The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-03-12
THE DEMAND FOR A UNIVERSAL
RELIGION.

The Sprtualist who has recently been
lecturing on that subject in this city, and
who gave his views on the subject in an
interview with n representative of The
Statesman, which was published one day
last week, said that Spiritualism was
religion, but he also said it was religion
adapted to intelligent men and women.
From this assertion we would conclude
that il was not adapted to uneducatcd
and ignorant men and women. That
claim that It was religion for the intelli-
gent and the cultivated, deprives it of
the main element necessary to religion,
and that is an adaptabiity to all kinds of
men and women.
The religion of Jesus Christ is re-
ligion adapted to the ignorant as well as
the intelligent to the redemption of the
vilest men and women, us well AS the
redemption of the morally upright and
virtuous. A religion that is not broad
enough to extend its wings over all hui
man beings is too limited in its powers
to be Of much benefit to the people OF this
earth. A religion that can not save
every man and woman on the face OF the
earth who seek its rcdeeming powers
must be very poor and inefficient re-
ligiou, not mt all commensurate with the
merciful teachings of the meek and low
ly Nazaripc. There may be ideas sug-
gested in the Gospels of the evangellsts
that ordinary minds can not understand,
but they are not vital principles neccs-
sary to be fully understood by its pro-
fessors The churches differ in doctrine,
one holding the Calvanistic and the other
the Armenian doctrines on prcdestina-
ton and kindred subjects, but all unite
in wershiping at n common altar, upon
which the blood of Christ is offered, as
n sufficient penalty for all sinners. Inc
essentials, the vicarious atoncment of
Christ, love for God and men, purity of
mind. heart and body, all can understand
these things and they are ample for the
whole cloak of righteousness.
The gospel of Jesus Christ presents Il
most singular seeming paradox. 1t is
not the unlearned that fail to understand
il. but il is the learned, those whose much
learning involve in net work of
metaphysical jargon, destroying their
ability for a clear conception of the plain
est truth. Christ, when He came to this
earth did not seek to teach His doctrines
to the learned Rabbis, we never once
hear Of Him In the school of Gamalcal,
only ON one occasion when he was II mere
youth of II years of age, do we find Him
among learned men, and all we know of
His object is that He was about His
Fathers business.
When the three years ministry of Jesus
Christ opened before Him, He went by
the seaside among the most humble of
Jewish citizens 10 seek His disciples to
preach His gospel. He sought out men
of sound minds and healthy bodies. men
Injured to the hardships of5the sea. the
dangers of storms whose charac ters had
been formed contcnding with the elc-
ments, solid substantial serene men. He
did not care that they were not scholars.
He intended to implant in their minds
and hearts strong and vigorous truths,
as simple rs they were strong. and He
selected men unembarrassed by the logic
of the schools and free from the prciu-
dices Of the Sanhedrim. The develop
ment of these men showed the wisdom of
His selection, so extraordinary were the
characters of these men, moulded under
the influence of divine truth, that we
may fairly claim the wisdom of their
selection was divine.
Christ had another object in selecting
these men. lie desired to teach re-
ligion that no mere man or set of men
would have conceived, religion CON
trary to every expectation of the Jew, II
religion of love, forgiveness and heaven
ly rewards, and He wanted to teach it in
such simple language and plain thought
that it might become universal religion
and He selected men who were in touch
with the least educated and the least
prejudiced of that day and generation to
establish universal religion adapted to