Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-07-07
FOR A HIGHER LIFE
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON


A ForcefuI Presentation of What Is
Our Duty. to Ourselves, to God aAd
to Our Fellow rIan.
KINGSTON, N. Y.-In the Reformed
Church of the Comforter on Sunday morn
ing the Rev. G. L. Palmer preached a
scholarly discourse entitled ''The Univer-
sal in Religion"
Tylor, in Primitive Culture, says: 'He
who only knows one religion can no more
understand that religion, than he who only
understands one language can master that
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 customs
OF systems other than his own, any more
than one can master his native tongue
without any knowledge of it's cognates.
It is undeniable that study of the various
systems dlscloses a. religious substratum
and phenomena, Of which no intelligent
student is willing to be deprived.
E The population of the world is estimated
at ,S92, 100000. Of this number loo, ,OOO, 900
are pagan or heather, which represents the
very lowest grade of humanity. There are
supposed to be 175,00O,O0O Brahmans. The
nominal and professed followers of Buddah
and Confucius are estimated at 10000, ,OOO
Mohammedans number more than 200, ,O00,-
900. Christians, including Roman Cath
oHc, Greek Church and Protestant, are
computed at 40O,000,O00. The whole of
Eastern Asia is occupied by the Buddhists,
India by the Brahmans, Africa, Australia
and the South Sea Islands by the pagan
by the Mohammedans, the largest part Of
Europe and America by Christians
The conservative classifcations of the re-
hglons 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 compara-
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 a thousand
years was limited to it's 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,
ritory. They aspire to conquer the
world. Such were Moses, Zoroaster, Bud
dah, Mohammed and Jesus. Ethnic relig-
ions were evolved out of their own life.
Catholic systems were formulated, intro
duced and promulgated by an inspired
| prophet.
| It is not my 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 no
| faith, even among the most degraded, is EN-
tirely destitute Of some truth concerning g
| Cod Christianity is the one system which
has an adequate disclosure of the attri-
butes of Jehovah, because Jesus became in
carnate the reveal the Father. ''He that
hath seen Me hath seen the Father" And
| even Christianity cannot condense in a
single definition a comprehensive descrip-
tion of the Supreme Being, for the idea is
not simple but complex. The lowest con
ceptlon of God is known as anlmlsm, which
is belief in spiritual powers as opposed to
materialism. It is the unformulated no
tion of themost undeveloped tribes, and
has no place in the Christian system ex
cept as clarified and perfected in angel
ology. and demonology. Polytheism is
found principally in the ethnic systems
In Egypt the divine elements were; seen
dwelling in nature. The Greek deities
were not personifcations, but persons, di
vine men and women. In the Vedit
Hymns of India the forces of nature are
spiritualized into objects of reverence anC
love. The most marked form Of pantheisn
appears in the Hindu religion, which i
in its extreme development, that the uni
verse is God. and God is the universe
| Christian science savors OF it. The doc
trine of the divine imminence may be 81
forced as to eliminate the personality o
God. Ditheism is belief in two hostile
powers which was a tenet of Zoroastrian
ism. Triads appear in the ethnic and Cath
olic systems. The Christian doctrine of tn
trinity is necessary and natural concep
ton of God, and becomes clear if it i
understood to represent Him as one in es
sence but three in form. Monotheism i
principally Characteristic of the Catholi
systems, though traces are found in tn
pagan and ethnic. Deeply imbedded il
every heart is the conviction of an Al
mighty personality, and that such person
ahty is back of all forms and images, AM
that the latter becomes eficacious becaus
j, of the power of God.
ALI possible theories about the origin Q
the universe are reducible to four
That it had no beginning, but has alway
existed either in its present or anotne
form. While the eternity of matter ha
! been advocated by some it has never be
come popular belief, and it does not al
peal to modern science. But among. tn
} primitive tribes we presume, many thin
of the handiwork of God without con
mencement and elimination. 2. That
came by process of evolution. This th'
ory had been modified in recent years b
= Biblical scholars and philosophical thinl
ers, with the result of a most hearty a.
: ceptance on the part of some thoroug
( studenas and devoted scientists. 8. Al
. other view is that it came by a proces
q of emanation. The difference between ev
: luton and emanation seems to be, that tt
: former is a growth up to and including
: certain completeness. while the latter b
+ gan with the dark abyss of infinite bein
:. and by means CT series of emanations {
: fallings away from this inconceivable fir
essence, gradually reached an intellige1
z Creator and an intelligent creation" Th
| theory is Oriental in its origin, appearir
first in the cosmcgony of the Hindus.
), Conservative Christian scholars are d
!. vided on this doctrine. Some hold tn;
. God created, that is, actually mad
brought into existence, the material o,
, of which all things were formed. Othe
i hold that He simply cut, carved and fas
ioned the universe ant of pre-existing m
). terial It is difficult to say just what for
is acceptable to the majority of Christie
e scholars. Evolution as we now understar
y it is certainly accepted by men whose 81
vvon