Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-11-03
1,eoo %
100 90
s76 90
ESQ %
l.aQO 90
$500 90
80 -
81 90
THE RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK.
[From the St. Louis Globe Democrat.1

ktrOm tne u. L0ul6 GlOOe. Democrat
The recent religious conventions have d.
rected general attention., as such GATHERINGS
usually do, to The Work Of the churcres and
the condition of the cause of Christianity.
There are differences of opinion, it is need
less to say, with respect to The relative value
Of this Or that form OF religious proseiyting;
but there seems to be no room for disagree
ment on the decisive point, that the member
ship and influence OF all tine denomination
are steadily Oh the increase. 1t IL freely Ms
serted by y certain order Of critics that the
churches nc longer exercise the SWAY thev
once did o er current thought and conduct,
and the te; dency Of progress nowadays is to
unsettie old creeds aud opinions and strength
en- the ranks OF the skeptics; but the fgul es
do not justify II claim OF that kind. After all
has been said that can be ali ut the aIlee. d
growth Of unbelief, the fact remains that the
number OF mmunlcant i'll the varjou,
churches was never SO large In proportion to
population as it 10 ut present, nor has there
ever been = lime when church enterprise was
more aggressive and wide-reachin2.
In glaucing over the financial statistics of
the leading denominations. it is plain to see
that tile contributions of money for charita-
table, edncationai and missionary purposes
contributions comes from business men and
persons Of practical habits of thought. and nc.
ti0n-the very classes that we are given to
understand are breaking away from the
church associations and influences. 1t is
hardly reasonable to suppose that intelligent
and candid men would 60 on giving so freely
and largely to prosecute the schemes of a re.
Igion in which they had ceased to believe.
a man may be liberal in such matters, no
doubt, on general principles of benevolence
and morality, and without an eye single to
the glory of the church, but he is not ant to
make the church his almoner in case be has
come to look upon its doctrines as erroneous
and perniciOus. That would not be human
nature, nor would it be honest or Consistent:
and 80 we must believe that when men open
their purses systema ically for the benefit of
religion it is a sign that they are net skeptfcs,
At least.
If we take the testimony of the figures for
1t then and that is the only practical test
within reach-Wec nno escape the conclu-
sion that the talk we hear about the waning
power OF the churches Is fippant and mis-
leading. When the people who profess re-
Igion are more numerous than ever before,
and church services are more FREQUENT and
comprehensive, and contributions are grow
Ing larger every year, 1t will not dc to. say
thst faith is dying out and men are losing
their interest IN Christian work and progress.
The advance in science and the new devel.
opments IN literature during the last ten
years have not been without effect upon the
current Of religious thought. but they are
sadly mistaken who think the effect has been
necessarily hurtful. That Is only a superf-
S y" az lOiuS tu6I tLlc SOTl6CLIOn 0I
historical data implies the overturning of fun.
Gamenta! moral truths. The whole Biblical
tneor. OF creation and the origin OF sin in the
world might be disprosed and reconstructed
without destroying the essential virtue and
symmetry OF the Christian religion. 1t il still
q fact that the world exists, and that it ia sin
Oe'et and in n ed Of cleansing and deeming:
and II Is TO ih,se considerations that Chr,sfi.
anity is addressed. regardless of mere poiurs
Oh chronology or questions of soil and elm.
ate.
The churches. as q rule. have not he,itated
to give respectful heed 10 arguments of the
scisrtlstS. and to accep pit and commend them
When they proved to be well ground. d.: and
the ca',se Ut religious truth and excellence
mas not been damaged thereby, but .xrher
SISTED aud strengthened. What seemed at
1rst TO be IN irrepressIble aud disastrou, con-
Met Is turning out to be only = movement
tnat brushes away confusing doubts and in
eonslsiencies and leaves faith all the surer of
what 1t really leans Upon. TIL. chu cnes do
1ot seek 10 evade or obstruct hat potent
growing light Of the age" On g contrary.
inc. aim to give it Rom nd to co.op-rate
with 1t, and they have III infested a spirit of
concession In the uattcr of reconciIipg th-ir
teachinss to new condi ions that il Ut once
Doll . creoit and an adv an age. 1t is not
true, az Tue uDbelievers ar. 20 fond of charx-
!nS m their large aud p~eremptory way, that
me creeds 81 our time are GU. worn and inap.
PiiGaoie: Christianity has kept even pace
WIN civilization from the start, and adjusted
3sSe,i 10 every step OF progress with unerrinx
wisdom and sympathy. The proceedings ofthee
various representative rel. gious bodies in
session during the present month have been
ssignali.ed by. an earnest sagacious perse er-
1ng desire to justify doctrines by p%ractical re.
su.ts, and keep The work of the churches il
direct Relation with the Wants aud lntere. t.
o. the people. That has bern the kernel of
Cnrlstiun philosophy alwa, :. aa,i The pr,uci-
pal secret of Christian strength and C ,nuu vt:
anu tleTc Is G cry reason To say that Il sys-
crossed so methodical'y may safely be trusted
70 preserve its vigor and maintain It's hold
upon the intelligence and conscience of man
xlnd Ill lace OF any emergency that it is likely
to encounter. '