, 1877-04-28

" A'hlN oNNi WI WV Cul''il'ilNN W WV
Christian religion but as our subject is
the other religions of the world, we only
mean here to indicate the relative posi-
tion of Christianity as compared with
the religions of other races Of mankind
Christianity We represent as the central
sem of the great tree of the worlds re-
ligion. towering high in leaf and flower
and fruit above all the other branchrs
But in one sense Christianity is not the
largest branch. In this figure we have
spoken of the individual man ms a leaf
on this great tree Speaking thus we
should say the branch that bears most
leaves is not Christianity but Buddhism.
The number of Buddhists in the world is
commonly estimated to he about one
third OF the entire population. think
probably that this is an ovcr.estimate,
but there is no doubt that in point of
number of worshipers this religion ex-
ceeds any other in the world.
Another large and important branch
of this tree is the religion Of Moham-
med. In point of numbers this tails be.
low Buddhism and Christianity, hut
judged 10y its fruits of progress in intel.
ligence and morality 1t stands next to
Christianity itself Another branch wOr.
thy of note is BrahmanisnS the state re-
ligi0n of India. This is believed by
many of the hest scholars to be the old.
est formal religion in existence. There
may have been an earlier ceremonial re-
ligion in the valley Of the Nile, but this
was long ago extinct, and the only traces
of it left are hieroglyphic inscriptions On
tombs and temples, runs and, possibly,
certain forms of sacrficial ceremony bor-
rowed and perpetuated by the Jews in
their ritual
Other branches worthy Of mention are
the two other religions of China beside
Buddhism, the religion of Zoroaster in
Persia, and the religion that Christianity
supplanted in Scandinavia.
China has three religions. Buddhism
has already been mentioned as one OF
them. The state religion, the faith re-
quired by law, is that OF Confucus.
Then their purest, highest and best re-
ligion of all is that of Lao Tse. 1t has
tewest followers, but without doubt its
founder, the poet and transcendentalist
Lao Use, seeking the God and Father
who is over and in US all, feeling after
him as best he could in that benighted
land more than two thousand years ago,
found him, caught glmpses of that
fathers face, heard blessed words of in
spiration that have in all subsequent
time been water OF life to thirsty waiting
souls.
The religion of Persia is very ancient ;
some even claim that it is as old as that
OF Egypt or the Brahmans, but though
the worship of the sun or light (the
chief object of Persian worship may be
traced to most ancient times in Persia as
well as elsewhere, yet the time of 70
roaster, who is said to have given this
faith its definite form, is not placed by
good critics beyond thousand years be-
fore the Christian Era.
The Scandinavian religion was no
4 doubt worthy to die, though many Chris
tians may regret that Christianity should
have taken up the sword to destroy it,.
It was heroic Northern worship, and
both on account of its truth and the fact
that traces of it survive in our language
and our superstitons, it is worthy of our
consideration.
These are the chief OF the Ethnic Re-
ligions, the race religions of mankind.
Each of these religions is development
of the essentially religious nature of man
in such direction as the peculiarities of
race and time and Gods providence has
determined.
The essence of all religion is seeking
and finding God. This looking up to
the great Power that is over all and
working in all is the root of universal re-
ligion, or Righteousness as some have
pbrased it. 4 religion, or an Ethnic re.
ligion, is the particular form that this
seeking for God has taken in the history
of single race of mankind. For each
race has always had its own religion.