The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-30

human life, always has been and always
must be.
What has made these people believe
that religion Is dying? Nothing OUT the
very hopeful fact that the worlo mas peen
growing, for remember that Paul SAID that
when he was child he thought as "A child,
he spoke as a child; but when he became
man he pat away childish things, ana
il Is the same way with the world. In
the beginning IL had from necessity
childish conception OF God, OF the uni
verse and OF itself, which II has outgrown.
Now II has new. wider, deeper and
grAnNer rcveati ion OF God-that Is what
has happened 10 make these people
afraid. People talk about the good ola
times. / could wish them no more pun.
ishment than 10 spend year in one OF
those good old times They also say hat
the religious wisdom of the world IL
always TO re found in the past; this
seems strange 10 me. lhey refer 10 new
tangled notions, as il that term implied
all that is wrong. China w1rships the
past.
People crit.cise me for not adheIing to
the religious faith OF my father and
mother. ] honor them best, lot by re-
peating psrrot-like what thsy said, but
by doing what they did. he best that i
can according to the light that Is given
me. People have a feeling that IL yon go
''way back in the history OF the world
iDdl tDeIt you III lnt ~
the world. But where Is it's rcal antiquity
The world was never as old as II IS on
the evening OF Dec, 20. 1895, at little
before O'Clock. Here IL the antiquity OF
the world; here we have tho accumulated
knowledge aud experience OF the ages.
In going back We go toward me
worlds childhood with its crude Idess
about God and man. Now that we have
greater truths we have finer revelation
OF God, for all truth comes from God
Unitarianism has been called a protests
ii is not a protest, II stands for some very
positive things, and first among them II
the right OF free thought In my boy
hood 4 used TO read books in which the
free thinker was always spoken OF as
evil. IL is only within the present time
that man has dared 10 think freely upon
religious questions. We are the only re-
ligious organization calling Itself
| church that has hoisted banner bear
ing the right to think freely.
People say that we have no crNsd. j
| have no objections 10 a creed. have one; /;
| every man outside of lunatic or idiot
asylum has one. liz you say that you
know nothing end that you can know
| nothing, that is your creed; IL Is what you
believe and your belief is your creed. My
| only objection is in the binding part.
/ would not give bonds TO any man to
| believe all tomorrow morning that 40
| tonight. l may learn something before
| tomorrow, and may wish TO modify my
creed in the light OF this new truth. And
any man who does not reserve the right
| TO modify his creed must DO one OF two
things, become hypecrite or stop
| thinking.
Unitarianism means that there Is a
| band OF men and women who dare TO
| think. IL means the deepening, the
| heightening Of the conscience; the decla-
| ration OF human right; the assertion that
l. L. kars.
The potter may do as he pleases Win
| the clay because Ii has neither thought
| nor feeling. But when the clay begins
| to think and feel, let me say II reverently,
God has no right to DO with II as he
| pieases unless no -pieases to do with 1t
| what is right.
Unitarianism measn that there is a new
tenderness that cannot bear cruelty even
| though 1t be enthroned in heaven and
misnamed God.
These are some OF the res ults that have
| come into the world with its thinking
and its developmet. 1t is not the relig-
ion that is dying, but 1t Is the old the
| ology.
What is the church? 1t is the men and
women In any particular age. who are or
| ganized to live the religious life and help
| each other. 1t was never more necessary
| than IL is today. And when We get
| through this age OF disturbance we shall
| have a grander church because Ii is to be
| organized along the lines OF noble
| thoughts OF God.
Religion is the grsndest thing In the
world. Compare Ii with other elements
| of your life; business is merely money
max Ing. art Is decorative, music is express
siye OF those feelings that cannot be put
into words, but religion does not provide
the necessities and adornments OF
life. II creates life, manhood and woman
hood. Until you have climbed up into
the religious life, you are not true men
and women. You may be helpful an l.
mails, money-making animals, polite,
agreeable animals; but religion dis
tinguishes you from the lower life an d
links you to God.