Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-12-19
CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK
CHRISTIANITY VS.. PAUPERSsm.

There would be no pauperism in the world, if
men perform their duties 10 each other. Chris
lIanlty, like every other religion that we know
of, teaches the brotherhood of the human race
In community of real Christians, there could
be no such thing as poverty and misery. The
true Christian loves his neighbor as himself; and
1t IS impossible for him to live in atilusnce while
his fellow creatures are in want.
The only true worship that can be paid to God
is to respect his image in man and when we
permit men to be degraded by poverty, ignorance
and vice, we blaspheme God no matter what our
pretentions TO piety. The only service that men
can render to God, is to relieve, comfort, and
make happy his creatures. This is the essence
OF all religion And without this all talk or pre-
tence of religion is but cant and hypocrisy
Under pretence Of religion, people build nume-
rous costly churches, ostensibIy for the worship
of God, but really to enable cergvmen to show
off their eloquence, and ladies' their coaks ard
bonnets. All this capital, with its interest is
wasted and lost to the rea. objects Of religion
The money expended upon the pretence Of re-
igion, every year, would give us its glorious re-
alitics. The religion of Christ was TO feed the
hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, comfort
the afflicted. We follow his example by building
sumptuous churches, paying high salaries to
preachers, and making a show of fashionable nj
ETY. while all the real duties ofreligien, all acts
of human brotherhood are forgotten. Ii was
inst such a pretentous, hypocritical, hcartless
religion as ours, that Jesus came 10 overthrow
and reform.
God would be far better worshipped, and re-
ligion more honored, if every family had com
Portable dwelling, and there were not a single
church; if proper employment and education
were found for all the people, and there were not
oloria 81 r,,i,i
vice, and while we pretend to adore God We ut
terly neglect his commandments. Our pretend
ed religion is bar TO all reform. So long as men
are satisfied with the present show of hvpocriti-
cal Formally, they will neglect the real duties Of
their lives. So long they will not recognize their
human brotherhood, or love their neighbors as
themselves.
Christianity teaches that all men are brethren,
the children of one Heavenly Father, who out
to live together in loving enjoyment of the goods
of Providence, bearing each Others burdens, sus-
tanning and helping each other. This religion
has been laugh, for nearly two thousand years, its
preachers are scattered over the earth, and the
people are taxed to support them; its spires point
every where TO heaven vet men Cypress their
fellow men, disregard each others welfare, and
we have all around US mass Of ignorance, pow
erty and crime.
Is this the fault of the religion, of those who
profess TO teach it We make no accusation;
we state facts Of worldwide notoriety. We ap-
peal 10 every mans intelligence and common
sense whether the religion of the day carries ont
the idea of human brotherhood as Taught and
practiced by its founder The idea of Justice.
common to all religion, so far from being prac-
uced upon, IS scarcely recognized. There has
been some great mistake Jesus has been misun-
derstood, or his doctrines woefully perverted
Christianity, as taught by its founder, was the
purest of crpeds and the most benevolent Of svs-
tens; but Christianity as practiced, with some
possible slight exceptions, is not mp 10 the stand
ard OF either Moses or Mahomet. Under the
Mosaic dispensa;ion poverty was unknown; no
man could be deprived of his right TO the soil and
the laws secured the comfortable support of ev-
cry citizen The laws of Turkey, based upon
the Koran, are better security 10 social pros
perty and Justice than those of the Christian ma
ton There was never in ancient Isreal, nor in
modern Islam. such scene Of poverty and mis-
cry as IS found in the Christian city of New York,
10 say nothing ofthe more horrible spectacles that
exist under similar institutions in the great CAPT
tails Of Europe.
If, then, the religion Of Chris. be better than
that OF Moses or Mahomet, it is clear that we
have not got the genuine article. Our Chris
tiantv, judged by its fruits, is sham-a pre-
ence, mamery-a haven-daring hypocrisy. II
is no, the religion taught BY Chris, and spos-
ties.
These are hard sayings, but ii the pulpit is a.
lent, and hirelrg priesthood fawns on wealth,
fiauers pride, and grows obsequious TO power,
the press must speak the truth.-N. Y. Sunday
Dtspl1v