Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-05
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO MINIS
TIERS AND LAYMEN.
Expressions of Opinion by Newspapers
Representing the Various Denom-
nations, on Many Subjects.

The Liriag Caurcb of Chicago says
"The country has been greatly agitated
over the Louisiana lottery business, and
well it may be. 1t is a shameful affair a
| disgrace not only to that fair State, but to
our whole land 1t is not, however, our
present purpose to say more about it.
| But we do call attention to that which in
this copnection has not been so much as
mentioned. The secular papers are elo-
| quert over the immortality of people in
| Louisiana, but thee cannot be ignorant
of the lottery business carried on in the
full glare of open day in almost every
Roman Catholic parish in the land. In
our opinion it is more demorslizing than
the Louisiana lottery, because it is con-
Quoted by great and powerful church.
Are lotteries wrong, immoral? II they
are, then the Roman Church is, in this re-
spect, an immoral wrong"
On the same subject the New York In
dependent observes: eve would like in a
kindly way to call the attention of our
Catholic brethren to the fact that gam
| bling is carried on at their fairs 10 a vastly
greater extent that at corresponding
| Protestant entertainments whose purpose
| is to make money. Here is a clipping
from one Of the daily papers in reference
to picnic of a certain St. Peters parish,
where 1000 were in attendance: There
was great interest in the various contests
| for prizes. Father Manly's blooded horse
| was drawn by ticket No. 1850. Over
1000 tickets were sold at 81 each on the
horse And yet the Oldest pastoral letter
that has come down to us, written in the
Latin language by a Bishop of Rome, was
devoted 10 the sin Of gambling"
at strikes US" says the Boston Watch
man, "that TO convert the pulpit into a
propaganda for various social doctrines,
the truth of which is in dispute among
good and thoughtful men, is to make mat
tiers worse and not better, and thus to fail
to accomplish one of the prime objects of
the church-the bringing of human be-
ings together as members of the same
family. We thank God that there is an
organization like the church, in which all
men can meet and mingle If they will.
If ever such an organization was
needed, it is in days like these, when
there are so many disintegrating intiu-
GuCcS III SOIlCtN dtlNl We CduuOk ucli lCcl-
ing that the ministers of the Republic are
acting iudiciously in pursuing the policy
for which they are sometimes so thought
lessly and even brutally condemned. All,
then, that the conscientious minister of
Jesus Christ needs to do, when he is criti-
cised for not turning his pulpit into a
platform for the discussion of social ques-
tions, that divide the best and the wisest
of men, is to preach the gospel, and do
| what he can to increase the number of
real Christians. He cannot be expected
to please some men he is sure to be
called hard names and to be accused OF
trucking to the rich and the powerful
but if his heart acquit him of the charge
brought against him, he can afford to keep
patiently at work and let God vindicate
his course"
The. Central Christian Adrocate (St.
Louis remarks: "What would 6e the
condition of affairs if the religions men in
Gus churches and the ministry, should
keep silence on the moral aspect of public
affairs, and refuse to render any service in
| the interest of the moral reforms of the
day? When minister is thoroughly
honest and has no party to serve, it is a
very easy matter to advocate the moral
side of political questions. He is not to
discuss the parties, but to advocate moral
reform; not to tell men how to vote, but to
show them the moral qualities of public
questions, to quicken the conscience, and
urge upon the citizens the true theory of
political life. He does not need to take
any part in practical politics beyond vot-
| ing. Other persons can conduct the pri-
maries and nominate the candidates and
stand guard at the polls, but in the pulpit
the minister will condemn immoral
methods, he will criticise immoral men
who are in public life, he will teach men
the value of party action and the value of
independency. If it be said that all such
labor is thrown away, we need only refer
to the influence of public opinion on Con-
gress within this year in the consideration
of moral questions. What would have
been the present state of the Mormon
question, for instance, if the pulpit and re-
| ligious journalism had left the matter en-
tirely to the politicians ?"
The New York Independent says: ''In
an article in the Century Magazine for Sep
tember, written by Professor Shields and
approved by Bishop Potter, is the follow
ing paragraph: The situation of the
Christian denominations in modern society
is not unlike that of a wrangling army
amid invading foes. 1t is no petty quar-
rel before the onset, but a bitter feud in
mid-battle. The contending factions have
become so absorbed that they do not even
| see the hosts mastering around them and
the ranks closing in upon them. Worst of
all, they have neither organization nor
leadership in their hour of peril 1t is
worth while to consider how far this is
true. Of course 1t is not true as between
Protestant denominations. The Presbyte-
rians have no such bitter 'feud' with the
Congregationalists, nor the Methodists
with the Baptists. Indeed, there is a
kindly sympathy generally existing be-
tween the bodies, and an honest rivalry to
see which will do the most for the general
| cause. The most that can be said is that
some members Of certain denominations.
/ not the largest, are denying the rights of
the officers in the other bodies to hold a
commission in the army. But that is of
small account. The Professor and the
Bishop must refer to the difference between
Protestants and Roman Catholics, and that
there is great deal of such conflict and
feud cannot be denied. Here we see rival
Bishops and rival churches and non-inter-
course and disfellowship. This is sad
enough, in view of the hosts mastering
around them,' but even so these hosts are
losing ground all the time"
The CEmchman says that favorite i'm
plication of contemporary secular criticism
is that the Christian Church has so de-
generated from the ideal of the founder of
Christianity that He would find himself
stranger within its walls. The critic goes
further, and asks, with a sneer, whether
Jesus would be welcome guest, and,
were He to find an entrance, would he un-
derstand the worship addressed to Him
self? The easy charge is preferred that
He would probably be asked to move on
from the doors of his temple, and that He
would not be respectable enough to sit in
the elegantly upholstered pews in the dim
religious light of windows that represent
Him and His apostles. All this is very
cheap writing indeed. 1t is the easiest
sort of composition, and popular also be-
cause of the daring contrasts it suggests.
But it is SO miserably and pitiably false
and misleading. 1t implies that beauti-
full church edifice is contrary to the spirit
of Christianity Tt declares in CO n,o,,v