The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-07-03
THERE Is BUT ONE RELIGION.
BY REV. JAMES GoRToN.

We begin with a paradox. There
are many religions, but only one re-
ligion. There are many different
sects; many different systems or
schemes of doctrine, worship, cere-
monial; many different modes of
church government, and of admins
tering ecclesiastical authority; but
there is only one religion among
men. There never has been, there
never can be, more than one.
What is religion? 1t may seem
quite late in the history of civiliza-
tion to ask such question as this.
But for many at least, it needs to be
asked and answered. The familiar
passage in the Epistle of James is
the only place in the Bible where the
question is asked and answered, and
religion defined. Here we are told
that "pure religion and undefled is
to visit the fatherless and widows in
their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world" Note
for a moment the significance of this
definition. There are two elements
in it-inward life, and outward con-
duct. The last is related to the first
as fruit is related to the tree that
bears it. "Unspotted from the
world,"-that is right character, the
inward life of purity, righteousness
and love, uncontaminated with the
selfishness and wickedness with
which its possesser may come in con-
tact. "To visit the fatherless and
widows in their affiiction, that is
the outward life of right conduct
of justices, kindness, benefcence,
mercy to all sinful, suffering, sorrow
ing needy humanity;-not to "the
widows and fatherless" only. That is
merely symbol for all who need
help, and ought to be helped.
We see, then, that for substance, a
pure and perfect religion is an inward
life of righteousness and love, and an
outward life of kindness and mercy,
| justice and beneicence. Some one
else has said, Religion is the bind
ing of the soul to God and to man."
that is, the binding of the soul to
what God is-justice, holiness, love,
the binding of such God-loving and
God-loyal soul to man in the loving
service that springs out of such a
godly life. DR.. Lyman Abbott has
recently said, Religion is the life of
God in the soul of man." All these
definitions are good, are essentially
alike, meaning the same thing,-a
pure man, a good man, a just and kind
man, loving and holy man, in his
character and in his conduct. Thus
it may be seen, that whatever sect a
man may belong to, or whether he
belongs to any, the best man has the
most religion; the best man is the
best Christian, even though he never
heard of Christ.
Note then what religion is not.
Creed or dogma, whether true or false,
is not religion, nor is it any part of
religion. If it is true, it may be a
help to religion, but it is not religion
itself. Truth of any kind is not re-
ligion, nor does it constitute any part
of religion. Truth is an instrument.
Religion is an end. Ceremonials,
governments, and modes of worship
are not religion, nor are they any part
of religion. If they are proper, suita.
BILE, just, they may help in the devel-
opment of religious life, but they are
not any part of religion itself.
Now it must be manifest, from these
considerations, that there has ever
been, and that there can ever be, but
one kind Of religion among men, how
ever sects, cree1s, churches, dogmas,
modes of worshipand of government
may be multiplied. There may be
differences as to the degree of COM
pleteness or perfection to which the
religious life has attained in differ
ent souls, but so far as it is religion
at all it is difference, not of kind,
but of degree.
Therefore the Methodist religion,
the Presbyterian, the Catholic, the
Unitarian religion, the Mohamedan.
and the so-called heather religions,
so far as they are religion at all, are
all alike. are all of the same kind. If
they differ at all they differ as to de-
gree of completeness with which the
real religious principls is appre-