The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-01-21
Decaying Religions.

I.unuerstand the rapldlty with which the
great religions of the Mohamme-
danism, Brahminism, and Buddhism
are declining. We know, indeed. that
all the nations where these religions are
protested, are, with the exception of Tur-
key and Persia, making rapid strides in
civilization. The signs of Improvement
In this respect are obvious, and challenge
attention. They are seen in railroad sys-
TENS, In bridges constructed after the ap-
proved methods. of eminent civil engi-
neers; In war-ships modelled after the
best European and American exemplars (;
IN schools and colleges. China has dis
carded her old-fashioned Junk and tom
toms, and has substituted iron-clads, Eu-
ropean tactics, and breech- loading rifles
.tor her weapons. Japan has thrown off
her Eastern seclusion, and seeks in ali
ways to improve her condition by the
adoption of American and European ma
chinery, schools, and institutions. India
IS Melted with railways, which do more
for the destruction of caste than anv
amount OF mere teaching. The nabob
and the Pariah, if they ride at all, must
ride together.
But IN thought, in opinion, in faith.
these people are rapidly becoming greatly
modified. To the skilful observer there
are everywhere signs of the decay of the
old dominant religions In India the
suffice is a thing of the past, and so is
the sacrificing of human beings under
the wheels of Juggernaut, and the swing
ing festivals. Yet not many years ago,
all these terrible ceremonies found place
In pictorial representations and descrip
lions in the Sunday Schools and Church
literature of the time The British Gov
eminent expends several millions of dol
lars annually in the support of schools
and colleges for the education of the ma
tives. These are purely secular schools.
and not that only They are schools. in
some cases, where the teachers strive to
destroy all faith, whether Pagan or Chris
tan. Prof. Monier Williams said at the
conference of missionaries held in Lon
don, in 1878, that the faculty of faith
is wholly destroyed at Government high
schools and colleges; ;" and DR.. Murray
Mitchell, late Secretary of the Free
Church Scotland Mission Society, said
at the same time, that ain appointing
professors in the English Government
colleges in India, Government seems only
to regard intellectual qualifications. In
religion a man may be a Christian, a
Deist, and Agnostic, or Comtist." And
1T appears that avowed and earnest inf
dels have been especially conspicuous in
the propagation of their opinions in these
schools. There is everywhere apparent
decay of the earnest belief of the peo-
pie IN their old systems of religion. The
great temples are suffered to 90 to decay,
and are not rebuilt; the cave temples. so
found in India, are desecrated
by natives, In whom the generation for
the old gods has largely vanished. Max
Muller, the great Oriental scholar, re-
Gently said: Though one hundred and
ten millions of human souls still profess
Brahminism, do not shrink from say
ing their religion is dying, or dead"
Baboo Keshub Chunder Sen, who has !
large following in parts of India, has re-
Gently, as we know, recommended to large |
audiences Christ, who cometh as an
Asiatlc In race, as a Hindoo in faith, as
a kinsman and brother" The old re-
llgions of India are found to be more and
IANtS uhoo Oloi"NCOlJ W Iuc udIlVeS OF |
India, and the great question to be an
swered is; Shall the people be permitted
to relapse into utter want of faith, or shall
they be invited everywhere to accept the
soul-satisfying teachings of Christ, in
place of the barren hopes and absurd |
philosophy of Brahminism
In China, too, where the teachings of
Confucius have been inculcated and |
practiced for ages, even anterior to the
dawn of European civilization, and where
the Buddhist religion has its largest num-
Der of followers, the ancient religion of
the people is undermined and tottering
to its fall. The terrible famine in North
ern China, and the fact that the most eff |
fective aid came from the Christian mis- |
sionaries, has overthrow the deepest
rooted prejudices of the people against
Christianity. 1t is discovered that these
Christian missionaries are not toilinp to
help themselves at the expense of the
Chinese, but that, on the other hand, they
are engaged in labors and sacrifices
prompted only by love of the people, and
a wish to benefit them. In the province
of Shantung, the villagers assembled to-
gether with the managers of the Buddhist
temple, and formally turned over the
structure to the missionaries of the
American Board for the purpose of enab-
ling them to preach in it what they called
the Sacred doctrine " Tho dole ,r,oro