The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-01
HELL AND THE CHURCHES,


HELL AND THE CHURCHES.
What Has Become of Help Is the
somewhat striking title of an article con-
tributed to the current number Of the
North American Review, by Rev. G. W.
Shinn. The title. as DR.. Shinn explains,
is not designed for the possible sensa-
tional effect which it may have. 1t is
merely intended to convey more clearly
through the interrogatfve form the
thought which lies at the basis of the
article
The purpose Of the writer appears to
be to direct attention to the comparative
rarity with which. in the teachings of the
church today, the fear of hell is being
outwardly availed of by the ministers of
the churches as a deterrent against the
violation of the divine commands.
In his remarkable work entitled Hap
piness in Hell.' the late st. George Mi
vart referred to an illustrated publication
which used to be found very generally in
Catholic families many years ago, which
depicted in a series of lurid illustrations
the torrents of the damned. Dr.. Shinn
in the same behalf makes mention of a
fresco in an old parish church in Eng
land. He mentions it as a sample of
many Ike adornments which once were
writes, where it was in constant sight,
was a picture representing the doom of
the lost. Some very agile demons with
pitchforks are, showing poor wretches,
men and women. down the throat of an
awful monster. The doomed victims do
not seem to like it, but the monster does.
His appetite is Unsuitable, and he has
room for them all in his capactous
maw.''
These two Illustrations may be accept
ed as representing one of the methods Of
religious teaching in general use many
years ago, which have passed out Of
vogue in our time
Does all this mean that hell has dis
appeared from Christian theology, or
merely that the prevailing conception of
he'll has somewhat changed to meet the
requirements of modern thought? The
answer, after AL, matters very little.
The doctrine OF retribution is taught to-
day, as it has ever been taught, by the
churches. We may not accept the ma
teriaI idea of the blessed, sitting with
Iai, MI wi
any more than we do do the idea Of a
liquid sea of fire and birthstone; but we
believe, if we are Christians, in the doc
trine of future rewards and punishment.
There is really very little to quarrel
over as to the teachings OF the churches.
They teach today practically what they
have ever taught as to the right and
wrong of human conduct. There are
variances, no doubt, which deeply impress
the close student of theological doctrine;
but in all the great essentials they preach
even to the mind of the modern agnostic,
it is becoming more and more plain every
day that the observance of the great doc
trInes of the Christian church is an
essential to right living here, whatever
he may choose to think of them with ref
erence to the hereafter. There are rev.
believers, CT non-believers, who have not
had this truth borne in upon them at
different times.
There is more between heaven and
earth than is dreamt of in your phil
osephy,' says Hamlet to Horatio. There
is more of wisdom beneath the teachings
of the church than human philosophy has
learned to comprehend The mode of i'm
pressing a given truth on the human I'M
Outstanding adopted three or ten CEN
turtles ago is not necessarily the most
effective one to adopt today. If those
who indulge themselves in criticism of
the teachings and obserYances of the
church would make serious effort to COM
prehend the wisdom which underl1es
them. there would be infinitely less Of Ill
considered drifting away from church
membership than there is and has been
for some years past.