The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-09-15

In tracing out the religion of secta-
or bigotry, 1 find that n great
deal of it comes from wrong education
in the home circle. There are parents
do not think it wrong to c~aricature
and jeer h peculiar forms of religion
in the world, and denounce other sects
and other denominations. 1t 10
very often the ease that that Kind of
education acts just opposite to what
was expected, and the children grow
up, and, after awhile, go and see for
themselves; and, looking in those
churches, and finding that the people
are good there, and they love Goo and
keep His commandments, by natural
reaction they GO and join those
churches. could mention the names
of prominent ministers of the gospel
who spent their whole life bombarding
other denominations, and who lived to
see their children preach the gospel in
those very denominations. But it is
often that bigotry starts in a house
hold, and that the subject of it nev
RECEIVERS. There are ems Of thousands
of bigots 10 years old.
l think sectarianism and bigotry also
rise from too great prominence OF any
one denomination in a community.
All the other denominations are
wrong, and his denomination is right,
because his denomination is the most
wealthy, or the most popular, or the
most influential, and it is ''Our"
church, and ''our" religious organiza-
ton, and our" choir, and our min
fcNAr No. H. .-- 100000 L., oaI aud
wants other denominations to know
their places. 1t is a great deal better
in any community when the great de-
nominations of Christians are about
equal in power, marching sid by side
for the worlds conquest.
You seldom find a man with large in
tellect who is a bigot. 1t Is the man
who thinks he knows a great deal, but
does not. That man is almost always
a bigot. The whole tendency Of edu-
cation and civilization is to bring a
man out of that state Of mind and heart.
There was in the far east a great obe-
lisk, and one side Of the obelisk was
white, another side Of the obelisk was
green, another side Of the obelisk
was blue, and travellers went and looked
at that obelisk, but they did not walk
around it. One man looked at one
side, another at another side, and they
came home, each looking ut only one
side, and they happened to meet, the
story says, and they got into a rank
quarrel about the color of that obelisk.
One man said it was white, another
said 1t was green, another man said it
was blue, and when they were in the
very heat of the controversy a more in
telligent traveller came and said: Gen
tlemen, l have seen that obelisk, and
you r all right and you are all
wrong. Why didn't you walk all
around the obeliskY"
Look out for the man who sees only
n side of n religious truth. Look
out for the man who never walks
around about these great glories OF
God and eternity and the dead. He
will be a bigot inevitably-the man
who only sees n side. There is nc
man more to be pitied than he who has
in his head just one idea-no more, no
less More light, less sectarianism.
There Is nothing that will so o kill
bigotry as sunshinc-God's sunshine.
While each denomination Of Chris.
tians Is to present all the truths Of the
Bible, it seems to me that God ha,
given to each denomination an especial
mission to give particular emphasis t.
some one doctrine; and so the Calvanis
tic churches must present the sover
eighty of God, and the Armenian
churches must present mans free
agency, and the Episcopal churche.
must present the Importance of order
and solemn ceremony, and the Baptisi
churches must present the necessity o.
ordinances, and the Congregations,
church must show the responsibility O.
the individual member, and the Method
list church must show what holy en-
thusiasm hearty congregational sing
ing can accomplish. While each de
nomination of Christians must SCI
forth all the doctrines Of the Bible,
feel it Is especially incumbent on eacf
denomination to put particular empha
sis on some one doctrine.
Another great damage dom by tn,
sectarianism and bigotry of the churcl
is hat it disgusts people with tn,
Christian religion. Now, my friends
the church of God was never intende,
for a wal barrack. People are afrai,
of a riot. You go down the street an
see an excitement, and missiles fiyin,
through the air, and you hear tn,
shock of firearms. Do you, the peace
full and Industrious citizen, &c through
that street? Oh, mol you will say, 'I'l
go around the block" Now, men
come and look at the narrow patl
to Heaven, and sometimes Sc
the ecclesiastical brick bats fly
ing every whittier, and they say
"Well, / guess I'll take the broad road
there is so much sharp-shooting on tn
narrow road, l guess I'll try the broa'
road!"
Francis l. so hated the Lutheran
hat he said that il he thought Their
was drop of Lutheran blood in hi
veins he would puncture them and lie
that drop out. JUS as long as there
so much hostility between denomina
ton and denomination, or between on
professed Christian and another, or be
tween one church and another, so lon,
men will be Disguised with the Chri:
tian religion, and say: If hat Is relig
ion, i want none of It."
Again, bigotry and sectarianism d
great damage in the fact that the
hinder the triumph Of the gospel. OF
how much wasted ammunitionl no,
many men of splendid intellect hav
given their whole lift to controversies
disputes, when, If they had given thei
life to something practical, they nigh
have bee vastly useful! Suppose
while ! speak, there were q commo
enemy coming up the bay, and all tn
forts around the harbor began to fir
into each other-yOu would cry ou'
National suicidel why don't thos
forts blaze away in one direction, an
that against the common enemyT' An
yet I sometimes see In the church {
the Lord Jesus Christ a strange thin
going on; church against churc
minister against minister, denomini
ton against denomination, firing ava
into their WI fort, or the fort whic
ought to be on the same side, instea
of concentrating their energy and gi,
ing one mighty and everlasting wolfe
against the navies of darkness ridin
up through the bay!
Besides that, IL you want to build u
any denomination, you will never bull
it up by trying to pull some other dovsi
Intolerance never put anything dow
How much less intolerance accom
plishes, for instance, against the Meth
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