Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-02-22
A BELIEF IN GOD.


lieyed in, as the character of the worshipper
is like ;he God worshipped. Goodness,
therefore, is only desirable on the hypothe-
sis that the worshipper believes that God Is
good to all, or in other words, Godlikeness
is an improvement upon our common hui
manity only on the hypothesis that the wor-
shippers idea of Gods goodness is that 1t
transends human goodness and benevolence.
Belief in God tends 10 universal benevo-
lence when, and only when. man believes
shat God is good to all eternally-
This is apparent from all history and OBJ
servation. No proposition is better estab-
lished in the annals of history than that the
character of man is like his conceptions of
diety. His ideas Of god form his
character and mould his disposition.
The man who believes that "God is good
and kind to all mankind, merciful to the IN
thankful and the evil, that his mercy en-
dureth forever" is bcnevolently inspired by
the sentiments and like disposed toward all
mankind, but the man who believes tkat
God is partial in his kindness, being cruel
and eternally unkind to a large portion of
his creation, that in the language of Ben
son, "God himself is present in he'll to see
TO the punishment of those rebels, while his
powerful presence maintains their being and
his intense anger feeds the flames of their
torment, making it cut most intolerably
deep" The man with this belief in God
will be cruelty disposed TO the same class of
mankind. ITO prove this, let facts be sub
United to a candid world"
The inhumane and revolving beds of pa
ganism grow out OF mans belief in God.
The mother that throws her child into the
Gangees is Influenced TO do so by her belief
in God She believes that God is angry
and the sacrifice of her own child will APP
pease his cruel wrath. Her belief in God
being cruel is more powerful for evil than
her maternal affection, being kind, il
for kindness. This shows that belief in
God may be very bad thing. If her belief
in God had been in harmony with her ma
ture believing that He also delights in the
welfare of her child she would have two
kind to her child. Hence a belief in God
may be a good thing. Religion should har-
monte with nature. 1t should aid in the
unfolding of the clements of benevolence
planted in the constitution of man and not
be instrumental in changing human affec-
ton into cruelty and crushing sympathy
from the human heart. This Hndoo mother
would have been better off without any be-
lief in God at all than i, the belief she had,
as she would then be left to the promptings
of her own nature.
4 belief in God that contraiicts human
affection leading TO such deeds of inhumani-
ty is great misfortune to possess. The
worshippers of Bachus in their hours of de-
votion were given TO wine because they be-
lieved in the god who was the love of wine.
In this case belief in God led to wine
drinking and consequent intoxication.
Belief in God. as held in the old orthodox
Christianity, has not Influenced men on the
side of benevolence and kind ness, but has
filed them with the spirit of selfishness, ha-
tired AMI persecution. The two main oppos-
ing parties into which Christianity has been
divided are the Catholics and protestants.
The Catholics prosecuted the protestants,
and the protestants prosecuted the Catholics
because each believed that God would damn
the other. Each was kind to the own be-
cause each supposed that God loved and
would save their own. If each party had
believed that God would save the other par
ty as well as their own they would have the
same theological inspiration 10 be kind to
the other party as TO their own. AS it was,
their God being partial they were partial.
They lived their religion, and their charac-
tiers were the outgrowth of their belief in
God. They initiated their god idea. Hence
Queen Mary, when prosecuting the herctics,
justified herself in this fashion. As the souls
Of heretics are hereafter to be eternally
burning in hell, there can be nothing more
proper than for me to initiate
the divine vengence by burning them on
earth" This was natural, and is agreeable
to experience. Belief in God has not only
kindled the fire of love and philanthropy,
but had also touched the torch of war and
devastation. Belief in God has not only
quickened and intensified a mothers love
and care for her child, but also has smoth-
cred love from the heart and transferred ma
ternal affection into inhumane hatred and
neglect. Belief in God has caused men to
love one another, and TO dspise and abuse
one another.
Hence the effect of a belief in God upon
the character and disposition of man all de-
ponds upon the character and disposition
God is supposed to have. We advise men to
seek after Goodness when they believe that
God is eternally good to all, and his tender
mercies are over all his works :" but with
any other view of the divine character, his
tory and experience have taught us that God
illness is attended with cruelty and persecu-
ton. We therefore prefer to leave men to
the ordinary impulses of humanity. The
following language of Pope is appropriate
for the conclusion of these remarks, viz:
Here fixed the dreadful there the blcst
abode,
Fear made her demons and weak hope her
gods,
Gods partial. chanSeful, passionate, unjust,
Whose attributes are rage, revenge or lust,
Gods such as the souls OF tyran:s might con-
ceiye,
And formed like tyrants, tyrants would be-
lieve.
Zeal then, not charity, became the guide,
And hell was built on spite and heaven on
pride.
Then sacred seemed the ethereal vault no
more,
Affairs grew marble then. and reekcd with
gore.
Then first the Flamen tasted living food.
Next his grim idol smeared with human
blood;
With heavens own thunders shook the
world below.
And played the god an engine on his foe"
am respectfully,
T. W. WOODROW,
Hutchinson, Has.