Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-10-25
rnofrsiANrlsN AnnAloNrp.


rev Dr. y. >. de Costa, a Protestant
Episcopal clergyman in New York. has
created some stir In religious circles
by publicly declaring that Proiosiant-
lam is gradually losing ground IN Hs
battle Tor RELIGION. morals and theology.
The gentleman is stating substantial
~ what leading men ~ the Church "
jesus christ u Lii,er-day Saints have
said Tor years From his lips ihc nr-
mlgumcut Of prltoaianilam cannot
very wen bc attributed 90 bigotry lie
Fays IN part!
''Thr immortality 81 The present day ~
I something awful. and what are We Do
Ink o. check it7 The Roman Catholics
! arl dlng much more. The. more in.
I tenssIy Protestant a people The less re-
lE.1n IH brought Go bear with united 81
I lcIency against vice. There j. ~ class
~ women in iho world. ! believe, ~
pure aa the Catholic Irish In ireland. ~
The Blue Books VI Parliament. quoted
by Mr Stead. prove. and IN highly
prutefiani strict scotland. the monthly
reports ~ vice, published In the papers
almost without a sense of shame, are
Fom, thing awful What / said IA my
SERMON, ana what l repeat. a. that Prot.
eHiantiam De- iighlng a losing battle.
not oniy In religion and thc5lggy, but
81 morals.
The Protestant church has not the
machinery for dealing with the vices
~ the world In these times Not one
clergyman IN one thousand daroa
preach sermon On the seventh com.
mandment The confessional ana the
rtfuHll n me sacrament in tho Roman
church are The efficient means Tor cob.
trolling vice which we have not.
Instead % putting our shoulder ~
the wheel and nEhi'nE against the aw-
ful spread " rnfili Virr and drunken
neaa and Habhath-brUakinH. We are
squthh'ing among ourselves and spend
lnr our energies on denuminatlIuai ar.
ftrt 1rCH There are .Nrutcon rscis "
MeiholIrta and thirteen scots of uap-
lists, and almost nH many distinct var.
leilcs IN each other religious genus.
How n any union " sentiment or work
. 90 be got out u chat state W nftiraf
u IN ahncklnEly lmmlrrs l say. O. be
squnhhllnE while ffty milton parsons
IN this land are not even nominal
Christians"
Dr. Costa calls special attention % the
oyll of divorce. Ito nnda that In twcn-
~ years no less than sss.ils divorces
were granted In the United States ana
that this evil IL rapidly turning society
IN this country into a vast 'dlnordcrly
house"
The blessed reformation" h. says.
Il responsible Tor this. by deliberately
degrading marriage from ~ "irue sac
ramcn,hi plane" and unloosng she
monster now pfcylnE uron society.
Another evil. the reverend gentleman
hnds IN the fact that rpiIglln j. too OK
pcnslve. C1nrreRatl1nnllsm. he says. IL
crushing the NE out % many parts ~
the church Wealthy families use their
wealth 90 the deirlment of poor par
ishes' Some mon Get Erci, salaries
while other worthy men g., none and
the number u clerical ldlefa and ad.
ycnturerf IL Increasing.
Ouch are the evils - pr1toaiantiam.
bus what IL the remedy on this point
Dr. Costa IL no. clear. Roman Catholics
advise him 30 Join the Roman church.
which. they aay. after warfare Of
eighteen hundred years stands IN.
changed and interchangeable. more gl1r.
l1ut more patoul than ever. but u Ger.
ialnly must strike any intcliroui CD.
server that n q religion II 10 be Judged
according 90 ia results. az tree By ne
fruit Ramanlsm 10 not the ideal The
condition u Spain. France. Italy W the
South American countries IL no, to be
held oui aH q pattern 20 the United
states.
In religious matters there Il bu, one
remedy against evils. Whenever . r..
lglous system, afirr asci Of abuse. has
become unnt Tor its divine mission &c 10
lai1 aside. New patches on Old cloth
rs no part " the divine economy "ns.
hold, mako an things new" IL uod's
mtihod " reformation. aud O seems
specially applicable 90 our own nFs. In
which though. IL being rcmllsl,d on
every line, no matter where We turn.
II "a e irue-and Whl can deny az that
so-cilled Christianity has been worn
out unul I, Is 10 state similar q that
in whch Judaism was az the
beginning ~ our ora. .. must
stand aside. Truth. like ,he principle VI
ne. ls eternal, Interchangeable. but new
forms must iakg tho place " the old
ones Whenever ih0r are unsu.ted Tor
new conditions Christians Sho look
forward f1r The redemption of mankind.
Wil be i.app3.nttl. unless u la
hfauEht about by the Interference "
the A'm.gh,y .u thr AFFAIRS Of men, aH
90 ageH past in critical periods Of hue
man h'fiory, We claim this hla boon
done ln this age, ana that the remedy
aglins, OWLS both % he pr0tes,au. ana
catholic world has been r,ysn from
heaven,