The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-11-22
THREE GREAT RELIGIONS.
HindOoism, NIohammedanis,n, aud Chris
tianity.

A lecture was delivered yesterday after
noon before the University of Oxford, by
Professor Nonier Williams, on the three prin-
eipal religions now confronting each other in
the world. Buddhism, he commended, was
not entitled to be called religion, for it
recognized no God and no immortal soul.
1t was our duty to examine non-Ohristian
systems reyerently and impartially and ON
their best side as well as on their worst.
christianity was the perfect embodiment Of
eternal truth, fragments of which were scat
tered through other systems. There was
more common ground between Hindooism
and Christianity than between Islam and
Christianity. All three religions asserted the
unity of God. According to Islam God vas
absolutely one and had never become iEcar-
nate. According to Hindooism the one God
manifested Himself in innumerable incarna-
tons and visible forms. The Koran and the
Veda claimed to be the actual words of God.
They were objective revelations and had no
objectiyity like the Christians Sacred Scrip
lures. The feeling after truth in Hinduism
was remarkably displayed in its doctrine of
triple manifestations of the Godhead. The
Indians daily prayer from the Rig-yeda
might be used by Christians, If Sun of
Righteousness were substituted for Sum-"
Hindooism has no one special founder, and
Mohammed denied that he was the founder
of Islam. His mission was to bring hack
the people of Asia to the true Monotheistic
creed, which he affirmed had existed since
Abraham-the first Moslem Yet Islam GER
tainly centred in Mohammed. His career
was divided into two halves. AT Mecca he
was the earnest religious teacher and enthu-
sast At Medina he was far more, he was
military leader, statesman, and king. The
Koran grew like patchwork, piece after
piece, botch after botch its teaching expan-
ded in response to the needs of the mighty
forces set in action by Mohammed. The
Talmud and the spurious gospels formed the
soil out of which the tangle of later doctrine
ramifed. The heaviest charge against Mo-
manned was that he encouraged by precept
and example sexual license and low est-
mate of women. This was canker ever
cheihS INV Nloniotu AOHIo Htty lutl bpftttllDR
to Moslem national life. 1t was true that
Islam was once the soul of progress, but
having reached a certain point it appeared to
lapse backward, whereas the Christians ca
reer was ever onward. In some parts of In
dia Mohammed and Ali received divine hon
Yrs, and the lowest classes of Hindoos were
occasionally to be found worshipping at
Mussulman shriass, as Mussulmans were at
Hindoo shrines. The two religions now CO.
operated tremendously. Temples and
mosques were reared side by side. Could no
treaty of peace be adjusted between Islam
and Christianity The lecturer thought not.
A vast chasm separated the two systems. A
Trinitarian Christian would have less diff
Guilty in coming to terms with Hindooism,
Notwithstanding its repulsive idolatry and its
doctrine of soul-transmigration, than with
Mohammedanism. Christians could never
have fellowship with religion which regard
ed the doctrine Of Chrsts association with
cs.l Abe Eatias h.azf ts..z.s.ssas kaal- as.a
offered its adherents a paradise moro materi-
al and earnal than that from which their
first parents were expelled. London Times.