Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-06-11

church authorities are dealing with
so-called heretics, in order that we
may be able to wisely withhold
condemnation where it is unjust,
give appreciation where it is deserv-
| ed, and place ourselves on the side of
truth against falsehood aud right
against wrong, it becomes us to i'm
partially ask what is the meaning of
this agitation and what is the real
issue which it involves? Let us,
then, briefly consider this question,
with minds wholly free from preju-
dice, remembering that, as maxim
of Confucius teaches, ''the superior
| man in the world does not set him
self either for anything or against
anything, but will follow what is
right
And, now, what means this
troubling OF the religious waters? !?
1t means that the old spirit of Pro-
testantism, which shook the world
in the days of Luther and which
has ever been the foreruaner OF re-
formation, is making itself felt in a
new Protestant movement. 1t means
that men are growing tired Of all
forms Of spiritual bondage and earn
estly demanding truer and larger
spiritual liberty-the liberty to look
for God, not in a church or in a
book alone, but in their own souls
and in all beautiful things around
them, and to interpret Him for
themselves wherever they may find
Him. 1t means that the age is
growing weary Of dogmatic theol-
ogy and protesting more and more
loudly against the Christianity of
the church.
The Christianity OF the modern
church is something widely differ
ent from the Christianity of
Christ. Various influences, both
Jewish and Pagan, and numberless
ambitions, both religious and polit-
ical, contributed to subyert the SIM
pie, natural, rational and practical
religion taught by Jesus, and to es-
tablish in its stead a vast ecclesias-
ticism, with its priestly authority,
it's rules of government,its standards
Of faith, and its semi-Pagan rites.
And although since the beginning
Of the Protestant Reformation there
has been an ever strengthening
tendency to return to the simplicity
of the religion taught by Christ;
and although in the progress of re-
ligious thought and the growth of
Christian consciousness, many false
theories have been abandoned and
many gross abuses corrected, the
church still holds and teaches as es-
sential to Christianity many things
that found no place in the teaching
of the Prophet Of Nazareth. She
overlays the simple and natural re-
ligion of Jesus with the specula-
tions and theories and forms and
beliefs which she has inherited from
the Dark Ages. 1t is against these
additions to the Christianity Of
Christ that men are protesting, here
| and there, in all parts Of Christen-
dom. They demand that they shall
be required to accept nothing but
Christianity as taught by Christ
himself, in order to gain recogni.
ton as Christians and the enjoy
ment Of Christian fellowship.
The real and practical issue thus
raised is not whether the doctrines
set forth in the creeds are true or
false, but whether they are essen
tial to Christianity and must be ac-
cepted by men in order that they
may enjoy Christian benefits and
privileges.
To illustrate this permit me to
enter somewhat into particulars.
The church holds that certain doe
trines about the origin of the
Christian religion, about the inspi-
ration of the book in which it is
taught, about the birth and rank of
its founder, about the nature of the
! Godhead, about the creation and
tall Of man, about the scheme OF
redemption and about the future
life. are essential parts of the Christ
ian faith, and that no man can be
| Christian who does not believe
these doctrines. just here the di-
vergence between the 'sorthodox"
and the tliberal'' Christians begins.
This is the fundamental point of
difference. Without stopping to
discuss the merits of these doctrines,
without attempting to show that
they are either true or false, the
liberal claims that, whether true
or false, they constitute no part of
Christianity itself and ought not to
be identified with it.
THE RELIGION OF JESUS.
| The religion OF Jesus does not in
clude any theory Of its origin. Men
differ, and. perhaps, always will DIFF
fer, as to how it originated. Some
claim that it is of supernatural ORR
gin; that in some mysterious way it
was handed down from heaven to
|earth; that it is Divine revelation
miraculously given to man. Others
say that it is product of human
|environment and heritage; that ii
has come through the natural de-
velopment of mans social and moral
nature; that it is a result Of the op.
|eration Of eternal and immutable
laws which, in the fullness of time
| brought it to man as naturally and
inevitably as the influences of the
fspringtime bring forth the flowers
But, however interesting this ques'
ton of the origin of the religion Of
Jesus may be, it is not a part OF the
religion itself. The origin of the