The record-union., 1893-09-16
IN RELIGIONS RRALz.
Expressions From the Various Re,
ligiOus Newspapers
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed In the sectarian Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

Ministers and Laymen.
The Wdtchnlan (Bapt) of Boston, re-
ferrlng to the coming Parliament of Re-
Igions at Chicago, quotes the Archbishop
OF Canterbury's disapproval of it on the
ground that it assumes to place other .re-
llglons on parity with Christianity, and
Dr. Herrick Johnson's Characterization
OF 1t as ''an invitation by Christian men
TO all false faiths to come here and pre-
sent and publish and scatter abroad their
abominable heresias under Christian sane
ton, with the openly avowed object of
promoting brotherhood of religions" :"
and says: ''We feel the force of these OBJ
Jections. They have not been answered
by the specious pleas of those interested
IN promoting this Congress of Religions.
But though this Parliament and the
unguarded phraseology Of the invitations
issued by the committee, may be SO re-
garded as to give color to the interpreta-
uons put upon them by the Arch bishop
ana Or. johnson, it does not occur 20 us
that their interpretations are unavoida-
Die. Properly the Parliament is nothing
more than a conference between the re-
uglons OF the world so that all may un-
derstand the claims and the defenses OF
each. Christianity can well afford to sus-
tam such comparison, and we believe
that the outcome of the Parliament will
be that instead of deepening true BROTH
ergood among the religions of the world
to use the gushing phrase Of the COM
mlttee's proSpectus-lt will snow that
Christianity is in the world for conquest
OF false faiths. not for communion with
them. and that it can have no fellowship
with the superstitious and idolatries OF
ethnic religions
A writer in the Nea ReUielC who signs
himself "Gallio," referring to the recent
Roman Catholic ceremony by which
England was ''solemnly dedicated to the
guardianship OF the Blessed Virgin Mary
and OF st. Peter, with the especial bless
ing of Pope Leo XIII, remarks that the
time has arrived for Rome to aban-
don guerilla warfare and make general
attack on England, and comments as fol-
lows: "Ihe question naturally arises
what have we to oppose TO the serried
battalions of Papal Christianity? On the
plane of dogmatic theology it must be ad-
nitted, surely, that the Ahirty-nine Arti-
cleS OF James /. are not to be depended on
as controversial weapons in the nine
teenth century. The second line OF de-
tense is the official place in the State the
church occupies, the accumulated wealth
left by pious churchmen tor that church
and no other, and the honest conviction
which so largely obtains, that no better
substitute could be found for the incuIca-
ton Of sound morals and the real essen
tials of Christian teaching apart from
dogmas. Nobody will accuse The Church
of England OF supineness in fighting this
particular battle OF to-day against discs
tablishment and disendowment. And
yet who doubts the result in twenty, or at
most, fifty years? Should the Church of
England fall, the Noncomformist is not
likely to prove a very serious obstacle to
the onward march Of the Scarlet Lady,
He has no united front to present. and
may have TO flee TO her skirts Tor protec-
ton from the waves of atheism. The
Irresistible conviction one is led to in
considering the future Of religious Eng
land is that the unthinking agnosIics and
the easy-going good fellows who form
such large proportion of the Church of
England from habit. will in the future
either belong to no church at all, or be-
long to the church which can give them
the extreme dose of dogmas, discipline
and religious sentiment which certain
types Of mind require. England is not
likely to become unchristian, but as far
as churches are concerned, those who
wish to preserve our National Church
will have to consider her weak points.
The attacking party are not asleep. The
defenders at present seem to show no
signs of wishing to reform her doctrines,
or reformulariZe them, or bring her sys-
tenn up to date. What will be the result
if the Church of England falls, we must
consider seriously"
The Congreg0tionaLaSt contrasts recent
utterances of DR.. McGlynn with those of
the writer of letter from Rome to the
New York EUening Post OF August 18th.
regarding the Pope's policy toward the
liberal American Roman Catholics and
the schools in this country. and saws:
1.-The point Of chief importance is one
upon which both are agreed, the freely
conceded fact that many American Ro-
man Catholics favor public schools rather
than parochial, and, in general, have
learned to exercise their private iudg-
ments in manner and TO & degree prob
ably unprecedented. There is a radical
division in the church, some mem bers
holding firmly to the traditional obliga-
ton OF unQuestloning loyalty to their
ecclesiastical superiors, no matter what
may be demanded, and others insisttng O
upon their right to criticise and differ
from priests, archbishops. and even the
Pope himself upon matters not strictly y
religious and for sufficient cause. More
over, this liberal spirit plainly is growing
rapidly. The outcome is certain. The
liberals will continue to increase in num-
bers, influence and boldness, and a great
and permanent alteration IN the character
of the Roman Catholic Church in this
country and in the relation of that church
to society must result. Its enlightened
mem bers cannot be crowded back into
their former ignorance and submissive
ness, and, although there viii remain
danger to our institutions from the ma
chinations of the Papacy so long as any
of its adherents continue biindly loyaI
TO it, this danger already has dimin-
ished."
The ChurehmdB {P. E.) commenting on
allegations of Roman Catholic policy to
elect only men to political Office who will
further the interests of the Roman Cath
olic institutions, says: 'Such policy. we
may be sure, would be disowned with
disgust by the high-spirited prelates and
gentlemen of the Roman Church. But it
fs absolutely impossible TO doubt that il
is actually adopted and largely worked
nv people of a different stamp. The
names of scores of officials of almost
every description are only too signifi-
can't. One thing also would seem clear
# this policy should be aYowed, or re-
main long disavowed. by really repre-
sentative Roman Catholics, it would be-