Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-06-08
ME CAVES RELIGION.

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ME CAVES RELIGION.
/ The fuel thai tho nnmc of the Rev.
Il q, Gave. of st. Louis, who dtliv
cred the orntinn on the occasion of
the unveiling of the Confederate Sol.
diers' and Sailors Monument last
Wednesday, has since that time fig
ured conspicuously in large mum.
Der OF Southern journals, which com
mented upon his speech in the most
iiattering terms, while many of the
Northern papers, Us was expected,
were quite bitter in their criticisms.
some making reference TO Mr.. Caves
religious visws i'll rather disparagine
language, has aroused general inter
est III the orator. Before the orntion
va' delivered, however, there were
many contradictory rumors about
the speakers opinions on the subject
of religion, and some of the runors
went 80 far as to pronounce Mr.. Cave
nn iniidel.
MIR. Cave, who was formerly pms.
tor of the Seventh Street Christian
church i'll thi, city, resigned his pas
tornte here TO accept IL similar one in
st. Louis. According To his own
statement, he hnd not served very
long before some differences of opin
ion i'll religious matters spramg up
between the paslcr and some of the
members of the church. He held
that immersion wns not essential for
fellowship into the membership of
the church, and this. together with
some other differences, which will be
mentioned later, rendered il prncli
cable i'll the eyes of the pastor that
he resign his charge. There wna no
general division or bud feeling in the
church, and the resignation which
was quietly rendered, was as quietly
accepted.
FORMED ANOTHER CHURCH.
Upon the withdrawal of the pastor,
who had no other Immediate charge
in view, some thirty members of Tie
congregation who agreed with tho
doctrines ms set forth by Mr.. Cave,
Withdrew from the church and asked
him to become their pastor.
THEY WE'RE KNOWN AS INDEPENDENTS
This he consented to do, und the
o,ga ization began to grow, mud it
was hot long before they found it ne
cess, ,ry to secure larger quarters.
They erected comfortable house
of worship OH II desirable lot, the
whole costing about S2S,000 and
with membership ut present of
about ibr'e hundred. the orgnniza-
ton Is known n, the Non Seclarian
church, of st Louis. This church,
together with many other similar or
ga,'izations in various parts of the
country, is under the supervision of
the American Independents Relig
ious Society. with headquarters at
Chicago, and bears similar relation
to the society rs the several evangel
ical churches to their respective con
veniions. Absolute freedom of re-
ligious thought is the principle un
deflying the organization, aud the
neinhers Of the church differ among
themselves IT, religious belief as they
sce I'll. each ipilnwii.c his own views
The church Dms no fixed creed, and in
,uiiy cases The ;neubcrs difler mats
rally with the pastor The organi
zitior has for its object the elevation
of mankind, and inquiry into truth
and righteousness, and high moral
character from whatever source avail
able.
NOT CHRISTIAN.
When asked abont his individual
views Mr.. Cave said that he was a
strong advocate of free religious
thought, aud had no settled creed for
auy man. Ho believed every ore
ought to follow where his convic-
tions il d, whatever those convi, ii )ns
were, after ginning all the available
light from every source. One of the
points wherein he differed with the
members of the Christian Tor Disci
ples) church was shat he did not be
lieve in tine divinity OF Christ as set
forth in the Now TestameDs. He
thought jesus wns great and good
man, and led high aud strictly NOR.
al life that might serve as an exam
pie for humanity, bnt nothing more.
Mr.. Cave further said that he did
not believe The Scriptures were in.
spired; that the Bible was full of val
liable truth, But that the men who
wrote it were by no means infallible,
and that the Bible was by no means
the only boot, from which religious
truth and righteousness could be
gathered. He believed in gathering