Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-10-20
DISCUSSES CREED
DAVENPORT PREACHER SAYS
EVERY MAN SHOULD DECIDE
FOR HIMSELF.
Rather Than Trust to Any Religious
Organization to Define His Beliefs,
Rev. Mott r. sawyers Declares Man
Should Form His Own Opinion.

Davenport, Oct. 1s.--A sensation
was caoused Sunday by an unusual
sermon by Rev. Mott r. Sawyers, who
for several years has been pastor of
the Second Presbyterian church here.
Sawyers held to the tenet that 1t is
the right and duty of each man to de-
eide for himself in matters of religion,
whether he shall accept certain doc
trines or not, rather than trust to re-
ligious organizations to define his be-
lief. He said in part:
The Apostles Creed.
This creed is a good statement of
accepted Christian belief, but it has
no binding authority. There is no sat
isfactory evidence that the Apostles
had anything to do with the compila-
ton of it. 1t cannot be justly required
Of any one that they hold explicitly to
the statements therein made. We
must use Independent Judgment in
such matters. The first requisite in
religion-the very first-is that man
should be honest. If there is anything
that you do not believe do not pretend
to believe it. No matter if 1t is de-
clared to be the faith Of the church
universal. The church universal, has
been mistaken more times than one
"Infallible' authorities have shown
themselves to be unreliable guides
They have made too many errors to
have any right to ask us to trust them
4 without question. Take what you
honestly believe to be superior bodies
honestly believe and let the rest go
An honest man in the twentieth cen
fury is much more likely to be right
! than one in the superstltious sixteenth
or the fanciful second, or the darl
ones between. The most insane
stupidities have been and still are
4 taught In the name of religious au-
I thority. Let us not forget Copernicus
\ Bruno, Gallileo, Vesalius and scores Of
1 others. They We're condemned by the
/, religious opinion Of all denominations
of their own times. But they wer,
right and the religious authorities wer,
wrong. Christ does not say, II an
custom" II am tradition" II am &c.
4 clesiastical Decree" He says, II an
the truth" and those who would seel
\ Him must seek for the truth Who
cares what men In the past have be.
i lieved? We want to know what /.
!. true. The vital question about an!
doctrine Is not does the church teacl
this?" but rs this true?" We mus
, not care whether our faith is historic
but whether it is right.
The idea Of having prepared by al
legged superior bodies, detailed state
!, ments or doctrine, to which all mus
subscribe, whether they understan,
within the fold, is not Christly in the
DRY and is bad in practice. 1t ha
caused more depressions than it he
healed, and has resulted in the perpet
, uation of many harmful errors. 1t |
based on the idea that the people cal
!, be trusted. But the people are TIL
, church. That a due recognition of tn
: divine right of every man to have hi
the Church Of the Disciples which i
3 as unified, as loyal and as scripture
3 as any and during the last 50 year
3 has shown the greatest increase Of al
/ There is a place for Independent
, thought in religious matters, but Their
: is no place for flippant unconcern.