Litchfield enquirer., 1881-02-17
"Heresy. "

Heresy."
 1 MR. EDITOR. With many others was much interested in your articleon Heresy.
 It is said that the secular paper should not discuss theology. Why not? If re- igion is pre-emnently life, rather than belief in 8 creed, it will be difficult to tell ! where the secular ends and the religious begins. Was not Jesus as religious in paying taxes and performing all the duties of Jewish citizenship, as when delivering the sermon on the mount? He is the ex- l ample for all believers in the christian re- igion. There may be difference in de- gree, but none in kind Besides our leading magazines treat of not only relig- ious, but theological subjects of p acti- cal theology. As for dogmatic discus sion of dogmatic theology, we can follow Shakespeare's advice about physic, and throw it to the dogs. Your advice 10 the pulpit and the pews, to step ont, because their beliefs have grown since they sub- scribed to the straight-jacket of their church creed, is very radical. Much more so than you dare preach or practice in it's absolute sense, and but few churches will remain intact. Why? because every denomination has in their creed things non-essential to salvation through Christ. He instituted but two rites, and for arti- cles of belief, required only implicit faith in Him as the Saviour of the soul. But men have sought out fsom half-a-1ozen to thirty-nine inventions. Hence sects and denominations have multiplied. All good pure and broad minded men deplore this The dogmatic extr mists unite with you in demanding that all dissenters on the non-essentials, shall get up and shake off the dust of their feet as testimony against them. The great mass wish to ra- main and help reform and bring back the visible church to it's prim tive purity and simplicity. Believing that the supreme power of the church, under it's Gread Head, lies m the membership of each local or ganization. they ask for only the essentials Christ demanded for universal ellowship- leaving each local body to formulate such rules for their respective management, as to them shall seem best-and that no be-
 iever shall be disfellowshipped for honest belief in non-essentias. They see about them members of Christ's great invisible church barred out of the local church by too complicated creed. They wish to remedy it. The law of all growth is from within outward. The Man of Nazareth. came in the line of the Jewish church, full filling and reforming the christian church The history of the church teaches the same lesson, that reforms come from with in. If error IS in power and kicks out the truth, so much the wors for error the reaction kills it. Truth never proposes go out, but to stay and conquer. That is what it came for .i'
 There are other points that would be interesting to speak on. But not knowing what interest you or your readers may take in this question, this must suffice. T
 -.... PROGRESSIVE ORTHODOXY.
 There may be no principle which for bids the secular paper embarking upon the boundless ocean of religious discuss sion. There is much expediency, howev- CT, in avoiding field of controversy in which there are such wide differences, yet SO little toleration of difference. Our in- tention in referring to Heresy, and the duties it involves, was not 10 enter into any argument as to what constitutes her esy. but simply to state the reciprocal duty of the church towards heretics and and of heretics towards the church. That duty, as it strikes us, can be summed up in the single word honesty. This recipro- cal duty of honesty presents itself under two practical forms lst, that arising be- tween the church and candidates for its membership 2d, between the church and members whose belief has changed after becoming such. ,. I've presume no church demands of candidates for its membership assent to any point of faith which it considers .'non- essential" If there is any exception to this rule, it is that of ancient creeds, all of which were deemed essential when adopted. but parts of which have since come to be considered by more liberal church members non-essential. Now if any church has really outgrown it's creed, but one honest course is open to it, and that is to reform that cresd. No can- didate who believes but part of the creed offered him has a right to swear to the whole on simply laying out of view as ''non-essential" the part which he dis believes Such a professor" of religion perjures himself before the God to whom he dares to offer his prayers, and is a traitor in advance to the church he joins. That there can be any other rule of hon. esty than this in regard to subscription to church creeds we cannot co, cvive. ,.,, ...-, ?. The honesty required of the church member who comes after profession to d'sbelieve any portion of the creed of his church may not pr sent quite so clear line of duty as that before the candidate. If he has come to disbelieve what he him. self fec 8 to be the essentials of Christian faith, his only honest course is that af a complete withdrawal from the church t., which he no long properly belongs. We think tine church would in such case be wise to leave tn way open without the scandal involved iu an accommodation though if that is question of theology we withdraw all opinion on t,ae subject. When g church member has come to disbelieye portions of his creed which he