The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-12-22
MINNEAPOLIS MINI, SATURDAY, DECEMBER Y, 1894

THE. PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS.
During his address the Archbishop
said:
"There is no genuine cause for sgnos.
ticism. The immense mass of the hu-
man race are believers in God. Theism
is in possession and has been from the
beginning of the world. There is unity
in the great fact that there is God
and provident God.
II was witness to g remarkable scene
at the opening of the Parliament of Re-
ligions in Chicago. I saw in the various
religious costumes the representatives of
all religions on earth. On an antique
throne sat the Cardinal who represented
Catholicity. The arrangements had
been made by the nom Catholics. and yet
they gave his Eminence the first place.
He opened the Congress with prayer.
It was at once prayer ard profession
of faith-a universal faith in God.
sNot man of all those various reli-
gions of the whole world, of every tribe
and tongue and people, who did not cry
out to God with him, "Our Father who
art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on
earth as it is in heaven" Not man
who did not feel his dependence upon
Gods providence for his daily food, ,hence
all prayed as with one voice, Give us this
day our daily bread Not q man who
had sinned and had been sinned against,
and hence the chorus, Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive them who tres
pass against u.s. Not a man who did not
feel that whilst he lived he was In danger
of sin and it's consequent punishment,
and hence the closing prayer, Lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil, Amen
"But it is urged by agnostics that the
God of Judaism and Christianity is an
exclusive and unjust God, and, therefore,
no God at all. A God who reveals him.
self only to portion of His creatures; to
the Jews excluding the Gentlles; to par
ticular sects of Protestants excluding
the other sects and the Catholics; to the
Catholics excluding Jews, Gentiles and
Protestants from salvation.
"ln this connection, however, the ag-
nostic might add, it is only fair to say,
that some of the more enlightened Cath
be saved by process not very compli-
mentary to them,. viz: by an ignorance
which must be invinclble-that is, which
cannot be overcome, VIII ch means that
only such Protestants can be saved as
are capable OF reasoning! An anecdote
is told of q. Protestant gentleman who
had an Irish Catholic coachman to whom
he became very much attached, whom he
asked one day what he believed would
become of him if he should die as a Prot
estant. The Catholic replied: "Well,
always thought that you should be Ger
tainly lost; but lately at mission given
in onr church one of the fathers said that
good Protestants m ght be saved by what
he called-I think-inconceivable ignor-
ance, and L was glad to hear it, because 1
am sure your honor can getin that way."
Where, therefore, there is 80 much Ok
clusiveness and bigotry is it wonder
that intelligent men should be agnostics?
s'Such an Indictment as this, it the counts
of it were established, would be fatal to
Christianity; but the question is, are the
charges founded on the doctrines Of
either Judaism or Christianity? God
favored, it is true, in a particular manner
the Jewish people, but did He, therefore,
reject the GENTLE nations? No, He was
the God of the Gentiles as we'll as the
Jews. He calls the GENTLE King Cyrus
his servant. He says: II will 60 before
my servant Cyrus Ioosening the lions Of
kings, breaking in pieces the gates Of
brass.r The man with whom God was
80 we'll pleased and by whom he was 80
elorided, and who was type Of Christ
Himself, the patriarch Job, was no Jew,
but q GENTLE. There were great and
holy men in these outside nations who
served God according to the lights they
possessed and are now happy with Him
in heaven. The scriptures Of the old law
bear testimony to the fact that God had
care of the Gentle nationsaand called
frequently on these Gentiles to praise His
name. In the New Testament Christ
assures us that many should come from
the east and west and shall sit down
with Abraham and Isaac aud Jacob in
the kingdom Of heaven, but the children
Of the kingdom shall be cast into exte-
rior darkness. There shall be weeping
~ "a 81 @