Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-05-07
TURNING BACK THE TIDE.
Japanese Scholar CFiticises Chris
ttsRs and Objects to the PhilOso-
ply of Jesus

st. 7 outs Republican,
The mi-1ionsry efforts - convert the
est to wCJtern social ideP7 and the
christian religion, If they have accom-.
plished nothing else have called forth 8
very strong japanese book against the
bible Of the Jews, the gospels OF the
christians and the whole structure OF
christianity. The book is by Yr sui Chin
hei, an eminent JapsnC e scholar, and
il hiss II Gently been translated into Eng
ljsh by an attsche Of the British lega-
ton. The name of the work is Bemn1O,
or an Exposition of Err. The Benz
DlO is said to be systematic treatise en-
bOdying in a complete and methOdical
form all the OH ctIOns which Japanese
8terdteuT ana a Japan e hereditary
noble can discover against christianity
These old eastern civilizations have Jeen
hammered at bv the missions nItil they
can stand it no longer and are beginning
to strike bsck. Their olcws will be felt
too in traDslatiorS in the christian lam
guagFs. Orthodox christian theology
has hard enough work just now to take
care Of itfelf in countries that are called
christian, and it seems too bad
for people like the Japan
Csc Ah0s VIII hON NA4AAbAAAuiLGt "
take the aggressive against western So
cial systems, ethics, and religion. The
japanese author takes up the Mosaic
books and impesches the sincerity Of
the witnesses and the value Of the testi-
mony. Yasui reject IS fables the Mo-
sale plan OF creation, the forming of
man Of clay, the serpent endowed with
speech, the sin OF Eve and our common
I'll Tr,s
fusion OF tongues, and all the sta~.as n,
the bible. Tnen this discir's oR ConfI-
cius reviews the cbr .stisn moral law
rom ms ..-,Jlnt. The Confucian
ldea Is tnsI '4e end of life is attained
Wheh eSr n man has his OWE house and
llVes "a IT, and all the world is at peace.
lie attainment Of this stage must De
through respect TO the laws and fiIisl
obedience In the household. Loyalty is
but larger growth OF the patriarchsl
family law, upon which the MODg0liRn
social system is built, and this author
chsracteriZes 1t as the prime Cffsnse OF
christianity that it undermines this lOy-
atty and ssps the foundation OF the do
mestic pyramid. A reviewer of the
book thus sets forth its spirit:
1.-THE, Fundamental. error Of jesus, &C.
cording to Yasui, ls that he takes no &C.
count of our actual present life, and di-
rects all thoughts and aspirations toward
q future life Of immeC sUTable and IN
ceRsing felicity. Hence his contempt
for those relations Of cur present life
which are really our chief concern. o.
course the filial relation wa 100 deeply
engraved in the human heart to be en-.
tirely disregarded; hence Jesus gave it a
place in hIs system, but q sut ordinate
one, and one which perverted it from its
proper object to an imaginary object in
heaven. AS ID the subjects duty OF
submission as subject, he counts it for
nothing; indeed, in his own person far
nishes the example OF re bellion ia all its
forms. Hence come reIaxations of the
family tie, and civil discord must neces-
sarily be the result wherever such pre-
cepts are practiced. Seduced by the
prospect OF a future bliss-Of which
Jesus speaks so confidently, but which
is q mere delUsion and fantasy derived
from an imperfect conception Of the re-
lstions between F0ul and body-the fol-
lowers of this wretched herCsy will not
scruple at anything, or shrink from any
act Of diE0bedience, in order to secure
the prize"
Yasui appears to have studied up the
whole sutj, 1t, fisisted doubtless by mis-
sionaIy labOrs and teachings, and at
tacks, in the same heathenish spirit, the
additions made to the christian doctrine
by the succC -sOIs of J .us-chaIacteriZ-
ing redemption 80 an invention, and
the resurrection e1 pious fraud. Japan
needs more missionaries.