Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-06-02
A HINDU LETTER.
q. Mukerji, o. A. c. Student,
Writes on Conditions
in India.

the churches from the religion of Jesus,
the Christ. Speaking from the Hindu
standpoint, the religion which the
churches uphold and preach today,
W hich has been built around the per
sonality of Jesus, the Christ, and which
is properly known as christianity"
should be called "Churchanity" in con-
tradistinction to that pure religion of the
heart which was tanght by Jesus and
practiced by his disciples.
The religion of Christ, or true chris
tianity, has no dogma, no creed, no
system. no theology. 1t was religion
of the heart, a religion without cere-
monial, without ritual, without priest
craft; it was not based upon any book,
but upon the feelings of the heart, upon
direct communion of the individual soul
with the Heavenly Father. On the con-
trary, the religion of the church is based
upon book, believes in dogmas, pre-
fesses in creed, performs rituals, prac-
tices ceremonials, and obeys the COM
mands of host of priests.
The popular history of churchanity
begins 325 years after Christ, the 10th
Year Of Constantine the Great, when the
famous council was convened at the City
of Niceas Those who have read the
life of this august Roman emperor will
remember how. remarkable was the
character of this so-called pious supporter
of church dogmas. He put to death his
own son and his wife, Fausta. on ground
less suspicion, cut off his brother-in-law,
Licivius, and the unofending son of
Licivius and massacred everyone of his
rivals. Nevertheless, the Greek church
has cannonized him and adore the
memory of St. Constantine.
1t was, Constantine the Great, who
issued decree, 321 A. D., for the
general observance of Sunday, instead
of the Jewish Sabbath. He hated Jews
and everything connected with Jews,
and said: ''This day shall be regarded
as special occasion for prayer, because
it is the Suns day, the day of the Lord"
Since that time the church has accepted
this decree, ignoring the fact that this
was the day for the worship of the Sun
among the pagans.
Readers of ecclesiastical history viii
remember that in one of the disputes
following the great council of Nicea
maidens were insulted and scourged. the
holy temple was profaned, books were
thrown into flames and the church bap-
tistry were burned and monks were
trodden under foot. Such were the deeds
of pious bishops and founders of church.
anity.
In the council of Epheseus, AL A. D.,
monks and bishops screamed, "Whoso
speaks of two natures is Nestorius and
let him be cut assunder.' A bishop
was kicked to death and 1877 corpses were
left in church to attest the convincing
! reason by which the most ruffianly side
proved its orthodoxy. Such we're the
assemblies of Saints who formed the
pillars Of churchanity. The creed OF the
church would have vanished from the
world if swords were not drawn and
! Innocent blood not shed in the name of
| religion.
/ The deeds OF churchanity are written
indelibly on the pages of religious
history OF the world. Snail we wonder,
then, if The humane, kind, gentle, peace.
loving hearts of the Hindus, that are
ever ready to send forth blessings, bene-
dictions, and a current of love toward
humanity, nay, toward all creatures, re-
ject churchanity :? Shall we wonder
| then, that the Hindus, who recognize
Divinity in the souls of all, should refuse
to accept system which was founded
upon the barren soils of dogmas. fertiliz-
ed with the vital forces squeezed out o.
] the hearts OF innocent humanity ano
uourishsd 10y the blood of martyrs?
i By strange irony of fate the Hindus
see today that the followers of church
anity, ignoring its past History, have
come over to India to tell the so-calleo
heather, how churchanity has civilized
the world, how it has brought peace on
earth, how it has saved the souls o
sinners. But Hindu is lover of trutl
and freedom-freedom of thought an,
speech are his guiding stars. From tn
earliest record down to this day ther
has not been in India, religious oppres
sion to any man The Hindus have beef
welcoming new thought and religion
based on rational philosophy and science
for it is impossible for the Hindu to &C
cept anything blindIy. l would ask an
student of history to point out singI
instance of oppression-not t. speak c
massacre -of a religious missionary
India
AS proofof our c'uel character, tn
superficial historians and students poin
to the massacre of 1857 at Cawnpors