The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-01-17
rOdern PaganiSm.

continued TO preech practlcal Christianity
as exemplifed in the labor movement and
his congregation threw him out of job.
Rich congregations do not want to hear
much about christianity, the camel going
through the needles eye, the rich man
selling his goods and dividing the pro-
ceeds among the poor. They believe IN
churchanity which in all ages set up a
golden idol and worshiped it. They do
not set up the idol now in the same fash
ion they used to, all image fashioned in
shape of man or beast placed on pedes-
tai in the midst of the temple. The GER
emory has changed but the spirit is the
| same.
The idol is banished from the temple
and appears among the people as great
wealth in possession of few persons,
with the multitude striving day and night
to approach the image by gathering
riches, and become like unto the idol
The divinity of wealth has become an
ideal more than idol in our higher refined
state of society, and the worship of this
wealth ideal deity goes on six days i'll the
week, with an earnestness, singleness OIL
purpose, which if devoted to christianity
would change all christendom into q
brotherhood where hunger and want and
destitution would not be known.
The idol worship of riches is the rule o.
life, the every day, the every hour, relig
ion, the spirit of which perneates society
leavening the whole lump The church
is a meeting house"-the Quaker term
is the correct expression-where the diff
ferent denominations or unions assemble
periodically, mostly on the day of RESI-
which has been appointed by law, and
which, too, has been handed down from
the earliest ages, and is one of the wises
provisions of society inherited from an
tiquity, enjoining universal rest by
actual cessation from the active employ
ment in manual labor, and change O.
mental labor.
The church or meeting house is i'll gen
| Gid l lSliuloltlOh Oll Ills NOdcDalh NSSottlOl
from routine labor, general rest day, and
the denominations or unions assemble
where the amenities are cultivated an6
the bonds of fellowship renewed an6
strengthened.
There are hundred and forty differ
ent denominations, unions or congrega
| t;o,,e i,, he IT,,ifaJ o11 c1oeciGaT
under one general name of christianity
differing OIL "points of doctrine" which
is something they do not clearly under
stand and are unable to explain, hence
the widest latitude for differing.
In the olden days before the christian
era came in, these churches or meeting
houses were called temples, with affairs
erected in them where the officiating
priesthood offered up animals and other
things as sacrifices. The sun worshipers
of some nations slaughtered human beings
and offered their hearts to appease the
wrath of the sun or invoke the aid o.
their chosen deity.
AS the dawn of the christian era APP
preached, the intelligence of the more
advanced civilizations, made the people
very skeptical of this priesthood religion
and sacrifice, and when the young
prophet of Nazareth began to preach
against and denounce it, and advocate g
spiritual doctrine, the stupid old super.
stitions fell gradually into disuse.
Christ's spiritual doctrines soon over.
threw the idols among civilized peoples
and put an end to the sacrifice of animals
and other material things, which had
pretty nearly been abandoned in the light
of an advancing intelligence
In addition to the new spiritual doctrine
Christ taught a brotherhood doctrine
and made it plain that one would moi
succeed without the other. The priest
hood that grew up under the new religion
eagerly seized upon the spiritual part Of
His doctrine, but like their old prototype
under the pagan system, they fought shy
ofthe brotherhood. The spiritual doctrine
gave opportunity for wide construction
and was made to easily conform to every
class without disturbing its social status
but the brotherhood was something which
was fully comprehended by all men,
That did not take with the rich Pharisee
and the church of the gold ring shaded of
to suit every grade of society, till it reach.
ed the Salvation Army at the antipodes Of
the religious divisions
The pew is now more powerful than
the pulpit and sets the religious pace
The reverence for wealth is the modern
idol worship, change in form from the
old pagan superstition which was born Of
fear, to no less degrading form that is
born of pride, greed and all manner Of
selhshness. In the gilded temple sits the
autocrat of gold while the cringing priest
losses rhetorical phrases from the pulpit
and a triple program of exhortation
supplication and sonorous music is rem.
dered. But, "As We would that men dc
unto you, do we even so to them," is
mostly wanting.
The Up-to-Date Primer-A First Book
| 0f ocCans Co. s4kao D1VsA..