the Reformation was not rooted in rationalism (as to Catholics it seems to have been), many of the contentions of the reformers were such as all rationalists accept and sympathize with. Zwingli was a rationalist to Luther and the Lutherans; Socinus was of course a rationalist of an extreme type. The dry and barren dogmatic orthodoxy of Germany in the 17th century fostered a rationalism as cold and unspiritual. In the England of the 18th century, during the deistic controversies, the Evangelicals of Germany thought , not altogether unjustly, that some of the most conspicuous opponents of the deists were not themselves free from the charge of rationalism; and the Evangelicals of Scotland regarded the "moderates" of the 18th century, however orthodox in dogma, as thoroughly rationalistic in spirit. Rationalism is not so much opposed to orthodoxy as to the mysticism, and what was called variously fanaticism, enthusiasm, "high-flying," and methodism. A soulless orthodoxy has not seldom been opposed by a fervent piety that by a not unnatural antithesis has tended to run into heretical extremes; while, on the other hand, actual rationalists have often been foremost among the champions of religion, and of revealed religion, against radical freethinking, deism, naturalism, and materialism.
In Germany the term rationalism is more definite in its reference than in England, but is not always used in quite the same sense. The two defective and mutually opposed schools of thought that Kant sought to supersede by his critical philosophy were, on the one hand, a shallow empiricism, and on the other, a a baseless and overweening metaphysical dogmatism or rationalism. Bacon also contrasted empirical philosophers with rationalists who spin their systems as RATIONALISM spiders do cobwebs, out of their own Wolff presents the most conbowels. spicuous example of the philosophical rationalism which held that all that is in heaven above and earth beneath could be "proved" by pseudo-mathematical methods; and as God, responsibility , and immortality were among the things that could be proved at endless length and in various ways, this philosophical rationalism led directly up to a rationalist theology, which consisted mainly in a series of dogmas to be demonstrated from the philosophical axioms, including some at least of the doctrines of revealed religion. What in revelation could not be demonstrated according to this scheme was disallowed or explained away.
Practical religion became, in the Aufklärung, a system of mere utilitarian morals.
Kant prepared the way for a deeper view of man, history, and the universe; but his own explicit statements on positive religion were pronouncedly rationalistic; and the negative side of his philosophy was well calculated to lay the foundations of another school of theological rationalists (often called vulgar rationalism), of whom Tieftrunk (died 1837), Bretschneider (1776-1848), and Wegscheider (1771-1849) may be taken as representatives. De Wette (1780- 1849) shows the transition to Schleiermacher, who (though in the English sense of the word he was an outspoken rationalist) combined what was best in the opposing schools of rationalists and supernaturalists, founded a higher and truer religious philosophy, and heralded even the "pectoral theology" of the mediation school.
But it was not in the sphere of speculation and dogma, but in that of Biblical criticism, that German rationalism accomplished its main work, and left its deepest mark on subsequent theological development. In the early 18th century the "Germans in Greek were sadly to seek," as English scholars thought; Ger mans themselves admitted that in study . ing the Scriptures they failed to escape from dogmatic presuppositions, and that it was the English divines who approached the New Testament in a historical spirit, which in the Germany of that day caused misgivings. It is noteworthy that Semler (1725-1791), "the father of rationalism," obtained the doctorate for a thesis written against Whiston, Bentley , and other English scholars in defense of the "three heavenly witnesses" of I John, v: 7. Semler in the schools, supported by Lessing and Herder in literature, was soon teaching that the books of the Bible must be studied as human productions: Eichhorn (1752-1827) thoroughly tionalist criticism was carried to an abaccepted and applied that principle. Rationalist criticism was carried to an abral and not supernatural events, and taught that the Gospels contained natural and not supernatural events, and whose most ingenious but inept "explanations" of the miracles of the New Testament, "retaining everywhere the husk Strauss' "mythical theory" (excessively were made a laughingstock by Strauss.
Strauss' "mythical theory" (excessively term) was in its turn superseded by Baur, and the new Tübingen school, opening of the most recent period in Scriptural criticism. The "notes" of the newer criticism, whether more or less rationalist from the older English point is one, whether derived from the natural sciences, historical research, the dictates of conscience, or the records of divine what is apparently established by the involves giving up the belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Many of the sive rationalism have long since mutu- contentions of self-confident and aggresally destroyed one another. Nothing ally destroyed one another.
Nothing can be more contrary to the true historic and scientific spirit than the assumptions of a reckless sciolism: there is a false and a true rationalism; and it should be remembered that much that is now most surely believed by all has at one time or another been branded as rationalistic.
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