The Shasta courier., 1872-07-13
TALK WITH A HEATMEN-JAP.

| AAAA Win "A hEAIhEN JAFs
We bad quite long talk with Nakshi.
ma, the Japanese Commissioner, who ex-
planned the currency to us He is q gen.
tleman of superior intelligence, and don't
look like Heather at all.
First We asked him about his religio6.
81 am heathen,' he said, smiling, "I
don't believe in religion, that is in the
forms of religion. My religion is to do
good to be honest"
"Wbat do you think of our Christ 2" We
asked
"Humbug-all humbug," be replied.
"What do you think Of Mohamlued ?"
"Mohammed is fraud too, and so are
all these middle men who say they are in
spired Confucius was wise man, but
no more inspired than Socrates. All these
men like Brahmin, Buddha, Swedenborg,
Brigham Young, Joe Smith and in fact,
every man from Moses to Brigham Young,
who has set himself up as inspired from
God is humbug."
"What kind of religion do you believe
IMP,
"Well, though am heather, believe
about as you do"
"How is that ?" We asked, becoming in.
terested
But, don't you think Saviour is nec-
essary 2"
"You believe in God-so do I, and so
does every nation. We only differ in the
Savior of Christ. Why, the Arabs believe
in the same God, but take Mohammed as
Savior; 2OOO, 100000 of people believe
in Mohammed, and only 50,U00,000 in
Christ 1t is always thesame God all over
the world. They may spell it differently,
but it is the same God, with thesame at
tributes, such as ounipreseucs, ubiquity,
omniscieuce, inGnity, potentiality, etc: In
Greece, they call him Theos; in France,
Dieus in Germany, Godt; in China, JOS;
in Asia, Bramin; in America, God. Many
japanese believe in the same God which
you do, but receive Buddha as mediator
in place of Christ. Buddha was good
man He was modest, sincere and self
sacrificing but he was not God. He gave
up life of ease near the throne to teach
men to be good. He gave up immense
wealth and went with the poor. Your
Christ made no such sacrifices. He was
poor-a carpenters son. He was killed
because he made heresies which the Jews
didn't believe. He went little to far,
and lost his life, like Cranmer and Latimer
and as 10000 foolish people do in India
every year. Rossel lost his life in Fraoce,
and John Brown here, for preaching what
the people didn't believe The day will
come when ou will almost worshipi John
Brown as the Swiss do ai illiam Tell
Dying for our faith signifies nothing. Why,
sir, 10000 people ini India burn and kill
themselves every year for their faith"
"No. God capdo all the saving or de-
stroying When you bring man to assist
him, you destroy his greatness-his po-
tentialty. These people who claim to be
mediators are only religious brokers. God
is too great to ask or permit any one to
assist him. We have the same law of
right and wrong which you have, and still
we don't believe your Bible at all. God
has given his law to us. The Koran, your
Bible, the teachings OF Swedenborg and
Brigham Young all differ, but the doctrines
of the philosophers like Justinian, Socrates,
aud Confucius all agree That is, Il ey
agree that God is great-and that he is too
great to have any prophets
'Don't you believe that Christ came in
to the world to save it p
"Nc, sir. He did not come into the
world any more than you did. First he
knew he was bere-a boy like all the Naz-
arene boys. His miraculous birth is the
fancy Of the legendary historians. He was
put to death like John Brown because he
went round breaking Jewish laws-that is,
saying things which had no reason in
them After he was killed ST. Paul and
St. Peter established your Church. They
made grand political centre and establish
ed the seven churches of Asia, none Of
which stand to-day. Ephesus and An
tiock believe in Mohanmed now. know
Mohammed was a humbug, and of the
same knowledge know all prophets to be
humbugs. You call me heather because
l reject your Church. call you hea-
then because you rejected my Buddha.-
He was as great and pure as ever a man
was. More than that, he gave up riches
and station. He taught people to work,
not that all become idle preachers v bile
respect Buddha, do not think he was
inspired, and If be wasn't, then no man
ever was"
That is what that heather said, and hs
didn't think be was talking sacraligious.
:. He did not think be had said anything
rude, at least no ruder than We are always
SAYING of him -[Ell Perkins, 10 the Oou.
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