Shreveport semi-weekly news. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-10-21
Religion.


CH"p.l, rosc 27.
For six thousand years the men
Of this world have excited all their
talent to establish religion, but
they have failed to do NOR. than
create base carica,ui- of the tru"
religion. \ hcartl"ss Journalism,
with s.nsuali.m as the basis. is all
th"s" c'ntuli,s Of untiriug effort.
In physical science men hav"
made noble advances in medicine,
in law, in agriculture and mccham-
les, our progress has been great, but
whenever We have attempted TO form
a religion ". have most s:gnally
failed. And why because there is
but one trse religion, and that is per
feet in all its parts, consequently rv-
.rything added to it or taken from it
tends to mar its beauty and detract
from i,r cxccll-ncy as Il whole. Ma
ho,ncdanis.n is an ingraft upon chris
,ianitv and as far as IT copies the di
vine system is true, but as soon As il
leaves the beaten track of divine
truth it plung-s into IN abyss OF
error.
5" Mormonism accepts the truth
of the Old and New T-stamcn,s. and
thus far rests upon the eternal rock
o, ages, but then i, has added III"
book of Mormon which entirely witt
a,-s the whole system, which, in
fact, converts the Mormon faith into
4 moral monstrosi,y.
The definition of religion placed
ut the head of this article is the on
ly one found in the Bible, and it is
as plain and ini.lliGible as it is brief
and TO the point. 1t involves three
Ino,niurn. considerations
I~t. by what act il the christian
separated from III. world
I'd. The practical religious duties
by which this separation is to h-per
r.,uat-d.
Sd. The practical moral duties
growing out of our relations to tl'.
Church Of Christ.
These are all important matters t"
which W. car. only alludc in n brief
editorial in the columns OF a secular
new ~pa,"r. We will merely state
in brief without special reference :"
particular passages of scripture, a.
We really ha." not the space for this
ut present.
The first step in III" christians
course "f duty is hci'ct. not faM in
the true sense Of that word. for that
u,ulyr, ;rusf n we'll H. belief. This
leads 10 other acts Of obedience. Be
lief. or chang" Of mind, prompts the
sinner TO Il change of life, which Is
Effected through the agency Of the
Livin" spirit. The next step Is hap
,isrn. which Effects the last chang,
or i The last of tlr series of acts by
which sinner. polluted by sin, l.
Transferred from tn" kingdom of
darkness :, the Kingdom of light
We. do no, wish TO be understood as
advocating haptismal regeneration,
we wish to t.. understood rs advoca:-
ing th,. necessity o! all the ordinances
of God-non- should or can be neg
lrctrd with impunity.
The. man i now n christian, and as
such has other duties TO perform
which az" purely Of II religious char
actrr. These are contribute ms for
purely religious purposes, III" "rLi-
nance 0, the Lords Supper. &c.
In the third and las, plac" the
moral duties growing out of christian
i,y canno, Toe neglected with impn-
nifty. We mus, visit the orphan and
the widow in their affection. &c.
Mare abont the N0fiOH0i DeGt.-l he
Washington correspondent Of the
Cincinnati Gazette, writing On til"
4th uitimo. says
In addition to the synopsis Of the
monthly statement OF the public debt,
given on Saturday night, the follow
ing facts will still further serve +"
illustrate the exceedingly favorabl"
condition of the national iinanc,s.-
The increase of the net debt for til"
months Of jane aud July, as shown
in the last statement, was III round
numbers one hundred and twenty
....s ~. Il;.uS Or m aN..rln.. Of tMn