Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-07-25
UNION WITH ROME,

II the question were asked What adj
illustrative act OF the late Roman
pontih Is likely 10 have the CREATES
consequences Tor the future? It Is not
improbable that am impartial answer
would be to this effect. that biz effort,
for the union OF Chustpudom VIII bt
20 characterized The Roman admins,
tration Is divided I'm several depart,
ments called conversations" and 10
1896 Pope Leo created tho ccrgrega
ton for the reunion Of dssenure
churches, for the special purpose u;
studying the causes that have divided
Christendom into n multitude Of scots
and of establishing a preparatory bl.
SIS for the reconciliation OF these dis.
sIdents with the Roman Catholic
church. At the time Of the Reforma-
ton It vas thought necessary 10 create
the congregation Of the InQudtion, IN
order to stem the tide OF apostasy.Leo's
congregation has Tor ~ purpose the
reunion OF those already outside the
Church Il IS evident. thnt II this pur.
pose Is accomplished. or nearly so, that
fact VIII be ot the greatest Importance
to the entire world And this IS by
no means impossible on the contrary,
u is highly probable that the final
contest viii be between only two
churches
The fact Is that the influences for
union between churches is at work.
Not long ago plan for the consolida
ton OF the Congreeationallsts United
Brethren, and Methodist Protestants
was formulated and discussed. They
may not yet be ready for corporate un.
ion but they are talking the matter
over and II appears TO be fayorably
considered by great many members Of
those bodies
The fact is that the existence Of
schisms is no longer regarded as good
but an evil. The Kansas city Times
expresses very widely held opinion
thus
The existence Of one hundred and
fifty different Protestant denomina.
iions in the United states must impress
the most ultra -non-comformists as un.
fortunate The dissldence Of dissent Is
carried TO an extreme. With its need.
less competition, its friction. its prose.
lyting It frequently becomes unchris-
tan. Even where church building So
cieties do not scramble TO supplant n.
walls IN home mission fields. the exist.
ence OF 81 many Independent ecclesIas.
tical machines means tremendous
waste Of efficiency Work Is duplicated
there Is no coordination az effort. and
energy Is disspated The first definite
step towards consolidation. therefore. Is
a matter Of greater importance than
might az FIRST appear. for II represents
modern tendency thar Is likely 10
show far-reachng results. Yet prob
ably few persons knew the last week OF
April that a conference looking to the
consolidation ut four denomlnat ions
was IN progress IN Pittsburg While
the union was not effected at that time.
the results achieved We're significant
enough TO warrant general attention
Possibly this action taken at
Plttsburg may grow into q general
movement TO end the scandal Involved
In The existence OF so many needless
divisions Of the Protestant church"
This tendency toward union viii help
the Catholic congregation for the re-
union Of dissenting churches. when
the movement In the opposite direction
from Professionalism gets started, there
Is no logical haltng-places before Rome
is reached This fact will become ap.
parent as the journey back proceeds
The road TO union is considerably
smoother now than Il has been before.
Most Protestants have ceased 10 look
upon Rome as Babylon" and the Ro-
man structure as the man ot sin. or
aniichrisL" with this view o. the
matter done away with there can De no
valid ground for refusing 90 te.enter
The folds Of that church. i Is more
ancient than the others Il has a more |
Imposing service IT'S theology Is more |
osicaL and its powt, ana influence IN |
Inc world are greater With alI these
ana other inducements. IL IS not 10 /
be- wondered at u the wound" som. |
lay is completely healed That such |
IA event will De followed hy o period
IF supreme trial 10 the Saints % the
Most High is also probable. bot the |
inal outcome is, nevertheless. mo-.
loubtnl.