The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-01

worship to our God as if he were a
heather deity who demanded prayers
and incense, and elaborate ceremonials
performed in robes of white and black
TO win his favor.
A secondary purpose has no doubt
developed out of this altar worship.
Aside from the aim TO win the favor of
deity through the fiattery of paying
homage, there has come "a be cult
waited among the worshipers feeling
of awe and reverence and humility
This feeling is especially strong when
one visits the old world cathedrals.
One is somewhat thrilled by a sense of
awe and mystery by the dims aisleS
and corridors, the solemn chants. the
soft organ tones, the grave procession
ais. All this feeling may or may not
be religious That depends on the man
and his mood 1t may be precisely the
same that is stimulated by watching
beautiful sunset or spending an hour
in an art gallery. In fact the wor-
shipper is often led to imagine that he
has been performing a religious duty,
when he has merely been enjoying a
delightful sensation. People go away
from church after a service of form
with delicious feeling that they are
better and holier than they were when
they came, but without a single defin-
their daily lives. Their consciences, in
stead of being awakened. have been
iulled to sleep. Religion for them is
a sort of opiate. There is too much
of this sort of opium-joint religion in
the world. What the world needs is
that the priests shall throw off their
robes and turn prophets, that they
shall tell the people that religion is
life rather than form, that humanity
- Col A4- l,,rx..
life is a part of the divine order and
that religion consists in cultivating its
best and noblest elements, that such
life as Jesus lived. full of devotion to
truth and duty, full of love and help
fulness and sympathy, is the natural
condition for all men and is attainable
by all, that the golden rule is a wise
business maxim, that this is Gods
world and that progress is its noblest
law
This conception of religion as life,
rather than form, is not always so
comfortable. 1t does not minister to
easy going self-complacence. 1t does
not pose in high places with a self
satisfied Lam holier-than-thou eX-
preston. 1t realizes that life is a
struggle, a growth from lower to
higher >rms of being; that old ideas.
forms and habits must be. cast off. old
paths must be left behind. new heights
attained. It means that life is growth,
and growth implies continually the re-
lection of that which has been out
grown.
But in a higher sense the religion of
life brings rest and joy and peace. 1t
does not afford a means of easy escape
from struggle, grief and pain. But it
gives to human life the power to tri-
Umph over these. 1t takes away the
old horror of death and fills life with
new joy and thought and hope. It
gives a keener incentive for living the
life that now is. Under its sway
parents and friends, brothers and
sisters. may turn away from
the new made grave and take up
again the burdens of life with brave
hearts. with a larger spirit of helpful
ness to others, and with deeper and
tenGerer sympathy. 1t brings us into
touch with the Christ spirit and we
come to know that the religion of
Jesus is the religion of life.
Journalism in religion has never quite
destroyed this inner life. The religion
of the people has always been better
than the forms in which it has found
expression. On the other hand, the re-
ngion of life does not need to discard
all beauty of form and make religious
service bare and cold and coloriess. as
our Puritan fOrefatherS were inclined
to do in their first revolt from formal
ism. The religion of life is compatible
with all the charm and beauty that re-
ligiOus forms and ceremonies can give.
Only it insists that such forms shall
be inclusive rather than exclusive. Re-
ligion has use for beauty, not merely
in cathedral glass and organ music
but in the glory OF the sunset and the
dawn, the song of birds. the color and
fragrance of the flowers, the sparkle
of the sunshine and the silent majesty
of the snow-clad hills. To the truly re-
lgious life all nature speaks the name
of God and couples it with love.