Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-16
ABANDONING THE CHURCHES.

A New York exchange makes note
OF the fact that according to expert
calculation. out Of Brooklyns entire
population OF i.ie7.iOO souls. 62a.IsI are
entirely outside OF church influence.
This is considerably over one half.
This raises the question whether the
churches have ceased to represent to
mankind something vital. something
which they can believe. something that
they can worship and something
worthy OF their manhood and woman
hood?"
The paper quoted finds consolation In
the thought that Brooklyn. notwith-
standing it's large percentage OF r'pu-
latIon outside church influence. In a
highly moral borough. This goes to
show. It Is assumed. that the people
are possessed OF inmate righteous
ness" and that the ministers have no
Just ground for complaint.
The evident drift OF this reasoning is
that the churches are rather superiiu-
QUA institutions. since morality can be.
and IL, maintained without them. This
Impression IL quite widespread. Only
the other day paper In this city.
which poses as the friend par excel
ience Of sectarian churches, had this
hnrangue. which might have been
pcnned by an infdcl:
"Dld Bishop Leonard ever know n
chronic liar TO be broken OF his habit
by conversion Did he ever know
vicious woman, who loved TO Islander
her sister women and make rows In
the neighborhood. that was cured OF
that BY conversion Does conversion
make a man more fair In his Judgment
| OF his fellowmon2 Ia he not Just as
| likely. after conversion. II he runs
against three or four dishonest men. TO
| conclude that the whole community II
| rotten na he was before? Commercial
honor In not established by the
churches. That IN purely worldly
adjustment. as the Bishop Will see II
he minglea much with them. There are
plenty OF men who are scrupulously
| particular To meet all their obligations.
who would be dangerous men for
| Bishop Leonard TO trade with. And
there are a good many men we believe
that belong TO Bishop Leonard's
church. who fulhll all their obligations
to the church. that Bishop Leonard
would not like TO make administrators
OF his estate"
II this IL the reputation the churches
have established among their Intimate
friends. II IL no wonder that q popula-
ton with the Inmate righteousness OF
Brooklyn should desert the places OF
worship where commercial honor Is
not established"
Morality. OF course. exists outside re-
liglous associations. II existed In pa
| n I. la, lac. haa hal ..
world today. But II the testimony OF
history be taken for II. the kind OF
morality that ceinents together indi-
vlduals into families, families into
communities and communities into
States. and holds them firmly estab-
lished against the raging and ravaging
storms OF time, Is found nowhere out
side the influence OF true Christianity.
Pagan empires have risen, hourlshed FOR
"a time, and then crumbled into ruins.
or entered into stage Of stagnntion;
not for lack OF genius. or enterprise. or
power, but on account of the absence
OF the highest moral qualifications.
Christianity supplied this want. When
the Gospel came TO the Greeian CEN
tiers OF civilization. Corinth for Instance.
Il found that great many pillars OF
society" We're fornlcators, idolators,
thieves, coyetous, drunkards. and ex-
tortloners. but 1t changed all that.
such" says the Apostle in his letter
TO the Corinthians, were some OF you,
but ye are washed. but ye are sanctl-
fed, but ye are justified In the name OF
the Lord"