The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-08-28

tory, such statement of belief would
not prove that the body which
adopted it was non Christian; but
taken in its relation to the former
constitution, and in the light of the
discussion which preceded its adop-
ton, it is seen to represent victory
for the non Christian element, being
more significant in its omissions than
in its positive declarations.
That this is not an erroneous nor
a prejudiced view of it may be shown
from the comments of Unitarian OBJ
servers, some of whom were members
of the Saratoga Conference. Rev.
A. j. Rich, for example, in an article
which he wrote for "The Non. Secta-
rian" shortly after the conference adj
Journed, made use OF this language
in regard to the new statement: 81
need hardly say that this is great
improvement on the old wording,
which savored very much of evan
gelical phraseology, such as The
Lord Jesus Christ, and like express
sions. # = 1t meant step in
advance; it meant the results of the
study of comparative religion; it
meant the Parliament of Religions in
Chicago, and that we have fully
learned that Religion is one, and is
the mother of all religions and sects,
and that, as Pacific, Indian, Atlantic,
as applied to the one ocean, are parts
of one great whole, so Christian and
Mohamedau, and Hebrew, and Budd-
histic are parts of one religion of
humanity, the universal religion. 1t
meant that religion, like astronomy
under Calico, has become scientific;
that as astronomy is heliocentric, and
not geocentric, so religion is theocen-
trio and not Christocentric; for ace
haze struck out the terms of religious
prorincialism IN the constitution.
In January, 1894, Unity" the
leading organ of Unitarianism in the
western part of the country, said,
in an editorial article: "As to the
charge that Unitarians are un. Chris
tan in faith, we think it true of very
many Unitarians, and we should have
no objection to finding it so of ALL"
So, too, if we look to other coun-
tries where Unitarians have a foot
hold In England, no longer ago
than last year, Rev. E. A. Voysey,
formerly, we believe, of the Church
of England), applied for Unitarian
fellowship, distinctly stating to the
Unitarian Advisory Committee, which
corresponds to a Universalist COM
mittee of Fellowship, that he was
not Christian, and was not willing
to be called so, inasmuch as he did
not believe "either that Jesus was
God, or that he was man with in
fallible divine power to proclaim
absolute truth about God" or that he
was the best, and therefore the only
example which men ought to follow
He based his application for Uni
tartan fellowship on his explicitly
stated understanding that the Uni
tartan denomination was not speci-
fcally Christian; and the committee
granted it, recommending him as
qualified minister to the Unitarian
churches. In an editorial comment
on this incident 1.-THE Outlook" said
in its issue of Oct. 10, 1896:
"The whole affair significantly
illustrates what American Unitarians
of the most pronounced liberalism,
like DR.. Minot ]. Savage and the Rev.
Joseph May, have felt themselves
bound to protest against as the un-
LIBERALIZATION of Jesus in the Unitar
ian churchesl"
In Japan, the same "undervalua-
ton of Jesus" is shown in connection
with the Unitarian Mission. A few
years ago our own missionaries in
that country were in favor of forming
some sort of union with the Unitar-
ian Mission, but today they are OPP
posed to it, being better acquainted
with the non Christian character of
the Unitarian movement. DIR. Perrin.
since his return, has expressed his
change of opinion in regard to that
matter; and Mr.. Cate has said, in
The UNIvERsALIsT of June s, 1895:
I'VE thought the Unitarian Mission,
while supporting a school not dis
tinctively Christian, claimed to be
itself distinctively Christian. We
have discovered, however, that we
were mistaken in this view. From a
letter written to Mr.. Nakanishi by
Mr.. MacCauley, and published in the
"Shukyo," we learn not only that the
Unitarian Mission in Japan does not
claim to be distinctively Christian,
but also that Unitarianism by it's
,yarv ~; noip1oo oanrok ;,,tlr .Io:.. L.