The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-23

q
their souls and burns up all the superstl-
tions and erroneous notions they might
have had. We, therefore, never say any
thing against the faith of the CHRISTIAN.
On the contrary, we ask him the more to
follow Christ, who was one of the MODEST
of divine teachers that ever blessed the
earth.
Our mission is to reach those who are
no longer satisfied with the accepted
dogmas of the church. And there are
many such persons, specially among the
thoughtful and intelligent classes. 1t is
they who have passed out of the grasp OF
the clergy who have held out 50 long be-
fore them relig on resting merely on as
sertion, and which is as different from the
teachings of the Christ as darkness from
light.
To such we preach; and even then only
when we are asked. At least that is my
position. know it was the position of
my friend, Swami Vivekananda. For we
never believe in casting pearls before the
swine; and in so doing We only follow the
Christ. While we are perfectly willing to
help any one We can and are constantly
seeking the opportunity to do SO, we are
wise enough to understand the laws of
human nature, which is not always ready
to listen to what you have to say. There
fore We preach only when the soul is ready
to receive.
And how? Do we preach against Chris
tianlty to those even who are no longer
believers in it2 AT least | do not. No
one OF my hearers can ever say that have
spoken against the Christ and Christian
lty any more than against my own relig-
ion. OF course | always condemn the
corruptions and degradations OF the teach
ings of Christ. But | do the same with
the corruptions and degradations that are
now prevalent in my own country.
Il MI
And how can l find fault with him or his
teaching, even when speaking to persons
who no longer believe in him? There are
some IN the Western world, both in Eu-
rope and America, who are so disguised
with the perversion of the teaching OF
Christ that they would not under any cir
cumstances listen to anything that comes
to them in the Christian form. l have
come across such persons; and, strange
to say, some of these anti Christians are
sons of the clergy. 1t is to them alone
that have sought to present our ideas
purely from the Indian standpoint. EX-
cepting those, to all my listeners | have
tried, and | know some of my friends have
tried, to speak through the Christ whether
they are any longer Christians or not.
! have told them:
l. That the doctrine of Trinity, which
they have discarded, or have failed to I'M
derstand nationally, is one of the most
profound and sublime doctrines that has
ever been known.
2. That the idea of consubstantiation-
that is the three persons OF the God
head are one and of the same substance
is just as philosophical and as scientific
as the previous one.
8. That the Son of Mantle Christ
really sacrificed himself for the world,
and shared its sorrows and sufferings out
of love.
And so on with the rest of the doctrines
of the Christian religion.
But we tell them these things not on
mere authority and as assertions. We ex-
plain the reason and the philosophy of
the whole teaching, the loss of which on
the part of the ministers of the faith who
have got only the milk suitable for the
babe, and not the strong meat which ST.
Paul and all the immediate disciples of
Christ kept for the chosen few, has made
the Christian religion a STUN bling block
an inexplicabIe something to the
thoughtful mind. In fact, there is
not a single doctrine that is essential in
Christianity from the idea of Trinity to
that OF vlcarious atonement, which we
Brahmlns do not and cannot uphold on
philosophical grounds, though our ex-
plantations OF such doctrines differ as
widely from those of the innumerable
denominations of Christendom which are
as TO The meaning of the Bible, as the nx-
PLANTATION, say, of the formation of a
planet by a scientist differs from the
crude notion of the same on the part of a
savage.
Why should we go to the European or
American OF the modern time for the ex-
PLANTATION of the Bible and the teachings
OF Christ? The Bible is an Oriental book
and Christ was an Oriental. And we have
no necessity to put on occidental specta-
cles to read their teachings-a fact only
TO distort the original view. We go to the
Christ direct and take the Bib o in hand
as it is. and we find in it the same idea as
has been taught by the sages of India.
Why should we then take exception to
the teachings OF Christianity We would
not do so even if it would be different
from what we are taught.
We H1ndus are liberal and charitable
enough to tolerate the honest views of
others, however crude they may be.
We in India are taught that every man
must have his own religion. And any
one of US ca IN be an orthodox Hindu, be-
lleying anything honestly. even atheism
and nlhilism, as long as he observes GER
tain rules of conduct, rules which are alb
solutely necessary for the keeping to-
gether ano progress of society. We toie-
rate even image worship in any form
when the worshiper cannot honestly
omprehend anything better. We demand
from such a worshiper that he should
thoroughly practice what he believes and
that he must sacrifice himself at every
step. We do not quarrel with his idola-
try even II 1t is so in every sense of the
word. For we are all idolators and image
worshlpers as long as we worship in any
form. Form necessarily implies limita-
ton, and all limitation with regard to
God is idolatry. 1t is therefore q question
of degree and not of kind. Some worship
mental images; others ply steal; that is
all the difference, therefore we do not
quarrel.
Liberality and charity is our law, even
when we lind people believing things
which we know TO be untrue, all the time
seeking the opportunity to correct their
ideas IN the proper way. Much less,
therefore, should we quarrel with the
Christ In whose teachings-the essential
ideas of ChristianIty-let me repeat. we
recognize the same truth as we are taught
in India. What we find fault with and
try to correct is the misinterpretation.
Misrepresentation and corruption of them.
l have no time nor intention, however.
to explain the teachings of Christ here
from the Hindu standpoint. But let me
assure the reverend ministers of Christi
anity that we can and do accept all the
essential teachings of Christ, though all
the while remaining most orthodox
Hindus. And We try to reach only those
who are not any longer satisfied with the
religion OF the church and seek truth from
other sources. And even then, consider
ing their birth and education in Christen-
dom, we reach those through Christ and
his teachings, explaining them in the