The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-11-17
BUSINESS MEN AND RELIGION.

The current number of the Cen
tury Magazine gives the results of
some investigations as to the truth
fulness of the assertion that rich
men and men of business have lost
their interest in active church
work. Two representative cities
were selected in which to make the
inquiry, one of 10000 inhabitants
in the east, and the other of 10000
inhabitants in the west. The pres
ident and cashier Of bank in the
first city were asked to give the
names of the gentlemen at the head
of the fifty strongest business
houses in the place. The bank
officers lid not know for what pur-
pose the names were wanted. They
furnished fifty.four Of which num-
ber it was ascertained that six
were identified with no church,
the relation of seven to
the churches was not known, and
forty-one were regular attendants
and generous supporters Of the
churches, most of them being COM
municants. In the western city
ffty>two names were similarly OBJ
tained, and their ecclesiastical
standing ascertained to be as fel-
lows: One was a Jew, six were
not connected with any church, the
standing of three was unknown and
forty>two were regular church
gcers, thirty-one of them be-
ing communicants. The Century
thinks that the non-church-
goers who are raising the question
whether the coming man will go to
church might as well disabuse their
minds of the belief that the Chrls>
tian religion is in its decadence.
After all. can these figures be re-
garded as indicating the true
status of the religious senti-
ments of business men?
They show that four-flfths
are regular churchSgoers, and three
fifths are church members, yet they
prove nothing as to the true rell-
gious feeling of the gentlemen.
There is a vast difference between
religion-the man who consclen~
tiousIy believes in the doctrines,
tenets. forms and practices of the
chureh-and church attendance OF
church alliance. It is fashionable to
attend church, and almost equally so
to be a member of the church while
it Is very nearly disreputabie not to
do one nor be the other. The inves-
tigation, to mean anything, should
run to the point of ascertalning
whether it is religion or the require
ment of society that takes business
men into church. Bob Ingersoll is
a frequent and interested attendant
at church, and yet he Is a violent
and outrageous scoffer at true
piety and honest, conscien-
tious religious belief. Here
in Salt Lake, where everybody
knows everybody else, an inquiry
similar to that of the Century would
doubtless verify the magazines
figures and MAINTAIN the pretended
Christian average; but we all know
that very large percentage of the
business men who attend church, or
who are duly enrolled church MEM
bers, are absolutely devoid OF reli-
gion and without belief in the prin-
ciples of Christianity. 1t would be
misleading and incorrect to say that
because these men attend church,
and contribute to its support, Chris
tlanity can claim them as believers.
An investigation that would show
the true standing of men of affairs,
not with reference to church attend
ance and church support, but with
regard to their conscientious belief
in Christianity, would be full of
interest, and highly valu-
able, as indicating the tens
dency of the active. Practical
thinking portion of mankind in the
matter of religion. The Ce'stauys |
inquiry, in view of well known facts !
concerning mans private feelings
as regards religion, simply proves
that society is powerful in compell-
ing people to assume a virtue
whether OF not they possess 1t,