Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-01-25
THE LEADING ISMS.
A Few Concise Definitions of Lead
ing Religious Creeds.

| The following are a few iSms which
the Baltimore Episcopal Methodist pub
fishes this week for the benefit of read.
ers not versed in the conflicting beliefs
of the day.
Atheism.-A disbelief in the existence
of God. An Atheist is a fool, for the
Bible says: "The fool hath said In his
heart there is no God" And the reason
he has said it in his heart is because
said heart is "deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked" If his head
were level he would say nothing Of the
sort, for reason admits that God is,
sinde his works declare him.
DeiSm.-A belief in the existence of
God. but denial of revealed religion.
A Deist is, therefore, an infdel. He
Eoften declares his belief in natural re-
lligiOn-that is, what man may discover
by reason alone. Deism and ration .lism m
are twins.
| Polytheism-A belief in the existence
of many Gods.
/ Pantheism. A belief that the uni
verse is God. Spinoza was Pantheist
and so was Hegel, recent German phi
losopher. "A strange belief that leans
its idiot back on folly's topmost twig"
1 Unitarianism.-A belief in the unity
of God, as opposed 10 the orthodox be
lief of d trinity in unity.
I Maierialism.-A belief that there is
nothing but matter in the universe
What we call mind and sonl are to ma
terialists only properties of matter. OF
course, materialists deny Immortality to
man. Death is annihilation of exist
ence
Spiritualism.-The opposite of mate
rialism originally was a belief that all
matter is really spirit, and that there
fore the universe is only Gods concen-
trated thought. Latterly it means those
who believe in the intercourse with the
spirit world. We suppose the witch of
EndOr was spirltualist.
Fatalism.--A belief that all events
necessarily happen-that is, are ordain-
ed and cannot be altered.
Mohammedanism.- doctrine of
the Mussulmans, who believe in the
unity of God, and that Mohammed was
his prophet. They are fatalists.
Calvinism.-The leading doctrines are
original sin, particular election anu rep
iOC5liOIy pal lCuClbPOI
tual grace in regeneration and persever-
ance of the saints.
Arminianism.-Is very nearly the Op-
posite of Calvinism. Its beliefs are: l.,
conditional election and reprobatiOn; 2.
universal redemption, limited in its ben
efts only by mans act in his failing to
believe aud obey 8, regeneration is ab-
solutely essential and instantly follows
jnstifying faith. 1t is the word of the
Holy Spirit even of God. There is no
irresistible grace, and apostatism is pos
sible. Both Calvinism and Arminianism
believe in total depravity and future
eternal punishment.
s~ssIpiYersalism.-A belief that all men
will be finally saved.
Buddhism.-NOminal believed by
ODe-third of the human race, teaches
that there have been SO far four success
sive incarnatiOns of the Deity, followed
by stages of unconsciousness. The high
est good IS Nirvana, or the state of re-
pose. The last incarnation was called
Guadma, 500 years before Christ, and in
after ages another will come to lift man
up. Meanwhile its adherents are prac-
tically idolaters.
Minorisms are almost as plentiful as
the leaves of the forest. Most of them,
like falling leaves, have had their day.