The San Francisco call., 1896-04-13
MISTAKES OF THEOLOGY.
DR.. York Says Cabalism and All
Such High Pretensions to Rare
knowledge Are Frauds.

DIR. York entertained large and en-
thusiastic audience at Scottish Hall last
evening on the subject Of mistakes of
Theology" After some excellent music
and songs by Mr.. Austin and Mrs. Tully
the speaker said:
Mistakes are the common inheritance of
mankind and as a prelude to our lecture
permit me to note some current mistake 5
of the past week, which, if not harmful,
tend to add little spice to our everyday
life as well as to show how easy it is to be
mistaken. We refer to the lecture
by the pretentious Dr. Imber on
Cabalism at DR.. Voorsanger's temple on
last Tuesday evening. We forgive Rabbi
Voorsanger for the infliction of this So
called mystic lore which proved to be too
misty for our comprehension, and seemed
to be the vaporings of disordered mind,
which is no doubt the source of most of
the theological Jim mjams which have d.
verted the human mind from the true
sources of knowledge and promoted super
stition in the name of mystic lore and
Cabaism. And all such high preten-
sions to rare knowledge should be called a
fraud.
We think and our observation and
experience teaches US that conversion from
one religion to another religion is a harm
ful mistake, and has little to do in making
men more moral and just, and at the most,
tends to bigotry and bad blood, in all
lands. The spirit of religious propagandlsn,
is apparent in the reply of Rev. Goodwin
TO Rabbi Voorsanger in THE CALL OF
Wednesday last, in which he said: when
Jew comes to know that the Jewish
religion is merely for the Jewish race,
while Christianity is for all races, he is at
70 nt,f ~ h &c ha n ,r,{
and larger world" What burlesoue on
human reason is this, that the Jewish
religion was only an experiment, for the
special benefit of the Jews, while there
was no provision made for the millions
outside the Jewish camp.
II 1t be true, as he affirms, that God
founded the Jewish religion for the saliva.
tlon OF the Jews alone, is it not presumptu
Gus and great mistake to say that God S
method Is insufficient to that end, and
propose to save them by different scheme
OF later date, after millions have died in
the old faith? Cannot the Jew with
greater consistency establish Jewish mis-
sions to convert Christians2
To my mind if Judaism was ever true,
and the work of God, it is true to-day, and
the Ten Commands need no revision.
Theology, like the woman's crazy quilt,
is made up of various patches, and little
mistakes, which have grown out from a
few great and foundation mistakes upon
which the entire fabric of theology rests,
and which may be named in the following
order: a personal deity, the Mosaic crea-
ton, the fall of man and the vicarious
atonement. These are the four corner
stone mistakes from which the creeds
have grown. And through the ignorance
and fear incid ent to the childhood of our
race and by the perversion of scriptures
and work of theologians and priests, the
h.
about that which in the nature of things
cannot be proven, and rest alone upon
faith, the basis of all religious mistakes
And it is remarkable fact that our chief
progress to-day consists in unlearning
what We We're taught in our childhood.