The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-11-08
iI6IoUs DRIFT AND THE DErEC-
TlD\~.

BY in bis own church, but among Chris
aus generally. The reverend gentleman
Is blowed in the footsteps of Mr..
rEaER, in the matter OF proclaiming his
Quit on certain points which have here
oIde, by their respective churches, been
lttdertd as essential articles Of profession
mlpraetice before aud after ordination
lhthe service of church miniS,erings
II ball has been set in motion
nj it may be expected to continue
! ibll until large accessions shall have ,
| n secured. The evolution OF thong is
diral There is nothing at standstill
bis moving world OF ours, either III
hctures or forms. All are undergoing
| Tim us transition. Our bodily tissues
he within the rule; aud the brain, which
dependent upon the physical organiza-
lh, comes none the less within its opera
Nh. Naturally and necessarily, therefore,
Vr views and beliefs arc dependent upon
lr surroundings and the great evolution
ernally in process. Aud those things |
lumph which best comport to
Imam nature as constituted at the
me. There was much truth in
'le explanation by CHARLES II, of
he preachers succesS1that "his nonsense
hited their nonsense" And the presump-
Jon is that religion like a political ox-
btence, fitted for the actual stage OF mental
development, must be untitled for the more
advanced minds. Half truths are, as a
tule, more congenial to the popular mind
There is constant effort OF the intellect IN
It's higher order to reach after now and
broader truths and better conditions, and
there is u positive tendency of humanity
toward better development, Wherefore
il is that what were considered by truly
plous persons some few years ago rs grey
GUS errors are now recognized AS cstab-
lished truths We no longer burn
people at tho stake, or torture,
or imprison them for insisting
thut this earth is round, aud that it make,
IN annual revolution about the sun, and
that it is more than six thousand years old
after the manner of treatment Of CopEH
Mcus. Bruno and GALiLEo, We no longer
under the inspiration and requirements o
Conscience, solemnly shoot trick horses
and crazy hogs under tho verdict Of thci
being possessed of the same devil thu
tempted CHRIST onthe mount. We arc nC
more communicated from the church 70
not believing that the rainbow is the weap
on of an irritatod JEHOVAH, since DE Dow
ms commenced, and NEWTON completed
tho demonstration that it is but Tn
accident of rays of ligh
in drops of water. Aud 3
we conc ON down through whole series o
discarded beliefs until we fl d Mn. BEHcnE
rejecting the once generally accepted doc
Jrine by Christians, Of he'll as place
eternal punishment, and REV. SnNw's COZ
fession that he Is prepared to believe TIN
CnRisr was simply the "son OF Con b
adoption, sharing the diyinenatur only b
conjunction This is hcretical under III
Constitution of Faith, as defined by I'll
| Vatican Council. And this counc
held, as many people to-day hole
that the old Asiatic theory Of cmanatlo
and absorption, was equally hcretic'
to DO believed in only und'
the pain of eternal punishment
/, This theory urged that ut the conception
n human beng, u uou iq pnt crpntcd i
Con out of nothing, but that portion
the already existing, the divine, the un
versal intelligence, is impaired. and, whit
life is over, this returns to and is absorbC
in the general source from which IL ori
inally came. And so too IL was likewi
"heretcal that any man should intcrpr
the Scriptures for himself ms REvERar
SHAW seems to be now doing. That tn
divine is most essentially at variance vii
the doctrines Of his church is patent. III
issues are clear cut and well define
That church could not affiliate Wi
him in his departure unless it al
departed in his direction. lie is an hone
dissenter, honest TO his intellect and hone
to his charge, and whether any large mel
bership will deem it best to reject his dc
trines, or fresh preparations summari
as wrong, untenablc and undesirable,
combat the doubts he has expressed n
his new creed, Will DO seen in Il short tin
This much We do know and are forced
conccde--that many of the old moorin
are being cut loose from. and we are tod
in the very midst of religious dri,t that
away out Of the current, or u halt or even
quarter OF u century ago. Whether
lead, or what will be the goal where we ,
:, to land, each must speculate for hims,
but OF this we feel sure-that we are eN
:, tending toward a higher and better dey
n opmcnt.