The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-18


/ to Senator Iillman and Congressman
/ sibley as presidential candidates. The
f writer or the papers processes 10 be the
religious editor Of the More Money
+ party"
a Religious Sign of the Times"
Editor Morning News; Your very inter-
esting article in the News of the 18th inst.
on Religious Sign of the Times" Is
worthy Of thought with those who think
on such subjects. Why there are more
/ professed Christian among women than
men is natural enough. Love is the pre-
dominate sentiment in woman for her
to love is but the natural expression of
her true and real creation. She was taken
from man and wants to cling to one A
woman who has no love in her nature,
[ does not wish, seek or desire to be loved,
IS an unnatural being; or her life has been
so soured, directly or Indirectly. that she
is abnoraml in her feelings. Her religion
is love.
In the old worships we find that wo-
man goddess was more worshiped and
with more intensity and devotion than
any god. Why? Because man found it
easy to love woman, goddess though
she be, than any god Of his creation. Diana
Of the Epheslans, Isis, Juno. Ceres, Minir-
va or Athene, Themls and other goddesses
We're more honored than the gods. The
AtVSh htig anu sacred rites were gwen 10
g0ddesses, such as Ceres, Athene, Diana,
Juno and Venus. Man was true to his
nature in the worship of a woman, know
ing and recognizing her many virtues. so
different from those of the gods.
So strong was that sentiment in man
that the Christian religion without wo-
man in il could not grow and flourish
and the church when fully organized saw
the demand for woman worship and
yielding to it, gave to the people the Vir-
gin Mary, in the place Of Diana of Ephe-
sus, Athene Of Athens Ceres, Juno and
Others. 1t was a wise stroke OF policy at
that time and all important to the growth
of the church. We inherit the morals of
our fathers in every sense of the word.
But to-day is far different from eigh-
teen hundred years ago. The world has
not stood stlll in thought by any means
though Christian faith is not a ready
and willing developer of thought Priest
craft by whatsoever name it is known,
In sect or denomina ton, does not en-
courage free thought or free investiga-
ton. But to-day, with papers and books
and liberty of speech not known IN the
middle ages, the press has grown into the
second estate, and the church now occu-
pies the fourth estate. Hence, the So
called decline in church influence. To be
| thoroughly honest, though not very COM
planetary to the church, thinking and
| reading men have out grown the pulpit
| They do not go there expecting to hear
new truths, new ideas, a new rude of
conduct. but to be physicked with the
old platitudes of salvation by faith; hear
the church, have a creed and a faith,
etc. Bad physic.
To go back a little. Jesus was a man.
and as a man, he was beloved and fol-
lowed, and taking a departure from the
rites of old judaism, he invited woman
to partake of salvation upon the same
terms as those extended to man. He
opened the door wide for woman to enter.
and true to her refined and sensitive ma
ture she entered in, and has become by
far the better part of the church.
Jesus, in the last analysis of his charac-
ter, no matter how he Is preached from the
pulpit, no matter how he is mixed up with
a trinity is ever thought of as a suffer
ing man, dying upon a. cross, and being
in atonement for man. His nature. char
acter. teachings. sufferings and death
are something tangible and real and
hence the great impressions made on man
But when man is told to deal with the IN
finite and Incomprehensible, the Unfath-
omable, and the Inscrutable Wisdom of
a God a God of eternal pre-existence. of
a Personal Creator. who created himself
it strikes the thinking mind as an i'm
mense proposition beyond his grasp Je-
sus occupies no such place in his thoughts
an really he can not.
To come down to the plain statement
of the truth, the preaching of to-day is
not practical. Nine-tenths of the preach
ing belongs to the metaphysical theol-
ogy of St. Paul Not to the simple teach
ings of Jesus as to doing good, adoring
God, and regarding your neighbors' rights
and interests as you would your own
Jesus came to teach a brotherly love, and
not creed, a faith, or a dogma. That
seems to have been the work of St Paul
Or I'd
When man is satisfied il is to his interest
to be religious, he will be so; but he can
not be approached on the love side of
his nature. He must feel some sort of
an obligation binding upon him: he must
recognize some sort of debt that is dine
that he should pay. In other words some
positive obligations he must openly ac-
knowledge. Men admit things in a mega
tive sort of a way; but when brought face
to face as to what they do believe. 1t will
be found that they are not really posi-
tive about anything in regard to a soul.
life beyond the grave, or that as finite
creatures of a few days they will be pun
ished eternally as soul being, if they
do not believe certain man-made creeds
of faith and Bible interpretations as ~
what they must do to inherit eternal life
am speaking Of those men who do not
go to church, or If they do go. more for
form sake and custom. Mr. Editor. there
will be a new religion preached in the
twentieth century, or I do not read he
signs of the times Alright. He who keens
up with the aggressive religious Thought
of to-day written by doctors of divinitv
and scholars Of extensive reading. sees
that the theology Of St. Paul is growing
small by degrees and beautifully less ;,
We have TO come back 10 the sinoDIa
teachings Of Jesus, throwing aside an The
metaphors put in his mouth and all the
hyperbolic figures Of the writer's Of the
gospels T.. NJ. Q.