Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-06-30
UNIVERSAL IN RELIGION"
A Bright Sunday Sermon By Rev. {. l.
Palmer.
Every System Of Religion Has Some Concei'
tlen OF God.

ing the Rev. G. l.. Palmer preached
scholarly discourse entitled The UnNer
sal in Religion" ar,
Tylor, in Primitive Culture, says: "Ht
who only knows one religion can no more
understand that religion, than he who onl!
understands one language can master tina
language BY which he means, that one
cannot adequately appreciate any system
of faith and practice without some knowl
edge of the history, doctrines and customf
of systems other than his own, any more
than one can master his native tongue
without any knowledge of its cognates
1t is undeniable that study of the various
systems dscloses religious substratum
and phenomena of which no intelligent
student is willing to be deprived.
The population OF the world Is estimated
at ], 392, 100000. OF this number lOO,OO,OW
are pagan or heather, which represents the
very lowest grade of humanity. There are
supposed to be l75 100000 Brahmans. The
nominal and professed followers of Buddaf
and Confucius are estimated at 42O,0O0,OOO
Mohammedans number more than 10000,
600. Christians, including Roman Cath
oic, Greek Church and Protestant, are
computed at 4O0000,0O0. The whole o.
Eastern Asia is occupied by the Buddhists.
India by the Brahmans, Africa, Australia
and the South Sea Islands by the pagan
tribes. Parts of Europe, Asia and Africa
by the Mohammedans, the largest part of
Europe and America by Christians.
The conservative cassficatiors of the re
ligions of the world were such as these
true and false religions, natural and super.
natural. pagan and revealed, spiritual and
superstitious. Such classification is not
only confusing to the student of compare.
tive religions, but is UNJUST, Tor every
system contains some truth A better
classification is: L. Tribal. 2 Ethnic,
3. Catholic The tribal includes all sys
TENS which have no ritual priesthood,
creed, sacred writings, architecture or
music. The ethnic religions are confined
to one nation; such for example, was the
religion of Egypt which for thousand
years was limited to its national borders.
The system of Assyria was confined to
Assyria; the religion of Greece was con
fined to the Hellenic race; that of Rome
to the Romans; of Confucius to China,
Brahmanism is confined to India, and the
faith of the Eddas was limited to the
Scandinavian or Teutonic races. The
Catholic systems, in spirit and method,
know no limit in either time or ter
ritory. They aspire to conquer the
word Such were Moses, Zoroaster, Bud.
dab, Mohammed and Jesus, Ethnic relg'
ions were evolved out OF their own lite
duced and promulgated by an inspired
prophet
1t is not ny purpose to trace the origin
OF religion, the evolution or development
or to compare the merits OF each, but to
very briefly direct attention to certain
forms or doctrines common to all.
Such conception is either Just or unjust,
true or false, right or wrong. though ne
faith, even among the most degraded, is en-
tlrey destitute of some truth concerning
God Christianity is the one system Which
has an adequate disclosure of the attrl
butcs of Jehovah, because Jesus became in
carnate the reveal the Father lie that
hath seen Me hath seen the Father And
even Christianity cannot condense in
single definition a comprehensive descrlp
ton of the Supreme Being for the idea s
not simple but complex. The lowest con
ception OF tod is known a anlmlsm, winch
is belief IN spiritual power, as opposed TIC
materialism. 1t Is the differentiated no
ton of the most undeyeloped tribes, and
has no place in the Christian system eX
cept as clarified and perfected in angel
oogy and demonolo2y. Poytheism ia
found principally in the ethnic systems
In Egypt the divine elements were seen
dwelling in nature. The Greek dcItles
were not personihcations, but persons. dl.
hymns of India the forces Of nature are
splrltua,Izcd into objects OF reverence and
love. The most marked form of pantheIsm
appears III the Hindu religion, which Is
in its extreme Development, that the UNI
verse is God. and God is the universe.
Christian science saVorS OF 1t. The doc
trlne of the divine immincnce may be so
forced a to eliminate the personality OF
God. DtheSm Is belet in two hostile
powers which was a tenet OF IcroastrIal
ism. Trlads appear IN the ethnlc aud Cath,
Ole systems The Christian doctrine of the
trinity Is a necessary and natural concep'
ton oil God, and becomes clear If it ia
understood TO represent Him as one in e..
sence but three in form. MonuthciSm l.
principally Characteristic OF the Catholic
systems, though traces are found IN the
pagan and ethnic. Deeply mbedded in
every heart is the convi, lon of an Al
mighty personality, and that such person.
atty Is back of all forms and images. and
! that the latter becomes etiicacious because
OF the power OF God.
| All possible theories about the origin OF
| the universe are reducible to four. |
That 1t had no beginning. but hai always
! existed either IN It's present or another
form. While the eternity of matter ha.
! been advocated by some it has never be
7
peal to modern science. But among the
primitive tribes we presume, many think
OF the handlwork of God without com
mencement and elimination. ,. That il
! came by process OF evolution. This the
DRY had been modified in recent years by
Biblical scholars and philosophical think
ers, with the result OF most hearty ac
cep.ance on the part of some thorough
studenas and devoted scientists. 3. An
| other view Is that 1t came by process
! OF emanation. The difference between evo
luton and emanatlon seems to be- that he
former is IA growth up to and including
certain completeness, while the latter be
gan with the dark abyss of infinite being
and by means of series of carnations oI
talngs away from this inconceivabe first
essence, gradually reached an intelligent
| creator and an intelligent creation" This
theory Is Oriental in its origin, appearing
tlrst IN the coSmogony of the Hindus.
Conservative Christian scholars are di
vlded on this doctrine. Some hold that
God created, that is, actually made,
brought into existence, the material out
| OF winch all things were formed. Others
hold that lie simply cut, carved and fash
| Toned the universe out of prc.eXstine ma
,erial. 1t is difficult to say lust what form
Is acceptable to the majority of Christian
scholars. Evolution as we now understand
1T is certainly accepted by men whose sin
| cerlty we cannot question and whose scho
arship commands universal admiration.
There is spirit in man and the inspira
ton Of the Almighty giveth it understands
ing, The lowest and most ignorant pagan
and the most intelligent Christian is born
in possession of it, The practice of the
human family from the very first confirms
the statement, chat the spirit of man
goeth upward" All believe in a spirit
world and that access is had to it through
prayer: Men pray either because they OBJ.
tain what they ask for, or because the act
is blessing in itself. The Sioux Indians
pray-"Spirits of the dead, have mercy on
u.s." The Iulus of Africa pray to their
ancestors-"Pe People of our house. peorle of
our house; cattle. People of our house,
| good luck and health - Delaware In.