Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-06-13
TnE RELlGlOs OF THE FUTURE.

THE RELIGION or THE FUTURE.
To many who study the various
orcods and note the tendencies OF the
age, IL appears a. II the end Of Chris.
tianity were approaching, and the
question In asked. What viii the
religion Of the future boz Various tore
casts have been attempted. Some think
they can see thata change il already
taking place In regard 10 the views
held by the masses relative TO the
Bible; that this book will In the future
not be regarded a. an oracle, but IA n
volume containing truths TO be found
out only by dillgent research. II viii
DO understood that II IL the mine
from which the precious metals
can be dug out, rather than the al.
ready flushed coin. Doctrines will
then, II Is thought, give way
10 practical duties. Tho temper.
ance question will DO solved and pub
lie aud private benevolence will be
directed towards guiding instead Of
supporting those that need aid. In
these aud similar directions religion
will develop.
a remarkable forecast Ia given by
Louis Monard la Cours d'Lfistoire Uai.
uCrseile. He thinks religious senIi-
ment as now existing will die for want
of nourishment anu that the people OF
the future will recognize "neilher God
nor master" But despite this they
will have a religion, consisting Of
reverence for the dead. In the atten.
tion paid to the graves OF the departed
he sees the germ OF n new religion.
He reasons somewhat In the follow ing
strain:
Every year. at the beginning OF foggy
and melancholy November VOL chosen
for funeral anniversary, n crowd goes
TO tho cemeteries, spontaneously without
being called together, without priests,
without solomEitios. Tho people are
scattered through tho labyrinth u tombs,
OF which each one seeks for his own In
urdOr 10 lay thereon an Offering OF pam
sios aud chfyHanihomums, tho latest
flowers Of autumn. toll you II you
want To know how religion begins, IL
Ii not tho philosophers you must intcr-
rognto. Look among tho lower social
strata and you will read there the two
words engraved ON tho gront bell OF Nutre
pamU; dgiuuoi1s gi0ro u bowail tho dead.
The worship ut the dead Ia tho only TO-
ligion which is accessible 10 children.
These do not comprehend nhsirnc ions.
When you speak To n child Of "a God who
IN infinite and present everywhere,
ho does not understand what
YOU mean. n no has a
memory, ho repeats tho prayer you hay,
taught him3 u parrot could d as much
suppose, however, that tho child's
mother says TO himi "Dost thou 70.
member Thy grandfather, who was 40
good To theU3 Thou canst not 500 him
any moro Tor he l. dispersed In tho air
that thou hrcaihest, but lac soos thee and
knows everything that thou doest. when
thou ART naughty, ho Ia sad; when thou
art good, no IL glad and smiles as no
used to-" Tho child understands, and
this recollection awakens ia IL tho notion
OF duty, quite apart from any idea OF no.
ward or punishment.
In leaving tho cemeteries on tho day
devoted 10 tho dead, everyone brings
away solemn serenity. All who 20
,hofo feel regro.i for some, perhaps, this
regret h already "A hope, and, perhaps,
for now generation, moro fortunate
than us, the hope will become faith.
This Is very pretty; but II comes
ludicrously short or is egreglously
wrong in defining what the religion
Of the 'uturo IL to be. Yet TO the
true believer the question Of the
future II not hard to solve. The fore.
casts gwen by those who spoke by
divine inspiration indicate plainly
what II will be, Every thing that IA
erroneous In tho doctrine held by men
and their methods Of worship will be
discar led, aui the truth itself will
shine forth In brilliant luster. The
religion OF coming ages will be the
religion Of Christ In It's divine perico,
ton and beautiful simplicity. Men
win be taught by the Lord's servants
that fundamental principle without
which the mos. el Quent ora,ory il but
as thu sound Of tlukllng cymtal, and
,he most profound knowledge vain.
Communication VIII be te-establlshed
with heaven as IN the primitive ages.
when man ojnversei with Col
as child with its father socla
qc-u,ions Of all Eiuds will be- solvsI hy
thy iutluouce OF this religion, TOR the
harmony between heaven aud earth
wll DO restored ami Gld will be- all
~ all. such is the future view opened
to us by Hin whose word cannot fall,
And this restoration Of everything
embrace, even the dead, as Mr.. Men.
ard seems 90 feel intuitivoly. For on,
OF The great truths TO be learned by
mankind Just now, and one which Tn,
Church Of Christ In this age prcaches
Is that "the hearts OF the fathers shsl