Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1893-10-05
The Parliament of Religions.

The Parliament of Religions.
For the sake of the ALTERATION.
if for no other purpose, this cons
vocation has been somewhat irres
verently styled a "Congress OF
Crauks."
This. perhaps, is as far away in
all directions, as the effor. of some
of lis sympathizsrs to make it
Pentecostal assemblage.
In so large a body there is ins
evitably a fair percentage of coed
and true men, and yet there are
not lacking many eminent divines
at home and abroad who look upon
it with disfavor. if not with downs
right suspicion.
The Archbishop of Canterbury,
Lord Primate OF England, withs
held from it his official sanction. So
far, at least, it's proceedings are
not on the line of an old time love
feast, but btist!e with points of
sharp controversy.
In this country not a few like
Bishop Hayaood, of Georgia, have
declined to take part in its delibs
erations and doings. Indeed. it may
be justly said that the leaders of
religious thought in either hemis-
phere are conspicuously absent,
while the Fields, the Pentecosts,
the Moodys and other champions
of progressive orthodoxy. and the
higher criticism are we'll to the
front. A Baptist divine of nc mean
celebrity stigmatizes the parlias
ment as a gathering of religious in-
uongruities that in point of homo-
geneousness might be likened to
the carniva's Of the witches Gals
dron in Macbeth.
OF course, the managers of the
exposition, who look at the ques>
ton from a purely business stand
point, devised the scheme like the
Sanday opening with a single eye
to the swelling of the, gate re-
ceipts.
We DO not care to indulge in
personal criticism, but to con.
slider the obvious tendencies of such
an anomalous movement.
1t is ~palpably absurd to sup
pose that a mere iogomachy like
such tongue>fencing as has engaged
the different religious sects of the
world at Chicago will contribute
either to harmony or %edifcation.
1t is also true that so far as ar
abiding inference on religious
sentiments is concerned, it will
have little significance.
Gas schoo!boy's ta'e-the won.
der of an hour" Already there has
been a fne interchange of filings o.
an uncomp!imentary sort, that wi
be treasured up after the curtain
has descended on the mimic scene
The gist and genius of the whole
affair was anticipated long ago by
Theodore Parker in his discourseE
on what he styled "The Absolute
Religion" which embraces alike
all the principal religious Systems
of TIE earth. According TO this
theology, Christ, Buddha, Brahma
Mohammed, Zoroaster. Sweden
borg and a dozen more are all true
prophets, and in their sphere
are entitled to like consideration
and reverence.
Of course such a system of thee
logy is as limp as a July fish. 1
generally accepted, it would re
duce the Bible, the Koran, tht
writings Of Confucius and of The
Buddhists to a common level ane
leave US without a vestige of re
ligion. 1t is sig lifcant that thesoutl
had but a meager representation a
the parliament of rel;g ms.
This was largely due to tn
strong conservatism of the south
In this birth place of the Alex
anders, the Thornwells. the Pal
, liners, the Keeners, the Plerces, tn
Broaduses, and the MERGERS, ther
, is but little fancy for rainbow chal
ng on religious lines. Ga the othe
hand, New England has deve]ope
I innumerable issues. Oliver Wende
/ Holmes ever characterized tn
Concord school of philosophy as
species of Brahminism .shich VII
tually substituted vegetarianism fe
t the Christianity of earlier days.
> That man verify dreams WI
: supposes that this Chicago NOV
( ment will rank in ecclesi astic
history with the council OF Mic
which did so much to harmoni,
: the divergent sects of the first Gel
- turies of the Christian era. Ralh
~ is it to be feared that it will ser
to "embroil the fray" between tt
# beiligerent religieaists and lea
4 matters in a worse condition TIL;
they found them.-Atianta aoss
NAL.
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