Appendix to Lecture 3: God as a Religious Postulate by James Orr

Описание: Appendix to Lecture III: God as Religious Postulate
This appendix argues that the idea of God is not just a conclusion reached through abstract logic (like the cosmological or teleological arguments), but an inherent necessity arising from the deepest needs and laws of the human spirit.

I. God as a Necessity of the Whole Soul
Orr insists that if God is to be viewed as a "postulate," it must be a postulate for the entirety of the soul's need—not just for:

Moral Need: The need for a moral Lawgiver and Judge (Kant's argument).

Rational Need: The need for a First Cause and an intelligent Orderer of the universe.

Religious Need: The deepest, most comprehensive need of the soul for a suitable object of rest and fulfillment.

He argues that the Postulate of God must spring "necessarily from the soul's rational and moral constitution" to validate the universal conviction of its truth.

II. The Nature of Religion and its Object
Orr directly confronts psychological and empirical theories of religion (like those suggesting religion arises merely from fear, animism, or ghost-worship). He contends that such theories fail to explain the true nature of the religious drive:

A Universal Search: Religion, even in its lowest forms, is a "search of the soul for an adequate spiritual object to rest in." It represents an unceasing want and desire for the Divine.

Laws of the Spiritual Nature: There are fundamental laws of human nature that predetermine the character of the object that can alone satisfy the soul's religious necessity. This object must be Personal, Perfect, and Infinite—the very God revealed in Theism.

The Object Determines the Postulate: The ultimate object of religion (God) is what drives the soul's innate desire. The fact that the human spirit cannot find rest in anything finite, material, or purely relative confirms that it is naturally oriented toward the infinite, transcendent God.

III. The Postulate is Not Arbitrary
In contrast to merely subjective faith, Orr establishes that this postulate is not arbitrary because it is confirmed by:

The Testimony of Conscience: The moral sense demands a moral order and a Moral Governor (God).

The Testimony of Reason: The mind demands a unity and ultimate explanation for the universe (Theism).

The Testimony of the Heart: The religious impulse demands a perfect, living, and personal being to worship and find rest in.

The Appendix thus completes Lecture III's argument by moving the defense of Theism from the abstract proofs of philosophy to the concrete, undeniable facts of human nature and religious experience.