Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-15
RELIGION Is SIMPLE.
An the Complications Are Due to
Theology and Temperament
NONE OF THE SCIENCES ARE EASY.
Theology d to Religion What Digestive D.
tail Is to Eating.
DIFFERENCES RESULTING N sBCTs
rwRrrrHN FOR THE p1spArcH.1

rwRrrrEN FOR THE DISPATCH,
Religion is as clear and simple as the uni
versal-sunlight. In spite of all the creeds
and all the catechisms, in spite Of all the
metaphysical theology, in spite Of all the
criticism and all the controversy, whatever
is essential in religion is open to the under
standing of little child. ''There are diver
stiles of gifts, but the same spirit. And
there are differences Of administrations, but
the same Lord. And there are diversities
of operations, but it is the same God which
worketh all in ALL" That is what it all
comes back to. Differences enough, diver
sites enough, but one and the same Holy
Spirit, divine Saviour, heavenly Father, be-
hind them all
Religion, above all things, ought to be
simple. Because it is meant for SO many
simple people. 1t is message for every
body, and must needs be capable Of transla-
tion in everybody's language. And "every-
body" is wide word. It cannot possibly
be made to mean only the professors in the
theological seminariea
The Need Of Every Man.
Religion is universal need Of man. It
means instruction in perplexity, strength in
temptation, comfort in grief; it is an answer
to the universal questions: What am I?
And what am here for? And whittier am
going? We all want to know that-all of
US; not the philosophers alone. The great
fact of sin and the great fact of pain get
into every life. People who cannot read
nor write walk along the ways of tempta-
tion, and look into the black depths of open
graves; and so have need of the guidance
and the consolation OF religion.
1t would be hard to have to think that
the good tidings of the Christian gospel
should have been put into such large words
and such long sentences that only tho edu-
Gated could make them out, and get the
blessing of them. Somehow, when angels
taught religion out of the Bethlehem sky,
the simple shepherds understood them.
The Christmas sermon needed no interpre-
tatioD at the hands of pharisee and scribes.
When the great spiritual Master taught re-
ligion He did not teach it in Solmon's
Porch to select company of the wisest
Jerusalem philosophers. He taught wher-
ever he could get an audience, out under
the open sky, and in the streets of cities,
and in the common houses of common peo-
pie. And the common people heard Him
gladly. He taught religion so that peasants
and fishermen could unerstand it.
Complications OF Religion.
And yet there seems to be great many
hard things in religion. These are knots in
1t that cannot be united except by doctors
of divinity, and not always very success
fully BY them. Sometimes it seems like
inextricable tangle Sometimes
it seems like confusion of contradicting
voices, some crying this and some that.
There are so many differences Of admins
trations," so many Universities Of opera
tions," go many sects and parties, so many
fall into perplexity. To one who reads the
titles of books in theological Libraries, re-
ligion seems q very complicated matter.
Part Of this difference and difficulty in
religion is due to theology; part of it is due
to temperament. Theology is the scientific
statement of religion. 1t is an endeavor to
get together all ascertainable religious
truth, to classify it, to give it accurate def
milton, to draw out of it all the available in
ferences And that means difficulty, al
wavs. All science is difficult, runs speeding
into hard names and higher mathematics,
and rises into the regions Of unanswersbls
questions
The Sciences Are Not Necessary.
And yet we manage to get good deal of
out of life though we be utterly
gnorant ofquadratic equations. We can ap-
oreciate the pleasant flowers without know
ing very much about botany. The sun will
warm US, and give us light to see by, though
We cannot tell how far distant it is from the
surface of this planet, though we know not
whether it be solid or gas. We can en-:
10y our dinner without an acquaintance
We can see out of our eyes without knowing
even the first law of optics. Natural gas
ierves great many people who could not
write its chemical formula
Somebody SAYS that the most important
act in human life is that the geometrical
ymbol Pi equals 3. 141592 I confess that I
,ave not at the present moment more than
he vaguest notion about the significance of
hat fact. And yet We live, and move and
nave our being. Nothing is palmer to every
,ody's sight and touch than matter. But
natter is one of the great mysteries. No
nan of science has yet been able to say con-
,lusively what matter is. Some say that
natter is made of infinitely small and hard
toms; others say that matter is made of
title perpetually whirling rings; still 9TH
rs uOlQ Luut ulattet QOeS uOL eAlSG al all,
hat the only thing we can be absolutely
ure of is sensation in our eyes and ears
nd at the tips of our fingers
No Worse Than Other Sciences.
There is no doctrine in the science of
heology which is more disputed than the
doctrine of matter is In the science of phys
cs. These perplexities are inseparable
rom the endeavor after accurate definition.
hey belong to scientific thought. Diff
ulty is not found only in theology. The
act is that we can 60 only certain dis |
ance in any direction, we can think only
o far into things physical, mental or
piritual After that, We get beyond our |
epth. We fall into all manner OF confu- !
ION. And what the confusion means is not |
hat We have come to the end OF truth, but |
hat we have come to the end of the strength !
the human mind.
Nevertheless, common life is not affected |
y these scientific perplexitiea The dis
ussions of the scentifc doctors as to the |
ature of matter do not deter US from build
,g houses We do not hesitate to walk
broad because there is scieLti6o uncer-