Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-01-21
For The Ellsworth Americana
Reformation.
A NoN-CHURCH GoER's VIEWS.

1t is with great effort that the church
es to-day hold their maximum strength
and numbers, without gaining any addi-
ton to their congregations and church
members.
There are and have been two great an.
tasonistic principles at work In the world
ever since the Christian era and earlier, in
the religious views and creeds of mankind ;
those who believe, Christians and Jews,
that the church creeds and laws, and the
administration of the same, are never to be
changed, that they are stationary and un-
alterable, that the bible, the laws of Moses
and the other prophet. are like the laws
Of nature, fixed and unchapgeable forever
The other great body or class of the
people are those who believe in progress
sion in the intelligence of man as time
proceeds that the laws that governed the
religious world at the beginning of the
Christian era are not for to-day, that diff
ferent teaching and more liberal views
should take the place of the teaching and
manners and customs of worship at that
stage of the world. They believe that
man is constantly yearning for knowledge,
and to establish bounds that he cannot
pass will not do for him, that progression
In knowledge and intelligence will make
man better morally and physically
The indifference and non attendance at
the churches show that the mind of man
is searching for something more intellect
ual. When people attend church from
fear of communication and through ig-
norance and bigotry have dread of pow
er held over them, that church will be well
attended. The Mohammedans, Brah-
Minis and Hindoos are very devout in this
respect.
Let US look At the situation just as it Is
there are about four flfths of the people in
this section of the country who do not at
tend church; they are indifferent whether
they go or not; you will find them on Sun
day on the street corners out driving, in
the woods, (perhaps with guns) at the wa
tering places, majority at home reading
the news or rambling around Indifferent as
to what they do.
THE CAUSE. We go to church; what do
We hear: text taken from one Of the
books of the bible, written hundreds of
years ago about matters appertaining to
that time, which being applied to to-day,
means nothing new or instructive but of a
dead past when man was in half civil
lied state In the dark ages of the world
The truths of the bible are fixed and un-
changeable and eternal. but the lives OF
those old Jews and the actions Of the men
of that time are "reminiscences of the past
THE REMEDY. To improve the mind,
and educate the people, teach man to know
himself; educate the young how to have
good health and how to preserve il. how TO
bring into this world healthy offspring; to
have in our churches the usual services
with the exception Of sermon on what
happened in past ages, and instead lect-
ures on geology, astronomy, history, arts
sciences, educational and Intellectual ad-
dresses. This would fill the churches; the
people would not look upon God as per
sonality confined to narrow limits. but as
49, --S=; r.u-c- CT 49, --i------ - .---A
less space and millions of worlds, to wor-
ship whom is to advance in knowledge and
intelligence. Then the world would be-
come better morally and sin would become
less. and mankind would be In a state to
commune with and to assume the spirit
ual life. II. L. NJ.