The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-06-22

Young Mems Christian Association is
a fair representative of orthodoxy.
But you know that this Association
has Protestant Evangelical pledge
which no Universalist or Unitarian
can sign, and hence we are excluded
from membership in this Association.
We may, indeed, enjoy certain of its
privileges, such as its gymnasium,
reading rooms, ETC., by paying the
annual fee, but any heather might
have the same privileges on the same
condition. Only Protestant ovangeli-
Gals are admitted to full membership
in the Y. M. G. A. with the privilege
of voting and helping to manage the
Associations work.
But let us enter little more fully
into details.
l. Take first of all our idea of God.
Universalists of all types reject the
doctrine of the Trinity, but this is
considered the corner stone of ortho-
doxy. 1t is true that the Broad
churchmen in the Episcopal and
other churches so explain away the
Trinitarian dogma as to make it little
else than Unitarian idea. But their
expositions are not accepted by their
church as whole and are not in ac-
cord with it's creeds and articles.
2. Universalists do not believe that
Jesus was God, but he who rejects
the deity ship of Jesus is considered
by the orthodox nothing less than an
infdel. This is the orthodox test of
infdelity. Do you or do you not be-
lieve that Jesus was God? If not,
then you are not Christian accord
ing to orthodoxy.
3. Universalists do not believe that
the death of Jesus was a vicarious
sacrifice for sin, nor do we believe in
justification by faith. But both of
these doctrines are essential parts of
orthodoxy. 1t is true that various
theories of the atonement are held.
Different explanations of how the
death of Jesus atoned for sin are
given and tolerated by the orthodox
churches. But it is insisted that in
some way the death of Jesus was an
atonement for sin, which we must ac
cept and plead before God as means
of propitiating his wrath against us
''vile earth and miserable sinners"
We Universalists believe, on the con-
trary, that Jesus saves us by his
teaching and example. We hold
that whatsoever we SOW now that we
shall reap hereafter; and the only
way we can escape suffering is 10
quit SHINING and keep Gods moral
laws. No atonement is necessary.
God is our father and simply asks us
to obey him as children should.
4. Another essential tenet of ortho
doxy is belief in Adams fall and
mans depravity. The Calvinistic
churches, particularly the Presbyter-
ian, believe in the total depravity of
man, and while some churches do
not accept this doctrine yet all ortho-
dox churches believe that man is so
depraved that he cannot obey Gods
moral laws without divine grace and
the strength that comes from faith in
Christ. Universalists, on the contrary,
believe that man is by nature child
of God and all he has to do in order
to keep the commandments is to exer-
else his God given will. No fall of
man, in the orthodox sense of the
word, has ever taken place; but from
the beginning of his appearance on
our globe man has been rising from a
state of imperfection to higher and
higher planes of knowledge and holt
ness.
5. Our view of the Bible also differs
greatly from the orthodox doctrine.
"We believe that the Holy Scriptures
of the Old and New Testament con-
tain revelation of the character of
God and of the duty, interest and
final destination of mankind" But
DIR. Briggs was condemned by his
church as hereto for holding this
view of the Scriptures. The Presby-
terian and the Baptist churches assert
that the Bible is the word of God, in
spired and infallible in every part.
Other churches, such as the Episcopal
and Methodist, hold that the Bible
contains the word of God, though it
may contain other things beside. But
while these churches, especially the
liberals in these churches, do not
hold such rigid views of Biblical in
spiration as the Presbyterians and
Baptists, yet all the orthodox COM
mentators insist that the Bible is in
fallible in it's religious and moral
teachings. But Universalists hold
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