The Portland daily press., 1885-03-30
THE sTRENGTH OF JUDAISM.
Rev. NEr. Blanchard's EecfHre i'm the
Congress Square Church Fast Eve

ming.
Congress Square church held large and
interested audience last night when the Rev
Mr. Blanchard lectured on the strength of
Judaism. The services which preceded tho
lecture were appropriate and impressive, and
the closest attention was given Mr.. Blanchard
during his remarks.
The lecturer said that it had been his pur-
pose in this course to do justice to all religions
and to show the superiority and strength OF
Christianity. In the religion of China the ex-
istence of God is neither affirmed nor denied
but the goodness of man is made the chief ele-
ment. In Brahminism the dogma found, ia
that nothing exists save spirit. Buddhism. a
protest TO Brahminism afifms that man is the
greatest of all creations. The religion OF
Zoroaser is belief In struggle between
good and evil. 1t has been shown in these
lectures how the religions OF Greece and
Rome were uuft to survive and so were allow
ed to perish. The belief of the ancient
Scandinavians has been described and the
limitations and power Of the religion of
Mohammed have been discussed. The last
lecture treated of the religion aud religious
The strength of Judaism arises from three
great causes which are belief in the unity
and spirituality of tine Deity, an appreciation
of the fact that salvation comes only through
| righteousness, and the firm belief of the Jews
| in the dominion of Israel.
In all the religions we have studied was the
recognition OF the ona unnamable ruler of the
universe. But in all these beliefs poytheism
was present and many gods received the homage
| due to one. This was their weakness, and the
| strength of Judaism lies in its vivid percep-
| tion of the one God who rules over all things.
The doctrine of the unity of God was taught
| by both Abraham and Moses. As we follow
| the story down, and look into the psalms and
read the words of the prophets, we see tba
constant effort to riss from the seen to the un-
seen. a nd in this lay much Of the strength of
| the religion. Other religions have died be-
cause they could not adapt themselves to the
| rules of science. Judaism survives because
| science can only reinforce its doctrine.
Mr.. Blanchard called attention to the fact,
as before mentioned, that science was of great
| aid to religion.
The belief that righteousness is salvation is
the second source of strength in Judaism. In
other religions we find the idea that man NAV
expiate crime by some great work and to this
dogma the religious have succumbed. In
Judaism we see that right-doing is what God
desires, and that he will not accept wrong do
ing even II accompanied by expiatory works.
Line nlStory OIL Gue pouple SHOWS Gnab ther0
were many times ia which men lost sight of
this element of strength and believed that by
certain acts such as reading through the scrip
lures, the punishment of evil might be avert
ed. 1t was in these periods that the prophets
appeared with their cry of 'cease to do evil:
learn to do right"
Judaism prevails to-day because of this be-
lief It is net dead religion as many of those
previously studied. Israel said TO man, by
righteousness done is man acceptable to God.
In the history of the world We see men trying
TO escape from doing right and by expiatory
works thinking to secure salvation. All reiig-
ions having this doctrine Of expiation have
gone down. Greece perished, Rome fell, and
the terrors of the French revolution were
caused by this erroneous idea. America lost
sight of the fundamental law of right. and 1t
cost four years of civil war to free the down.