The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-01-28
inc been refused shelter, as reported,
at a farm house by the roadside.


In reply to a remark Of the ITi-
5,,ne implying that it was s matter
of surprise that Unitarian "'0uld
make so much of Christmas, Rey.
Geo. II. Hopworth, says:
"The Unitarians believe so fully
in the providentiai mission and di-
vine character and authority Of
Christ that they would be strangely
recreant to their own faith were they
to ignore this pivotal day. Though
they believe that Christ was not
God, and base their belief on the
reiterated assertions of the Savior,
himself they yet regard him as
final authority in all religious matter
as a being sent by the Father on
special mission, and as one to whom
they are indebted for what makes
this life beautiful, and opens up the
glories Of mortality
"He is the Savior of the world in
/ the creed of Unitarians; and it is the
one object of its ministeries in bring
/ ING all men within the influence Of
his grace and revelations. No demo
mination exceeds ours in reverence
and love for MIN; not one depends
more on him, or on his words, or OF
his example, for the spirit that lights
! up home and heaven. Therefore,
we trim cur churches in evergTeens;
hold a special service, as some. .relig-
ious bodies Go not, and do Ill that
poor humanity, can do to show our
gratitude to and for the only son Of
| God"
To this correction Mr.. j. W. Chad
wick; a Unitarian minister ofBr0ok-
lyn, replies:
There is one word in his state
ment-and only one-that needs
correction; and that is the wordthet :
with which It begins. In place Of
the write some, and the statement
will be perfectly true, But in its
/ present form it IS very far from be
ing so; for il implies q uniformity Of
belief among Unitarians concerning
the person OF Jesus, which does not
exist Unitarians are only agreed
in this matter in q belief that Jesus
was not God. They differ widely as
to what he was / am fully pesuad-
ed that very few Of them regard him
a final authority In al religious mat
ter;' that a large majority Of them
regard the response Of their own
reason, conscience, and faith to his
and all other revelations as the final
authority When 9 conversation
il Unitarian like DR. Clarke, Of BOs-
ton, writes, in the Old and Nelg such
oat and out rationalism as is con
tanned in his article on The Perlec-
ton Of Jesus the distance between
radical Unitarianism and AIr. Hep
worth's statement must be consider
able.
"For oil this, Isee nothing in the
views OF the most radical Unitarians
that should prevent them from cele-
brating Christmas, for they are no
better aware than other Christian
sects that this day, like Easter, orig
ineted in 4 pagan festival, and that
the birthday of Jesus was probably
not the 25th of December As a
matter Of fact, Christmas was not
! generally celebrated by Unitarians
in their churches, but this is not on
account of any special views about
Jesus, but because they have always
! been opposed to the multiplication
of ecclesiastical days and feasts. But
the genius of Untarianism is so hos
pitable to various forms Of thought
and worship that without giving a
biography of al fhe Unitarians now
! living, it would be impossible to tell
what they believe, and in what forms
they worship"