Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-11-09
Side Lights on Christianity.


New York Tribune
Under the title ais Christianity Losing
Ground?" Professors Briggs, Felix Alder
and DR.. Paul Carus contribute three
articles to the November Forum. which
are interesting and suggestive. The
general conclusion of these writers is
that Christianity, so far as it is identified
with the dogmatic systems of the de-
nominations, is rapidly losing ground.
But, on the other hand, they unite in
declaring that the fundamental princi-
pies of Christianity are all the time
finding larger and truer expression in
the world of thought and action.
Professor Briggs addresses himself to
the task of showing that the people are
becoming alienated from the Church.
They no longer believe in its ability to
teach them the trutt, because it has
declared that the maintenance of tradi-
ton, and not the pursuit of truth, is its
only concern. They have not confidence
in it as a divine institution, because it
is broken up into multitude of sects,
each one of which claims exclusive
divine authority. And as these claims
are mutually destructive of each other,
the people have concluded that all the
UNCONVENTIONAL machines are merely
human makeshifts that do not truly or
perfectly express the mind of Christ.
Lastly, the people no longer believe in
the sanctity of the Church, because it
does not show the fruits of sanctity.
"Where," asks DR.. Briggs, "do we find
the great preachers, the great church
buildings, the great expenditure of
Christian men and money-among the
toiling masses of the people or among
the comfortable and well-to-dO? Such
questions as these. honestly answered,
determine how far the Church of our
day is Christlike, and to what extent she
follows the Christ in self-denial and
self sacrifice" For these and other
reasons DR.. Briggs argues that the
alienation from the Church is already
very great, and will continue until the
Church discards denominationalism and
returns to the first principles of the
Gospel of Christ.
Professor Alder discusses the work Of
ethical societies in reaching those who,
as Dr. Briggs shows, refuse to accept
denominational Christianity, and yet
desire to cultivate the ethical impulse.
The gospel the societies preach is essen
TALLY this: "That the good life is pos
sible to all, without previous acceptance
of any creed, irrespective of religious
opinion or philosophic theory; that the
way of righteousness is open, and can
| be entered directly, without detour
through the land of faith or philosophy"
Instead of religion being the main prop
osition and morality the corollary, the
ethical societies teach the exact con-
trary; and the phrase, "mere morality" !"
used by so many Christians, is to them
blasphemous. The ethical societies cover
the ground which the churches can not
cover They are missionary societies of
the moral life.
DR.. Paul Carus. who has gained rec
ognition as philosophical thinker of
ability, discusses the effect upon religion
of the Parliament of Religions, recently
held in Chicago. In his opinion, the
Parliament sounded the death-knell of
traditionaiism in Christianity. "From
its date" he says, "we shall have to
begin new era in the evolution OF
mans religious life. The re-
ligion of the future will be
that religion which can rid itself OF all
narrowness, and of the Phar
iseeism which takes it for granted that
it own devotees alone are good and holy,
while the virtues of others are but pol
ished vices. There is but one religion,
the religion of truth. There is but one
piety, it is the love of truth. There is
but one morality, it is the earnest de-
sire of leading life of truth. And the
religion of the future can be only the
Religion of Truth.
Approaching the question as they do,
from such different points of view, the
testimony of these representative men
is valuable. That an increasing number
of intelligent people, as well as those
not so intelligent, are falling away from
the Churches is admitted by the Churches
themselves. Is this alienation due to
defects in the Churches, as Professor
Briggs maintains? Or is it merely a
swirl in the tide, soon to lose itself in
the great forward movement of
Christianity, as many Christians asserts
Those are the questions which the
Churches confront to-day, and which
can not be brushed aside by general
denunciation of infidelity.