The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-20

esting address last evening in Scottish
Hall. The attendance was large. DR.
York's subject was "Religious Instinct in
Man" He took the ground that there
is wide difference between religious In
stinct and moral instinct. In the course
of his remarks he spoke of the present
religious controversy and said:
This so-called religious instinct in man is
nothing more or less than superstitfous belief
about the unseen ana unknown agencies. This
superstitious tendency in the minds OF honest
and sincere people in all the past history OF
the church has led to endless disputes and
controversy TO prove the foundation OF their
faith and belief.
Have they proved up the foundation of their
faith? Have they proved the truth OF single
dogma of the Christian creed?
We have been watching with interest the
discussion going on in The CALL from day TO
day, and now why is IT that believers IN re- e:
faith once for all and give the world rest?
And why can't Father Yorke and these Prot
estant Christians prove up aud settle any
thing? The fact is religious debate never did
settle anything. They are, no doubt, fairly
honest and sincere, and each side has dose OF
the religious instinct
Both sides believe that the Bible is Gods
word and that the Christian religion is the
true religion. The more they debate the more
obscure the truth becomes. The more they
discuss the madden they get, and end with re-
Elections on each others characters.
AS we have seen in THE CALL during the past
week, the Catholic interprets the Bible in one
light and the Protestant Christian in another
light; and the Unitarian Christian uses all his
wits to disagree with both Catholic and Pro-
testant. And yet they are all Christians and
talk piously about God and his book.
Why can they agree as to the teaching of
the book? If God inspired the book it shout d
not be ambiguous, but clear to all, if our sal
vation depends upon it. How can book capa-
be Gods book, and how can we poor sinners
expect to get to heaven when Christians can't
agree about it?
Now, admitting the divinity of the book, to
what purpose is it as foundation of religious
faith unless the God who inspired the divine
message 10 mankind also sent US an inspired
prophet, or an inspired perpetual teacher or
Pope, TO interpret this word and will of God !?
This may be said in truth of the Catholic
church: Whatever her faults, she is consistent
with herself. She claims to have an inspired
Pope to explain Gods will, to prevent dissen-
sion and promote cohesion in Gods church.
How else, if Christianity be true, can il be pre-
served from innovation and heresy?
Protestant Christianity is based upon the
right of every man to interpret the book for
himself. and the result is that from 1920
Luther's reformation-an endless number and
wide variety of creedal faiths-aA claiming to
be Christians-are at the front without uni
formity of belief. Protestant Christianity can
be but little better than a rope of sand
crumbling to pieces in the light of reason and
common-sense. OF course as liberals aud free
thinkers we do not believe in the divinity OF
the book the church built upon it, We
deny the claims OF both mother and daughter
church as untenable in their claims and want
ing in the elements OF adaptation and uni
versatility which would characterize it as a.
divine system OF salvation.
As human belief is not subject to the Will,
but to evidence, and the evidences of the
truth of Christianity are insufficient TO con-
vince all-its claims to divinity make it q SUI
perstitious despotism-doing business in the
livery OF Heaven.
We repudiate the cultivation of any religious
and superstihous instinct at variance with
reason and find no use for chureh-craft and
priests who know nothing OF God or another
world.
The enfranchisement of mankind has been
one long and painful struggle against fgnor-
ance, superstition and fear within, and Bible
and priests of theGodS without, who have barred
the progress of mental growth and natural
science in the world. Thus the religious in
stinct in man is revealed in the light of history
as slavery to God and cruelty to man in every
period of human history.