Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-24

The archbishop has n beautiful house
about two miles from the center of the
city. 1t was by telephone that we ar
ranged for an appointment there, and
later on l met him again in the pas
tors house next to the cathedral in ST.
Paul He was at first rather averse to
an interview for publication, but as he
grew interested in my questions his
words came forth hot and fast, and
had trouble in holding them In all their
meaning At times the archbishop
spoke slowly and medtatively and
again. as he warmed up to his sub
ject, he arose and walked up and down
the floor, giving me striking ideas at
the rate of 200 words a minute. Through
out the talk l was struck by his evil
dent earnestness and his high spirited
points OF view. one of my first ques-
tons was as tc whether we should ever
have universal or u world religion.
The archbishop replied:
Il think we have such religion new.
The world religion is the religion Of
Christ. 1t is based upon Christ yestor-
day. today and forever. Christ came
down to the world as a divine Teach
err and proposed His religion as one
that was to last to the end of the
world. If l did not believe that Christ
was divine ! could, of course, discuss
other religions. The Mosaic religion
was divine, but its message was only
to prepare the way for the religion of
Christ You might ask why 1t has not
become more universal, why the world
Is not already altogether Christian. To
that ! say that what seems to us q
long time may be only a moment In the
mind of the Infinite God. The infinite
cannot be judged by the finite. and in
Gods time / believe all the world Will
come unto Him."
LIBERALITY IN RELIGION.
but. your excellency do you not
think the world is becoming more liber-
al in regard TO religious matters?"
YES" was the reply; but II IL nee
cessary to state what liberality or IL
beralism means. If 1t means that man
is to give up or conceal what he really
believes to be the truth / do hope the
world is not becoming more liberal.
The Almighty judges men according to
their lights and consciences. IL men are
absolutely sincere In their beliefs and
actions we must respect their sincerity
even as i believe God respects 1t. l
think in this sense the world is far
more liberal now than in the past We
are now willing to say that Inen may
honestly differ from US in such things
and be right in others. This Is LIBERAL
ism in the true sense and think II IL
important that ii should not exist to
Its fullest extent in our country. We
Americans are made up or men or all
DeIeIS, Out we nave 81 illuCH III Coui-
mon with our family, social, state and
business relations that 1t is vital to our
happiness that we respect one another.
II we had not liberalism OF this kind
we should soon have chaos. 1t Is to our
interest that we work together. we
have to help, trust and respect one an
other. 1t is due to this that we have
n happy and united country, even
though we are divided upon the lines
of religion" ..
THE WORLD NOT GROWING BET
TER.
the world is growing mora
liberal your eXcellency, l suppose you
Will also bay it is growing better?'
"Ah!" replied the archbishop. "as to
that l don't know. The world is i'm
proving in many ways, but in others
1t seems to me 1t is at standstill. or
worse. AS far as material things go.
we have made many steps in the
advance. We accomplish more. we
live better, and so far as mans own
thought and works in temporal and
social way can persuade man to be
good, the world Is perhaps better and
stronger, But when 1t comes to ques-
tons of moral and social purity, per-
sonal integrity, the repression or pas
sion and the possession of higher aims,
of life and citizenship, l do not know.
| believe the chief support of all OF
them is religion. and by religion 1
mean the strong belief in an ALI
Powerful, Divine Ruler of the universe.
and in rewards and punishments from
that Ruler. When such religious faith
declines, the danger is that morals VIII
also decline. fear that there Is such
n decline going on now, though | hope
It Is only momentary."
SCIENCE AND RELIGION.
Upon what especial lines do you
notice the decline, your eXcellency?"
Chiefly along the lines of material
ism and agnostlcism." said the arch
bishop. And, of course, upon all lines
which tend to take men away from a
belief in the divinity of God and Christ.
The further we get away from the con-
viction OF Divine Moral Ruler tho
further we get away from Christ
and thereby lose in tnosh character
and pure living"
Speaking of agnostics, your excel
lency, are not the recent archaeological
discoveries affecting the foundations
of religion"
Yes, perhaps so, with the unin-
formed and superclnl, At first sight IL
away with the need of a great God and
as though the new discoveries weak
ened the effect of Christianity. This,
however, is only with the superficial,
and / have no fear OF the final re-
suit. Science only changes the date.
1t may, for instance, put little fur
tncr back, by secondary causes the
Great Creator, but no matter how far
back 1t goes, the Creator must be con-
tossed. Take the question of the be-
ginning OF life upon the planet. Oar
win, Haeckel and others of that kind
cannot answer 1t. They viii evolve
other beings from those no
preceded them, but they fail to state
where life began. There is only one
answer. II must have come from the
supernatural.
AS to these archaeological dis
covcries which have led to so much
biblical criticism, not one has yet been
made which upsets the Bible. They
may lead us to read some parts OF our
Bible a little differently, SO far as the
history is concerned. But II we have
read wrongly some historical part of
the Scriptures this is no Indication that
the Bible is wrong, and especially that
1t is not true guardian and teacher of
faith and morals"
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND
THE BIBLE,
"Then the Catholic church upholds
the Bible in its entirety. does 1t not?"
THE Catholic church has absolute
confidence in Christ and the Blble,and
it not only fearlessly challenges all
IContinled on mage tent