The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-18
A SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM ON SOUND SUBJECTS

rible as Orthodoxy made them. Christ's
parab have been woefully distorted III
the interests of hel-the chief corner stone
OF Orthodox theology. One OF these abused
parallels IS this same rich man and LaZ-
arus. Every circumstance connected
with it proves the common Interpretation
false. The very fact of its being parable,
proves it false. A parable in its very
nature is a comparison or analogy Illus
trating one thing by another.
But if this parable was an actual case
u man going to hell according to the
orthodoxy, it ceases to be parable and
becomes a simple instance-a historic fact
related on its own account and not to IL
lustrate somthing else.
1t is nonsense to talk about parable
of one man going to hell to illustrate how
others will go there. AS well say the
parable OF the sower or the mount was
nsed by Christ to illustrate how men
SOW seed or catch fish. Again, the COM
mon Interpretation must be false from the
characters used in the parable. If Christ
had really meant to. teach literal hell in
this parable, He would not have selected
rich man and poor man for his illus
ration, but wicked and q righteous
man.
No crime is charged against Dives and
no virtue ascribed to Lazarus. And even
II wealth and poverty We're the causes OF
men going to hell and to heaven. ortho-
dox preachers accept only one-half OF the
parable; for while they do endeavor to
chloroform the miseries of poverty with
promises OF heaven, where is a rich
church member ever preached to hell on
account of his riches? 1t is the very con-
trary. The modern orthodox plan of sal
walton for the rich is in feeding Lazarus
with the crumbs of charity that fall from
their tables-the very thing that sent
Dives to hell. No, this parable was in
tended for rational application, as we
shall see. Once more. the common in
depreciation is clearly erroneous from the
appeal made to Moses and the prophets
in the parable. If the doctrine of the
orthodox hell had been intended, no such
appeal could have been made. because
neither Moses nor the prophets say any
thing about such place as the orthodox
hell, or offer any hint even of such a
destiny for any part of the human race.
The myth used in the parable is neither
Jewish nor Christian in its origin
The Hades of the Bible is Greek. In
Greek mythology it was the underworld
in which all the bad DISAPPEARED. In it
were located Tartarus, for the bad, and
that this myth could be aptly used for his
purpose, so employed it, not to endorse
its soundness nor to base any hidden doc
trine upon it; but for the purpose of
warming the Jews of their approaching
downfall, and the uplifting OF the Cen
tiles, because the Jews rejected and the
Gentiles would accept his gospel. This
was the true burden and meaning of all
his warning parallels, which have been
pressed into the service of the orthodox
gospel OF everlasting torment.
With this application of meaning, the
parable is natural and fitting in all its
parts. The rich man represents the Jews
who claimed great superiority over the
Gentiles. while Lazarus at the rich man S
gate with the dogs fifty symbolizes the
Gentiles, who were literally called dogs
by the Jews. The reference to Moses and
the prophets is also pertinent under this
view, for their writings abound in warn
ings OF temporal calamities to the Jews.
So much for the intended meaning of the
parable.
Now two closing thoughts suggested by
our topic The first is that the Church
of the New Era is not set for the defense
of or the condemnation of any religion,
book creed or system; but stands for
fairness, right, truth, everywhere and in
everything. The second thought is that
however little our personal interest in the
parable OF Dives and Lazarus, the oues-
ton of the rich men and the poor men of
today is question of deep concern for
us all. For our present concern is not
with myth of two thousand years ago.
but with a reality of today; not with a
tabled hell OF a rich man in another world
crying for water, but with the real hell
of the poor man in this world crying for
b. cad and begging for work at the feet of
rich men; not with an impossible gulf
between the Elysium and Tartarus of
ancient mythology, but the yawning gulf
between the millionaire and the pauper of
our modern plutocracy. That gulf was
impossible; but this one is going to be
passed, and the Church of the New Era
has come to help bridge across it and de-
liver the people from this hell of poverty
and oppression.