People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-02-02
THERE IS AN ISRAEL
And the Masses OF the People Are
Turning Toward 1t.

Z
tianity, SO called, from the path of its
founder, Jesus Christ. And it is
lamentably true that the Christian
seets have wandered away from the
teachings laid down by the greatest
teacher that the world has ever
known. Even non-Christians those
who do not believe in the story of an
immaculate conception acknowledge |
the greatness of Christ. And if all |
mankind followed the path pointed |
out by Christ the world would now be
a happy brotherhood of mankind in
deed. But it is not happy brother
hood. Consequently the drift Of Chris
tianity has been away from the
moorings of its founder Of the mill
ions of professed Christians in all
countries a very small proportion
thereof adhere Strictly to teachings
of Jesus Christ.
There is not much room for US in
the churches" SAID one of this class to
the writer not long ago. There are
plenty of big salaried ministers who
won't even endorse my methods of
going into the highways and byways
seeking the outcasts of society. 1t
seems that some big ministers think
that only the rich should be saved!
Somehow or other it never occurs to
those who deplore it, just why Chris
tianity has been drifting from Christ.
If Christ should return to earth again
it wouldn't take him long to tell the
reason. 1t would surely be a repeti-
ton of the lecture to the spectators in
the Temple nearly 1000 years ago.
There can be no mistake about the
present dormant state of the sects
Mammon is at the bottom of it all.
Just so sure as money has destroyed
the religions antedating Christ, just so
sure the same power, if not checked,
will ultimately destroy every vestige
OF the spirit of the religion taught by
Jesus Christ. 1t has DOW been under
mining that religion for 1000 years
until it is only ghost of what it was
when its founder was among men.
So incidentally every blow that is
now being struck at greed, is being
aimed also at the modern enemies OF
the true religion of Jesus Christ 1t
is greed for money that has led PEG.
pie away from the methods of the
early Christians. The churches are
even being used as a means of ac-
cumulating large fortunes. There
are thousand ministers in the United
States alone who receive salaries Of
more than $4,000. Some of them
range as high as $4,000 and even $780,
600 annually. This is the religion Of
Jesus Christ with vengeance.
These ministers are what might
be called the molders of mod
ern Christian opinion. They are
pleased to call themselves the
best representatives. They have
compassion for the poor, but that is all.
Their religion is purely artificial, and
the great masses of the people can
easily see through it all They say; I'll
such is the religion that Christ is re.
sponsible for, we will have none OF
it."
The masses, not being conversant
with all the elements that enter into
modern life, are not prepared to say:
Your religion is not that of Jesus
Christ; he taught unselfshness and
practiced il; you preach sel6shnsss
and practice it."
Too many Christians believe that
Christ came to save their souls only.
Christ came to save their bodies as
well; to teach them how to live in
peace in this world. The great teacher
even went so far as to say that the
soul would take care of itself in the
hereafter, if the body looked after the
body in the here. q The more
person ponders over the
life and works of Christ, the
more infatuated does that person
become with his character. That hi
had such large immediate following
can not be wondered at He was per
feet n words and in thoughts and il
deeds. By imagining Christ among
the men Of the nineteenth century
some interesting deductions can b.
made. For instance we can ask:
Would he be found among the $500
/ year preachers, or with the silen
workers who know no creed but tina
S one passage in holy writ: "Do unit
| Others as you would that they SHOULD
S do unto YOU" Would Jesns Christ b,
9 politician as well?
s Would he vote the republican
c ticket?
: Would he vote the democrati
e ticket?
= EWould he vote the populist ticket
Y 1t is not blasphemy to ask thes
e questions. Neither is it blasphemy t
e answer them. Christ could only hav
IS words of rebuke for the high salarie