San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-02-28
RELIGION AND CREED.

Texas.
TIA person DESTROYS Of finding the truth
and ascertain the true or, as it might De
properly termed, the first cause Oh all
social ailments OF our present lime, as
well as of by-gone centuries; II he VIII
look over the pages Of history and guldeo
by what they will reveal to him, form MS
deductions, he can hardly ran 10 become
Confined that any social reform, any
better understanding and application in
nracticaI life of the principles governing
human society, has alw avs been the re-
snlt of a better or, in other words, OF a
more rational religion, while on the
other hand the relations between
man and man change to the worse
in the same degree as the idea nation
or man may entertain OF her or his god
becomes more irrational, degraded and
unworthy.
To prevent, however, any possible mis-
understanding, it may not be amiss 10 re-
mind ourselves that there are two words
and which, as such, are the ex-
preston for two different ideas or mean
ings, but which words are very often
mistaken and used one for and instead
of the other, and this even by many who
ought to know better and although 1t
was Just this substituting of one OF
these words for the other that was at the
bottom OF an almos incalculable amount
of mischief in former times.
These two words are:
l, CREED AND 2, RELIGION.
To illustrate why these two words
should not be used Unfortunately, we
shall assume a person, as is sometimes
the case, crying: II will forever be
found true to the religion in which | was
born" This expression, although per-
hapS intended to convey piOuS Senti-
ment, nevertheless gives direct proof
that the person uttering it is confOund-
ing the meaning of the aforesaid two
creed, to which his parents had attached
themselves, or, as it not very inaptly had
been termed, the religion of the
or the church to which those
parents belonged. No child is 'born" in
any Of the profeSSed creedS, but all are
born as men, as human beings, and as
such entitled to the use of their reason
and, by that use, to the pursuit Of hap
pineSS, no matter; whether their parents
CHANGED to be Christians or heathens,
Jews or Mohamedan.
Many children indeed, and it is a great
pity that such is the case, are not permit.
ted or left to enjoy that distinction OF
being born to become rational beings, for
it is the priest now, who interferes, and
who puts the stamp o. his creed on the
little baby, that Is entirely unconscious of
what is being done with or to him, who
cannot protest, nor say: "Yes" or No"
the utter helpessness of the child and
puts the mark of his church ON the same,
just as If Mexican shepherd, who also
calls himself pastor" were marking a
lamb for his flock.
Quite different from this picture of creed
is another one, say, that Of an honest
husband and father, who does everything
in his power to educate his children, whom
his wife in faithful love has born unto him
so that they also may lead an honest life,
and know and do what is right; that they
may avoid the ''sin," which is nothing
but doing wrong, even to the humbleSt Of
their fellow beings; il his wife, the
mother of his children, and endowed also
with love and sound common sense, will,
with the very milk she nurses them with
in their infancy, instill, as 1t were, love
and reason into their young minds, and,
by her own example and practice, bestOw
upon them. as a truly Invaluable heir
loom, those yirtues-this then, is some
thing more and higher than ''creed;" il is
religion, pure, genuine religion, the same
as every idea facilitating human progress,
every deed OF kindness and every kind of
honest labor are divine service" which
the empty, soulless and useless tingling of
mere words, made use of by the So-called
divines and pastors, and which words
they like so much to designate by that
name, decidedly is not.
Religion" and reason" are not antag-
onislic; for 1T is impossible to think of
the spirit OF the universe as irrational.
And from this it naturally follows that il
the champions of creed demand of their
followers to subject their reason to creed,
that their faith Is a "blind" faith, that
thus they admit themselves, that as
blind faith 1t cannot stand the act of rea-
son.
or late the progressive word has wit
neSskd another instance Of the mixing up
Of religion" and creed" For what else
shall it be termed, If convention
OF "socialiStic democrats" held at
the city halle, in Germany, lately
passed resolution that their party is
really did not mean creed" instead OF
religion, and If the use of the word relig-
Ion IN this case was not a mistake, one
might certainly, and not very inappropri-
ately ask: did the salt in this instance
again lose its savor?' or, is it possible
that these men hoped to gain by this res
olution, some hundred thousand votes
from the folds of the church? and did
they, by the aid of these votes, expect to
gain speedy victory? If so, they were
grievously. mistaken; for such political
bargain would benefit not themselves,
but only the church; it would be equal.
thesefore, to their selling out to the latter
The church, as history teaches, on every
one of its pages, has always been only
too ready to ask and receive, bat never to
give or cOncede.
This matter is too weighty to be passed
over as a trifle or mere pastime. For, II
more than an empty creed what do we
understand by the term 'sreligion?" 1t
cannot mean anything else but what men.
at certain period, nave regarded, or will
regard, as self-evident, moral truth. And
history again shows how mighty. how
overwhelming, even involving the very