The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1867-09-28
als tha American Phrsnolosieal JeuFnsI,l
OUR RELIGION


religion is as follows Any system of
faith and worship. In this sense, religion
comprehends the belief and worship of pa
gans and Mahommedans as well as Of chris
tians; any religion consisting ia the belief
Of q superior power or powers governing
the world, and IN the worship of such power
or powers. Thus we speak Of the religion
Of the Turks, of the Hindoos, of the In-
dams, etc, as well as Of the Christian re-
hgioR We speak of false religion as well
as Of true religion"
PhrenOlogy recognizes certain ORGANS or
faculties which dispose man to be religious
They are these-F Feneration or devotion,
reverence, hope, spiritually or faith or be-
lief benevolence or brotherly kindness. svm-
pathy, charity cOnscientiousness or iustiee.
truth, integrity. These are called the moral
sentiments, as distinguished from the ami
nal prOpensities and the Intellectual facul-
ties. We find persons with one or the other
of these faculties or groups of faculties,
large or small One may possess a fair in
telleet, aud be a moral or religious imbecile
One may be Just but unkind or devotional,
bat dishonest: very 0oubting, wanting IN
faith, and yet most meek AID humble
Again, we sometimes find all these faculties
in happy cOncOrd-a full measure Of ius-
tice, mercy, meekness, and trust, making up
the complete trinity Of Faith, Hope and
Charity.
Reader, what is your religion Are you
christian2 Are you orthodox or are you
heterodox? Are you pagan, a Mahomme-
dan, jew or are you deist, an atheist,
or an inidel? If a professed christian, of
what sort are you or to what order do you
belong Does your religion make you bet
ter ? Does it huOy you mp in times of trial
and adversely Can you sweetiy and sub
missiyely resign yourself to the viii Of God,
and say and feel, Thy will be done Does
1t reconcile you to life with all its cares
and troubles and to death, with its endless
future Does it bring that peace of mind
which passeth all understanding p If you
can give an affirmative answer your faith
will abide, and you viii grow IN grace to the
end
Among mankind there are upward Of
thousand different religions, or we should
say, modes Of worship; and there are more
than three hundred different creeds among
those who call themselves christians. We
! enumerate a few of them
The Roman Catholics are by far the most
numerous single body. This order may be
found in all lands, and It's believers among
all nations
The Episcopalians are said to be the old
est, and claim to be in the direct succession
! from Christ and the Apostles Then VIC
/ Church; the Presbyterian-Ol School and
! New School; the Congregationalists Bap-
/ tists-Free-will and Close Communion the
| Methodist Episcopal Church-Protestant,
! Primitive, and Wesleyan; Unitarians; Uni
/ EersaIsts; Friends or Observation-Disclosures
and Hicksites; Disciples of Christ Camp
/ bellites Primitive Christians; United
! Brethren; Moravians; Sabbatarians; Per
! fectiOnists; Non-Resistants Shakers; Spir-
! itualists, and so forth to the end of the chap
/ ter
Whence this endless diversity Is it be-
cause God so wills sit2 Does He interpose
and rule that we should be thus divided in
/ opinion and sentiment or are our religious
| differences the result Of education, place Of
! birth, and surrounding influences or has
/ organization something to do with It Is
mercy-benevOlence- leading attribute in
/ the God of the Universaiists and would He,
/ therefore, without regard to state or condi-
/ ton, have all mankind saved Are Mar
/ yelOusness and love Of mystery large in the
| Roman Catholic and Is the same organ
small IN the Jew, and other unbeleveFs in
/ redemption Is Conscientiousnes and De
/ OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and severity-large
IN the predestinatien Puritan and does his
! God delight to punish the wicked p Are
/ SwedenbOrgiaRs more spiritually minded
than others and do their organizations cor
respond with their characters Is Shaker
celibacy the result of sexual Indifference
/ sub0rdination, or competency or is it purely
spiritual7 As to its being right or wrong
and as to its being an accordance with, or IL
violation of, the laws Of nature, al sensible
men and women viii Judge for themselves
If the celibacy of the Shakers be right, what
of the pOlygamy of the aucients, and of the
Latter-Day Saints who marry more wives
[ To- oil In hot hrT,
saintship consist? Is It In polygamy 81 il
multiplying and replenishing the earth a
a more rapid rate than is Otherways pr0Fi
ded for? This is a part of their religion
The religion of the heather and Of bar
barious tribes is Of low, often cruel anC
disgusting character. Human sacrifices
selftorture, and the worship Of wooden ina
ges and the like, seem most prOfane and hoT
rible to a Christian Go to China, tn
fowery kingdom Of the Celestials, OF {
Japan, or to Africa, and observe the SINGER
devotion of the people who blindly boF
down to wood and stone" Then 90 to Tul
key, to Egypt, and Arabia, and see the Nc
hammedans devOutly practice the rites G
their sensuOus faith. Then 20 to the EUea
Tslands, among the cannibals, and even there
the man eaters are profoundly religious Bu
the Christian says, What mockery wha
wiekednessr Not so fast These creaturE
are simple, unenlfghtened, and unregenel
ated human beings. They did not mas
] themselves, nor their circumstances. II
f stead Of condemning them, let us ratht
= congratulate ourselves that our lot Is cast
a Christian land, with Gospel light upon OF
2 path and, having better way, let US try
] impart It 70 all the dark and benighted q
tions and races Of man. Every Christia
f should be a missionary to the extent of b
ability. All may not 90 abroad to teach an
+ to preach, but all may contribute of the
means for the enlightenment and Christian
r iziBg Of the world
Between Protestant and Catholic; Hig
b Church and Low Church New School an
j. Old School; and the hundred and-one mine
n differences among Christians, we would i
terpose Science. Let a knowledge Of Phr
/ nOlogy everywhere prevail, and sectaria
animosity would at once sabside. Why
d Because when it is seen that you and al
what we are by virtue Of education an
n temperament; that We differ in Organizatio
and in character, that IN yea the dev0tloni
= rriueiDaI predominates, and IN me that
Hone or Faith in y0is may be seen the mo
= TrErTF