The record-union., 1895-11-09
Tn RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
liglOus Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectariau Press
Some Matters of Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

Speaking Of the Congregationalist
proposal for church unity, the New
York Churchman P. Ed remarks:
1T will be seen that in this proposal
there is no mention whatever of the
oreeds of the church, the doctrine OF the
Blessed Trinity, or the need OF the TWO
sacraments. A belief in the divine
character of Christ, and in his mission
to the souls of men, with the accept
ance of the Bible as the only authorita-
tive revelation of God to man, is all
that is required. The more the
non Christian religious systems Of the
world are studied, it becomes evident
that none of the great religions will al
together deny Christ as Divine Savior
and teacher of the world. The Moslem
holds him to be not only prophet but
the Spirit of God; the disciples of Gau-
tama speak of him as 'Buddha, and
the idOlatrOuS Hindu has not the slight
est objection to look upon him as an
'avatar' or incarnation of the Divine
Being. Nor will any of these religious
systems object to regard the Holy
Scriptures as an authoritative reVela-
ton of God to man, although they would
dispute the claim that it is the only
revelation. The question of standards
OF belief must therefore be regarded not
from the limited circle of the United
States or Of Great Britain, but from the
wide area of the great enterprise of mis-
SiOnS in the nOnChriStian world; and
do the Congregational churches of
America contemplate the conversion OF
the 5000, 600 of Mohammedans, the
30OG00, 600 of Buddhists, and the 100,
100000 of HinduS to d creedless
church,"
THE Episcopal Convention during
the past week has done one act of real
Importance" says the New York indie
pendent. THE matter to which We
refer is the act of the House of Deputies
in rejecting the proposition to allow the
bishops to take unattached churches I'M
der their care, that is, churches that
are willing to receive Episcopal over
sight but which are not fully connec-
ted with the Episcopal Church. The
decision was formulated in the utter
ance that no church must be recognized
that does not take the whole prayer
book from cover to cover That
subverts utterly the Chicago-Lambeth
platform. 1t was doubtless intended
that it should Now a Swedish
church in Minneapolis is kindly dis
posed towards the Episcopal Church,
and accepts episcopal supervision, but
their old country liturgy that they are
not ready to accept that of the Episco-
pal Church. They have no trouble
about the four irreducible conditions
the Bible, creeds, sacraments and
episcopate; and trusting in that
Lambeth platform, and encouraged by
the bishop, they accept the invitation.
But the convention turns its back
upon them, refuses them a welcome,
tells them that the Lambeth platform
was all sublimated nonsense, that it
was not intended to be put into force,
and that they must go back to their
particular branch among the dozen
divisions Of the Lutheran family OF
churches. Consistency is thrown to
the winds; and we cannot but declare,
with the wisest men in the cOnven-
ton, that Christianity was betrayed
also"
The Bible" says the New York Out
look, does not say that Moses wrote the
Book of Genesis, nor that the story of
the creation and the fall as there con-
tanned was supernaturally revealed to
him, nor that the whole of the book
which bears Isaiah'S name was written
by the son of Amor, nor that the He
brew Psalter was composed by David.