ABSTRACT
a gentleman dining at Willis’ Rooms in London on the evening of April 21, 1869, might have been startled by the arrival of a curiously assorted party. For on this evening men of such fame and diverse interests as Tennyson, Huxley, James Martineau, and W. G. Ward were here brought together by James Knowles for the first meeting of the Metaphysical Society. This extraordinary Society, which met each month for twelve years, quickly expanded its membership to include fifty-nine distinguished names. 1 Unlike the members of most societies, they were chosen for their diversity of opinion, strong convictions, and an earnest desire to grapple with the religious and philosophic questions of their day. Knowles points out how far the diversity went:
At first it was intended that no distinct and avowed opponents of Christianity should be invited, though Anglicans of all shades, Rom an Catholics, Unitarians and Nonconformists should be eligible. But it was soon felt that if any real discussion of Christian evidences was to take place, the opposition ought be fully and fairly represented. 2
In the 1870s it took courage, a fine sense of courtesy, and a firm belief in the value of the “open platform” for the members of the Society to exchange opinions candidly, even in a private meeting, on religious questions. Few of them had not felt doubt or met challenge to their deepest beliefs; some had recently been converted to Catholicism, others had lost a traditional faith. All recognized that not only religious creeds, but the very principles and structure of faith itself, were being reconsidered by their more thoughtful contemporaries. The new emphasis on scientific method and Biblical criticism which was arising in the nineteenth century demanded such reconsideration. Hence the admission of “the opposition.”