The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-26
THE B0wDoIN CREED.
1t Points the Way to Advancement of
Pure and indebted RELIGION.

1t Points the Way to Advancement of
Pure and indebted Religion.
To the Editor of the Sunday Journal:
It seems to me that President Hyde, OF
Bowdoin College, has, to an extent he Is
probably not apprised of. rendered service
to the cause OF pure and undefiled religion
in his unique method OF gathering the va
rious shades for beliefs and unbelefs in
the late senior class OF that college and
then so condensing and adjusting them that
the resultant may be called the composite
creed Of the senior class OF Bowdoin Col
lege Of 1908, or, in short, the Bowdoin con-
fession of faith. It's significance is intensi-
fed when ii is remembered that Bowdoin
College was founded more than a hundred
years ago, with other purposes, ito pro-
mote virtue and piety," and that, while in
no sense a theological school, this purpose
has been rigidly adhered to from the be-
ginning, and that its management is chief
ly In the hands OF the Congregational
Church, though some other churches take
part. 1t is not to be ranked among the
largest and most pretentious Of New Eng
land colleges. but none is better IL we esti-
mate by the scholarship and efficiency of
its corps Of professors and the high rank
its graduates hold in the field OF letters and
usefulness; hence such confession of
faith Is entitled to more than a passing no.
tice; it deserves careful study. There is
even more significant factor than all this
entering into it. There were I'm the class
sixty young men gathered from as many
average homes in New England. repre-
senting the average New England opinion
OF to-day on religion and presumably the
average opinion OF the thinking people OF
the entire country. This up-to-date com-
posite creed reads as follows:
Il believe in one God, present In nature
as law, In science as truth, In art as beau
~; In history as justice, in society as SYM
In Christ as our highest ideal.
II believe in the Bible as the expression
OF G4ds VIII through man; in prayer as the
church as the fellowship of those who try
to do Gods will in the world
Il believe In worship as the highest inspi-
ration to work; In sacrifice as the price
we must pay to make right what is wrong;
In salvation as growth out OF selfshness
into service; in eternal life as the survival
Of what loves and is lovable in each in
dividual and in judgment as the Obvious
fact that the condition OF the gentle the
generous, the modest, the pure and the
true Is always and everywhere preferable
to that OF THE cruel, the sensual, the mean.
the proud and the false"
1t Is not to be assumed that this formula
embraces all that any one of the sixty be-
lieves. For instance, the conception of God
as set forth In this creed is admirable as
far as 1t goes, but no doubt many, If not
most, of the young men believe much moro
than Is contained in 1t; they believe i'm an
1mmanent" God. in whom we live and who
lives In us, and whose tenderness toward
us and interest in is more aptly brought
to our comprehension by the relation of a
living and wise father than by any other
ngure or illustration. We may admire law
and justice and truth and beauty and sym
pathy In one who may be q stranger 70 us
personally, but when all these are found in
one who shows all the tenderness and
care and fellowship of a loving father we
md conception of him which makes him
dear TO US as We are to him, and there
that is impossible otherwise. Many prob
ably most, of the sixty esteem the Christ
OF the New Testament as much more than
"a high IDEAL" somehow they associate
with him the idea of pardon and brother
hood and eternal life; but none OF these
added beliefs need stand in the way OF
exemplffying true and undefiled religion "a
1t is set forth ia the creed of the early
church-doing good and keeping pure.
But the supreme significance OF this COM
posite creed consists in the fact that no
man who subscribes TO il and conforms to
| II In his manner of life can be an immoral
man DE cannot be a drunkard or a pro-
fane man or dishonest man, but he must
| be interested in the welfare OF all and TO
| be consistent he must be member of
some church He must wish To do Gods
VIII In the earth, and this be cannot do
| TO the best advantage without feliowchip
with those OF like purpose; and he must be
praying man II prayer can conform
man 8 VIII 10 GODS, as IL certainly does
And there is no demand for a new church
| organization for the accomplishment of the
| sublime end OF church fellowship though
another or even dozen more deromina-
| tons would be no great detriment TO the
| end TO be sought-doing good and keeping
! pure The Fellowship that Is to be sought
| depends more upon social afinities than
upon any similarity i'm beliefs II there Is a
oneness OF purpose In the individuals COM
posing the organization. 1t is only in q
| perfunctory manner that any church to-
| day requires assent to the dogmas of the
| middle ages. The church has grown away
| from all this, and requires now only pur-
| pose TO do good and keep pure.
Ii was an interesting coincidence that in
| the issue OF the Sunday Journal OF the 18th
| inst. there was an editorial calling atten-
| ton to the TACT that so many men Of
wealth are contributing freely 10 hospitals
ana colleges and other things that are to
| promote human happiness. Stranger things
| have occurred than that this Bowdoin
creed should become almost In its identical
FORM the basis OF a broader cooperation
| OF all the churches in the great work or
| bringing the high morality and the prac-
| tical philanthropy of the Bible TO the
notice OF all peoples. AS a wcfkins creed X
| outranks the so-called apostles cred. ana
| II deserves more than the ephemeral noto-
| ricty il seems likely to receive. More peo-
pie are Interested in IL than the senior class
OF that college. Let men disbelieve as many
| of the dogmas and vagaries OF the midoie
ages as they please. 80 they unite on the
| central truths contained in this Bowooln
| creed. and the world will be the better TOT
| ~. and no one the worse. .~or,,,,>,
InSianaDoite T,,l, *