Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-11-17
TENDENCY OF PRoTEsTANTIsM.

Rev Joseph Mcsorley a Paulist
priest, In The American Ecclesiastical
Review for October. maintains that
modern Professionalism has a tendency
towards the denial Of the doctrine Of
the divinity Of the Redeemer. He ad-
mits that thousands of Protestants 10y
ally worship the Son Of God but he
contends that the very nature Of Pro-
testantism is such as to make lis pro-
fesslon "a mere preface to bold denial
Of what Chrlst's true disciples hold to
be their dearest treasure-the literal
truth Of Gods incarnation
This is a sweeping criticism on the
numerous bodies Of Christian asso-
Citations that pride themselves on the
orthodoxy Of their creeds, and the i'm
maculate conception OF their doctrines.
But Is II not just to a great EXTENT
Rev. McSorley looks at the religious
currents in the world and finds these
condltions
In Germany, whore there stll thun-
ders the echo OF Luthers proclama-
ti0n OF religious freedom. the pure
Gospel has given birth In succession 70
uetlsm mythism. TatiOnalism, IDEAL
ism. sentImentalism, pantheism. In
Geneva the Rome of Professionalism,
where Farel preached and Calvin leg
islated. Protestant Christianity has de-
yeloped into a sort OF baptized deism,
too little Christian, / might almost
say, TO meet the appreciation OF a
Rousseau or a NOltalre. In Holland
and France with insignificant excep-
tlons. the Reformed churches have be
come uucvangCliCal and rationalistiC In
fact. whatever they may be In name.
In Norway. Sweden and Denmark there
are decided Indications OF "a revival OF
Odinism. or the old scandinavian
heathcnism In England and Scotland
the older deism Of the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries is succeeded by n
meager spiritualism which is only
miserable humanism, and In this Coun-
try Professionalism tends 10 reject AN
d0gmas. 20 make Christianity a mere
scenic display. and 90 settle down In a
revived necromancy and demon-wOr-
ship. when some few years since your
Protestant delegates met In a worlds
convention az London, 10 devise and
effect a Protestant alliance for the
overthrow Of Catholicity they found
that there were no common doctrines
ON which they could agree not even
that of the immortality OF the soul. and
were obliged 20 separate without draw
ing up q common confession A creed
embracing only the principal articles
of natural religion, never called into
question even by heather nations. was
found 90 embrace too much TO be- ac-
Clutod by an who claimed 20 be good
Protestant Christians
with the revival Of Odlnsm' IN the
SCANDINAVIAN countries, the author re-
fers. we presume. 90 the religious ten
dency originated By Bishop Grundtvig,
and which has many open followers.
I'm This country Mr. Mcsorley points
10 the influence OF Unitarianlsm and
UnIycrsalism upon the Protestant |
churches He quotes. By way Of illus
tratlon this editorial paragraph from |
the New York sun
"llany Of the old Unitarian families /
Or Boston are now attendants upon /
Episcopal churches. Episcopallans and |
Tnftarians may sometimes be seen join /
irc IN memorial exercises and speaking /
from the same platform. Unquestion- /
ably the barriers between the different /
branches Of Professionalism are being |
broken down. but IS not the hammer |
with which the work Of destruction Is
done rather agreement in unbelief than
IN bchcf?'
Itis difficult to escape the conclusions
TO which these facts lead. Protestant
ism in drifting away from divine au-
thorlty IN matters Of faith and practice,
has been an aid 10 inhdelity. We may
not admit that Professionalism Itself Is
akin to disbelief, but II cannot be de-
MED that It has placed itself on the
same level with Il. They are standing
on the same platform as 70 authority,
When private judgment Is supreme,
stravss and Renau have as much claim !