Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-29
THE UNITARIANS.
DR.. Stebbins on the Unrest
in Professionalism.
An Interesting Discussion on
the Religious Situation.
The Proceedings at the Meeting of
tke WOman's Conference.
A Number of Interesting Addresses
Made - Election of Officers of the
Woman's Society-Proceedings
at the Evening Session.

Yesterday the Unitarian conference
spent most of their session in the con-
sideration of intellectual questions. The
Rev. Horatio Stebbins, of San Fran
cisco, one of the most prominent clergy
men in the state, the successor OF Starr
King, and man who has national
reputation among the Unitarians, read
a paper on The Unrestin in Professionalism
The Relation of Unitarianism to it.
The announcement of DIR. Stebbins's
subject drew out large audience, and
several orthodox clergymen were seen
scattered here and there throughout the
hall, interested listeners to the Doctors
| liberal views. He commenced by say
ing that the Roman Catholic church
antedates us all, the mother of all. She
vests religion in authority and makes
the church the avenue of divine COM
munion with the world. Authority is
never satisfied. It wants more, as
money makes money. At length the
church was united with temporal
power putting forth the pretension
of being governor of the world. The
devo' ee must receive its sacraments as
credentials for peace. Religion was pre-
sented to the senses. Was God with
drawn from the weary heart? Behold
\ him there on the cross, and there the
A virgin. Hear the music sung by angels
/ when Christ was born. Definite dogma
4 the church presented. A class of minds
\ like this defniteness. AS the guide of
religious truth it impugns reason and
! freedom. Romanism vested infallibil-
ity in the church. Professionalism trans
fers infallibility to the Bible. 1t invests
truth in the creed. 1t is only modi-
fed Romanisln. The remedy for these
errors is liberty. The hardest trial for
dogmatism is freedom. 1t disso1ves as
the iceberg floating toward tropic seas
is dissolved in multitudinous waters.
The sects of Professionalism present the
same difficulties to religion that the
variety of the natural world presents to
science.
The time was when all the powers of
nature were presided over by special
deities. Mountains, forests, each and
all had separate gods. Science found
the unity of law, and law suggests the
one law giver. So the different aspects
of religious thought are unified in one
idea OF righteousness. When science or
religion adopts creed it commits sui
eide. Every man must at last believe,
and he can only believe that which
seems to him true. To adjust his faith
with his intelligence is the triumph of
religious liberty and the triumph of
truth.
| When the applause subsidized at the
conclusion of DR.. Stebbins's remarks the
Rev. DIR. Conger tUniversalist), of Pasa-
dena, took the stand. After paying a
hearty compliment to the scholarly pa
per Just read, he said: 1t was an easy
thing to speak of religious freedom and
liberty, but it was difficult thing to
define in which Protestant church most
of it was found. For illustration, GER
I tain Baptist minister had left that reli-
gious fold because he could not preach
the doctrines of endless punishment.
One would naturally think therefore
that he would drift to the Universalist
denomination, which for the past CEN
tury had uttered an earnest protest
against exactly that doctrine. What is
the fact? This Baptist clergyman goes
into the Episcopal church because he
thinks he can find there the religious
freedom he desires. On the other hand,
the Rev. Howard McQueary, of Ohio,
goes out of the Episcopal church and
into the Universalist because he thinks
he can find there the freedom of thought
not to be found in the Episcopacy. DR..
Conger thought that this very diversity
was an admirable thing. All religious
denominations are changing. He did
not favor unity of organization, even
tho he hoped for greater unity of fell
| lowship. Let the Unitarians go on
their way and push forward in the van
guard OF the religious army. The Uni
versalists will be glad to second their
best efforts.
Rev. A. j. Wells, pastor of the Ply
mouth Congregational church, made a
most liberal address, which was very
acceptable to the large audience in at
tendance. He spoke of the multitudin-
Gus causes of unrest in the churches.
specifying the names OF scientists and
poets, teachers like Arnold, and preach
ers like Robertson. Given such fact as
Darwin has presented, it is impossible
to believe that the universe was manu-
factured in a week. Let it be shown
that the Bible is not an infallible book
that revelation does not belong to one
nation that inspiration exists in all
ages; that God has been coming into
human life as fast as He can come; that
He is not partial, but the God of the
whole earth: that real resurrection is
that OF souls, and hundred other
things along this line, and men will
break with the old views.
In conclusion Mr.. Wells said:
We want something more than fellow
ship in name. Romanism has one pope,