The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-02-20
IS RELIGION DECADENT?
QUESTION ANSWERED BY THE REY.
MR.. DICKERM1N

AT the Church of the Messiah Yesterday
Moral Suasion of Modern Pulpit
Tame Compared with That of OIden
Times-Purpose of Religion of To -tiny
Sermon as Delivered n Powerful One.
Before large audience yesterday
forenoon at the Church Of the Messiah,
the Rev. Mr.. Dickerman delivered a
most interesting sermon, as follows:
John, 1910.
The following question was asked in
previous sermon:Is religion dying?
The signs of apparent decay in reli-
gious faith were pointed out, namely:
The general decrease in church at
tendance. The lapse of interest in mis-
sions The slump, as 1t is called, in
church membership. The petty reasons
given for irregular attendance. The
trifling inconvenience allowed to stand
In the way of church duties. The ques-
tionable means employed to support re-
Igious institutions. The growing sci
entific agnosticsm. The materializing
effects of modern commercialism. The
substitutes for religion such as social,
artistic and literary culture aestheti-
cism.
In that discourse the question, SIS re-
ligion decadent?" was not answered.
No conclusion was made pro or con;
only differences were used.The signs of
the times seemed to indicate that reli-
gion was not patronized for it's own
sake that it did not sustain itself-was
not Recommending; not at premium.
l desire now to reconsider the pro-
blem, and arrive, if possible, at def
mite conclusion. Last Sundays small
attendance suggested the reconsidera-
ton. How can we justify the democrat
1zation of congregation by a light
snow storm. If religion be an urgent ne
cessity, as it Is said to be? You see the
practical bearing of this inquiry. Is it a
condition that has come to stay; how
shall we interpret it? We have said, in
another sermon, that religion, at its root,
is everywhere the same, but theology
varies with every time and place. De-
votion to the truth, and trust in God for
all that is and is to be, Is religion. Like
the air, it is fixed and universal fact;
but theology, a theory about God. is like
the atmosphere, which is the air that
has taken up the malaria of the
swamps, the smoke and poisonous gases
of the cities and the putrid odors of de-
cay. We must remember that there
may be associated with religion what
the Germans call a motif-a something
that gives rise to forms of expression.
Now motive, though using the name
of religion, may not be detoutly reli-
gious in itself. The point I wish to es
tablish Is that the motives and methods
attending religion have so radically
changed as to produce the moral effect
of the decay of religion itself.
We may as well face the facts and
frankly admit that what we have been
calling religion has ceased to be reali-
ty to thinking people. Religion, there
fore. as we have known it, is no longer
a self-propagating, urgent and defensi-
BILE reality So we conclude that reli-
gion to-day is not specialized, virile
and strenuous experience. Do not
permit this conclusion to cover
too much ground. The fact remains
that religion in its abstract ideal has not
lapsed, but in the concrete, specific
forms of other days, it has certainly de-
clined through disuse of the old mo-
tives and methods. In our day
religion has come to consist of
quite different considerations. A
method is a means to an end, and
the Importance of the end will deter
mine the nature of the means. Now, If |
you want a revival of old fashioned reli- |
gion, you will be obliged to resusitate |
the old thought of religions end and re-
store the out worn methods. You can |
not have the old-time religion without |
all it's appurtenances.
What was the old time religion? 1t |
was a matter of insurance-the throw
ing out of a rope to the perishing-a
work of rescue. That is a consistent |
thing to do, all things being equal. The |
church was a life-saving station, and re-
ligion getting on the safe side"
Even human society here on the earth
had no meaning apart from the dire ne
cessity Of escaping the wrath of God.
It was voiced in the earnest and stirring |
hymns of those days, still in our memo
ry:
''Life is the hour that God hath given
To escape from hell and flee to heaven"
"Nothing is worth a thought beneath,
But how I may escape the death
That never, never dies"
No one quite escaped the alarm ex-
cept the confirmed unbelievef. Even
those of superior minds and education,
who protested to love such a terrible
God, and admired the beauty of holt
ness, were not exempt from the general
fright and from serious concern for
their personal salvation from hell. The
most cultured regarded virtue, right
eousness, of itself, as filthy rags COM
pared with saving grace. The awful
doom of amending agony in quenchless
fire overshadowed all the joys of life.
Hence they sang:
No room for mirth or trifing here,
Far worldly hope or worldly fear, Il
If life so soon be gone
If now the Judge is at the door,
And all mankind must stand before
The ineXorable throne.
There will never again be that tragic
interest in religion. The urgent, siren
uous motive is gone. Religion was in
teresting then. 1t was at premium
You seemed to get something for your
time and money. When man said The
had GOT relipiOn'' he had something ,