The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-27

This is a survey of the religious life of
our times as related to progress. written by
Willard S. Selleck and published by Little,
Brown & Co., Boston.
Although the author of this book is a
clergyman-of what denomination it does
not appear-still, it is pervaded by such a
spirit of candor and hope that it will do
anybody good to read it. Among its good
things are four chapters-one devoted to
the strength and weakness of the Catholic
Church. another to the limitations of the
Protestant Church. another to Christian
Science, and still another to the respective
merits OF the Unitarian and Universalist
churches. While the author has a kind
word for all. he points out that the Catholic
Church pushes its principle OF authority to
as great extremes as the Protestant Church
its principle of private Judgment. If the
latter has frittered and still fritters its
power away in denominations and supports
an almost absurd number of semi-starving
churches, it's great Catholic rival exhausts
its power I'm a splendid hierarchy and
misses that spirituality which should be
the ultimate aim of religion to teach, and
without teaching and increasing which the
church is a failure. even though financially
pIOSpcAOuS dlQ II ny AOh5o u
fashionable people. The fact that a little
city Of 10000 people supports twenty sep
arate church establishment where ten
would answer all purposes is both poor re-
ligion and poor business. The author has
a kind word for the new and rapidly
spreading sect known as Christian Sci
entists. While their power to cure disease
is grossly exaggerated, still the principle
= u - lin
valuable Is the law of love that they put
SO much stress upon. The author takes
no stock in Mrs. Eddy. And he does full
Justice to the remarkable work that Rob-
ert Ingersoll and the Unitarians and the
Universalists have wrought within the last
twenty-five years. IngersoIl and the two
bodies just named made the old dogmas
look so foolish that the churches have prac-
tically abandoned everlasting punishment
and the sad fate OF what We used to call
'the heather" And here comes In the new
study OF comparative religion. Fifty years
ago missionaries were sent to the heather
10 save them from everlasting flames and
10 overturn their heather religions. Now
an entirely different spirit prevails. These
"other religions" while inferior to Chris
tianity. are now recognized as genuine eff
lOTlS Dy Iuulilituldly udiultS anu udllNcS
..to touch Gods right hand in the dark
ness" and are by no means TO be ignored.
but rather to be supplemented by the larger
and more spiritual religion OF their Western
brethren. Hence the author approves of
the Great Congress OF Religions in Chicago
I'm 1898, n OF missionary efforts generally.
The author takes a hopeful view of the
outlook for Christianity in the United
States. There is a higher valuation than
ever set by our churches upon the morali-
ties, and the emotionalism Of the past is
giving away TO better and more widely
practiced ethics. There are more common
sense and better business methods now be-
ing used I'm the management OF churches
than ever before. The author deplores the
extremes 10 which the higher critics have
gene, and yet points out that. while they
have clearly shown that there are myths
and mistakes in the Bible. and that He
brew history Is TO be subjected to the same
tests as Greek or Roman history, still all
that the higher critics have shown TO be
false In the Bible may be stricken out with
out essentially impairing Its value as our