The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-12-03
What Is Religion ?


What is RSliEiOa'
rAs-oz oErz1S's SUNDAY ryrS'o sEzHuS. NOV. ycru.
rszr. Rouu1as IS :. -Ys d. owe no Haaa aay-
tang, save % love one another, for he that
loysth his neighbor hath fulhllrd the Law"
What l. Christianity. or relisica he
9s saS ~ S E u 'sah IySi, si ,,;, ~
] Il the human s1Gls Il i not What 8 man
F. believes, how he wosships, bot What be :,
ard h1W be hives Il : important that a IaAn
shoGI3 have right beliefs bot his right belssfs do
not uiaks hirs CHRISTIAN his vFuas belisfs do NO,
prevent tiIn from being Ons. Religion Is 8 state
/ q being, not o. believing. The ktrSdou1 OF
g.. God.~ ars told the Bsble Is not in foEuas,
l L N every mEz wlo loves God and his netEhbor
/ As himself, rbIs i the central thocghi Of this
I text. Lex me IL certain truths II yuur minds:
] I. We need % distinguish Sharply between VIA.
= ESSENTIAL IL religion Ard what Is oEly external
Christianity means rnAny the history OF Christ
ard his APOSTLES. and his church, and its victories,
and the forms, ceremonies, and ordinances Of the
7 Ctu-rh- Bzs these are only The e1ternaLs Of
I Ccris-iA1isy-the wrapptugs- Christianity : a
EvluE t1rcv Ia men transforming. changing their
uErrgS, seltsb, hating unsOdly lives into broad,
I charitable. loving Christ-hke lives. That i
I Christianity. We mast De careful not % eonfoGnd
the thtcS ITSELF With H. sKteruAis. 4 cradle Is
excellent. and useful thing, bet Il Is the baby
iu B; which 5 the important thing. And - Of the
0
/ ti11s-thgse nay be important. useful, belpt1l,
bat they not 81 an Important thing that Is
C1ris-lIzi,y ITSELF stich these snEzaP and which
sometimes l. EilleE and lost slght Of N the ad
/ r1irtti0u and yensrati0n Of the vrapEinss. II
all These ezssrulls Of religion, churches, crsets,
ls1It1511usv etc. were % perish religion WuCl1
/ sal i've lgg Do nos destroy the man when yu1
I cCrC down his Eoc>l- Leave him HE, and energy
l and be viii bald another. and perhaps better
one Destroy all tksse sXteruAls Of religion, aud
| leave lows rsgEAat II he lives Of men and they
Eggl9 tlzu czE- and perhaps better creeds,
churches and institutions. Religion would still
live, and wgcld make for ITSELF new gItsr1nls.
. Il l. ever szterulls that men divide and guar
rel rsvsr over religion Itself What has caused
the bitter tlseCsst1us. sharp q1A-rsls dIsracsful
divisions and devastating religious wars, which
have daring the past nineteen centuries hArried
the church Of God Questions Of Interpretation,
r-Ea-lc13s PHILOSOPHERS. ordinances, and forms Of
churrh sJygrumsnt And what tGE these things
divide Christianity to-day into sects. Men Erangls
and Divide over cCLlAtsrlls, lucitsntals and the
mere wEIppL-gs u rallgi0c- and never over rel.
.-1E ITSELF Eace u face With love euutsntiOu and
division cease, w hen heart 70 heart. eve
% eye.
3 And this Suggests, that thers Is 10 such thing
Is IrSislity IN regard 10 true religion. II Is the
Ez-s sEssruEls q Christianity about which men
5C1bs AID izs5sllsvs- Il 1 10 wonder that men
have G1ChteG- AL io8u the ACES the church has
beer - 5Csy tlthlrs It's mint Of ordinances and
-aElsg Of doctrines ard is "cummIE Of
church Sovl=l11elts. that Il has passed over re
i.luu E-sgE. VIZ. love Instead, bow men II the
cEgrch have hated each other, and killed each
other because they cuuId not agrse about msrg
sElbl0lstls OF doctrine. Men bavs been 50 tsrce
fer a cs-tJ5z method Of saptis1, that they Eozld
GrgvE an uppUCeEE II order ID cuETInce him L
Is any v0Cter that poop s1cEer boxing on,
sEgC.t tru aEly II Contempt fr0ri such p1srlltY:
And n cur 1El day Is It any wonder that there.
axe E1E3lLs when millinery and candles and the
urgrer position q minister AZ the altar, vital
Issues And II a so-c1LisG Christian ch1rch Is
fall Of bck1rlnE strIfas, aud unsesmly qrarre Is,
HHrr 80 RI If
instead q love. iced marvel II Il makes u1Jra
l-l1eLs EELl followers Ok Christ A ! rad
ch-rch history, and read the record Of much Of the
CEG-CC-iLtz gt to-day. % not navel thai tbars
Hru 50 many tzEGzl.s I Eg1dsr that thsrs are not
ECrg. Bat there never va ard never vii Be in
fidelity b Wat the New Testament defines
a. religion. Let ran see Eklt Paul calls the
fruits Of the spt--t n a UL1 life and II a
cr-rrE and his heart zilI respond 70 ttsss. HIS
head z1ay reject the Christians creed bot be EIll
Be Guwu o. the religion guErIpped within IT, he
VII SLY. Religion or NJ religion, that uill has
s11zztlI1; za1t. and every body needs. Look az
his life
l. his tgzt c1r1Presses al religion the cuul-
ZHldusuls, the law, It'd one Euri, Love And
this 4 II1g Eilh the teaching q the SsE Tssta
uars. CHRIST IN answer % the lawyers question,
which /, the -rlIt ccunGCtusut. said II
eject. ~L1vg God ard ggGr ueI-hbUr-' PIzl II
the LisE chapter 1f Ist Cot sums 70 al the eis-
usEls Of religion Il the GCe word lore Il : the
very heart q Religion Destroy. or fatally In
i1rs A mans EaLrr. and though all his members
and fI-zlzizs nay be perfect, be Il dead 4
cCI--Es though perfect II IT. cEeec- AID govern
usrs and Institutions. and service, Is a dear
thing without love. AL these things bec0u. bat
the rrlppIE-s IrgCr1 A sepCIcher- And sU1t
1l1 If love does not animate him, there has been
10 t-I1st--E1Lzl1c II his he No matter b1E
moral ard orthodox be nay BE- be = still seltssE-
E1-Ch-is--lkz. 11-1Cly. II love does not rule l
him. be knows nothing Of religion
God --azs that We nay cascE the spLrIt Of the /
Gospel tElr We EBAY lie II harmony Nth this
Dlspensatiur Of love In which re live May our
Esl-rs Be 50 filed With Love. that or pathy
VII - cut % those Who most need Is may love |
E7Ll Is % every LOVING care May love lead = 20
self -5z1-llz n1y love tlke = KIND. and tzndsrr
md haipfEl. u q Eur1 C1-isg-lizz. TEe1. th9u-E
uaE nay rsiscr o1- doctrines, they vii accept /
and ytzi1 % or Christianity gusFatEed IN these
ard il CEr l17L-Z Esl-rs.
Let ne press Two Or three thgC-hEs, Il curclE- !
s-Cus l. What 4 hIppy world this void be If all |
us1 1beged this text II love rrlsd n Business II
zCcIatv. aTz-ywEz-a- II We 50 loved 01E EEtEbCCr
.Lat " would 10 more cheat hin than We voGIt |
ourselves tLlz void 10 more I1!zre hIr1 than
We vgEIt -E5--a C-rseivgs= 10 more cypress AID !
crush hin tEL1 re would ourselves. TINS e1Eth !
ECC-1 Be EaITz-- ARMIES would be 11scAcdEls ]
oUr lives would Be eEAzgsd no u-e-ch11tElzl- ]
Iils PRISONS poor houses. cuurLs Ard Od1cers OF
the Law. ave even the laws themselves, would be l
tCEe away Llt ASIDE Ike Al 0GrEuru garment I
What a spring Of misery and mischief would Be /
SHIT Up and d-Ied up II tElt pruCeness O. hard ]
harsh ard f-sFzEutiE unjust thoughts, Egrs- b I
the ztEeLIElC spi-I1 q love erased fr1C1 Of tie /
L
L sha ts1--s Of all usu crash, L VOID silence |
the Voice Of sI1Ezrz 70 would STAY the plans Of l
che ssF1cer md IlIlLtaceC= il would close every
sal1Cn, AID den Of LztI-1T- AID gambling huEse- |
u q zgr5- it E1uId bring u the HigslIi1sH- ? /
And tins suggests t1as L the uilsuiaau ever 1
cones e INST be br1l-tt II By love. Love only /
cl- cuzG-ar EEl- Every other weapon has been .
trIea-LLts, force. criticism peu1lE7-ICc have ]
Eli-at Bz- -IC7e never fails. Love born n a 1
stable driven MO poverty. cruelty received AID 4
By hrs 17Tl nation betrayed By his bosom friend
EzscG1Ei While pr1Fl-- Cor the ula1 Eb0 thrust Il
tie srsar ITO LIs sI1e-lg7g seemingly 20 weak i
zsfzH-ed lrG pozzrless--Is yet proved the i
11i-Etlest 1uvEr u the world history. And al \
ths histlrv Of these - centuries points 70 Love.
silBa 5zst a. % znzLEzr you are i -hild o. God 4
OF rot 10 rot EsE. God II tEls text does not 1
1sz. what Do Joe bellE7g. Bat what IRE 4
ven The test question Is not DO you be.lEve A
N the Tr-iry OF n thls or that doctrine, bGt Is
tie srIr5- q Ch-lst EItElz g5ga Do .11 love nsu2
Do va love COD Does love or self rule gUut-