The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-28
THE RELIGION on rue FUTURE.
A Plan for the PM sophie and Scientific
treatment o. the n Religions e Mankind.

4 Plan for the PHI sophie and Scientific
Treatment o. the Religions e Mankind.
TO rHE EpiToR or THE Sun Sir; This
years Easter Sunday lecture on the history
and philosophy OF religion by your venerable
corresp ndent, Mr.. Goodwin Smith. may have
left a bitter taste In the mouths Of those
,thousands OF Roman Catholics and Protestants
who prepared themselves for the divine service
on that holy morning. and even tho skeptical
Jew, who ordinarily shruEs his shoulders At
the very mention OF the name Of ren gon. may
have felt a kind Of spiritual horror rdeui At
the perusal Of the lay sermon Of the sage OF
Toronto.
To the Christian Goodwin Smith leaves only
the personal human character and ethical
teachings OF Jesus Of Nazareth son OF the
Galilean carpenter Joseph, while the Old
Testament Of the Hebrew people 10 repre-
oented as some sort OF literary Palestinian
potpourri without any claim 10 divine author
ship or inspiration. After having thus pitt
leasly torn away the foundation from Church
and Synagogue and opposed the writings OF
Darwin, Tyndall and Huxley 10 the stupen-
dous mass Of theological literature which
Church fathers and theoloRians OF a hundred
denominations have accumulated for nearly
two millenniA, our philosopher sadly confesses
that for the first time perhaps, In history
man stands with his unassisted reason IN
face Of the mystery Of his existence and OF the
order Of the universe adding however, the
cQnsolinR hope that in the frank abandon
ment OF that which cannot be sustained may
lie our only road 70 truth
The Grand Old Man Of Canada and the reEu-
lar e. wen az irregular students Of IHE SUNS
tnSOIogicSl faculty may learn with interest
(and am glad 10 state that this first ofhcial
statement has been exclusively reserved 70
them) that upon the su question OF the writer
OF these lines twenty-one Of the most eminent
Representatives Of the science Of religion, on
March last constituted themselves, ~ the
Union Theological Seminary Of New YORK,
board Of editors OF an Encyclopedias Of Re-
HR1ons. with the set purpose Of Offering 70
humanity the first complete, authentic and
Impartial presentation OF the RELIGIOUS lue
Of mankind, from the descriptive, historic
phiosophlo and comp arative standpoint
Thus llIustrious band Of scholars, representing
the aower Of our foremost American univera-
ties and theological seminaries, ielt that Sh9
tims was ,fully here when mhLnkihha no. n 40
religious development and 20 draw the loG eel
eonciudon therefrom. The temples OF Egypt
4.so, a and 'RsP Pms E hSRs to open her
sacred books together with the old an
synaEoEue, the Arabic mosque, and the dozen
% venerable churches OF Chrlstendom, 70 tell
the tale Of mans seeking after the SOLUTION
Of the riddle OF the universe, ~.
And what county Is ntter ior ~ tn re,, R LONE
truth thSn ours, where fuu liberty OF religion
reigns and all races Of mankind are welded
into one oitlzenhood. being destined 70 evolve
IN time the ideal cOsmo lta nism Of Socrates
and Plato and Spinozai Even at this ad-
vanced stage Of civilization and mutual re-
II Rous federation, at least In the upper classes
Of society, IL could only 10 the United States
come 70 pass that the president OF a boman
Catholio seminary ana professor az r. HS sa@e
E SRlS ram ana md Jewish hsOOSy woTS bar
moniously together az q sort Of rehglous
And Who SnoWsY This new Encyclopedia
Of Religions, a kind OF collective american
4 BridgeWater TTe9tises, may start a move
mSnt such as has been toreshadowed by Prot.
Goodwin Smith In his Easter sunday epistls
20 the believers and ,upbelievers Of the United
even those who have embraced the 1naterial-
istlc hypothesis have, remained spiritual IN
would, no doubt. be only too glad " they
could be offered, on seientlhc OASIS new
warrant for reliance on ne dictates o. con-
cherished OF existence beyond the grave, Tor
confidence In a divine order Of the universe
These principles will have 70 be the lrm
Foundations Of the reli gion Of the future, after
which all really great theolo Eans, phiios 9o
piers, statesmen and humanltaTians nave
1898 when a beautiful woman representing
the Goddess Of Reason was worahipped In
f4S Psr q Psts n Pc
Rrooyrator Of the Holy SyPod, 70 fosS s, PiS US
H.. from the Lutheran ObeTRonsistorium ~
Berlin TO the Lambeth Palace at London q
more and more distinct feeling becomes IreyS-
lent that a thorou Rh cleaning OF the old cob
web theology OF the past IL necessary In order
20 preserve in their purity the beautiful forms
OF genuine religion. Theology IL greater
than any and all Churches enthusiastically
eXcaim ed the Rev. Or. Charles Outhbert Hal
in his brilliant pamphlet on The Teachings Of
Theology" He under whose auspices the
possible founders OF the religion OF the future
met at the place and date mentioned above
will certainly not find II amlss II ], going one
step further, replace his thesis by that other
one: Religion is greater than any and all
This AXIOM once fully underEtood and
recognized by SynRgoRue, Church and
Mosque, there il a possibility that IN q not
too distant future jew, Christian and hoslem
ito begin with this principal Teli gious section
OF humanity will meet n one e, House OF God
New Testament. Koran, Philosophy and
Science as common Gospel, and the most
beautiful hymns in poetry and proee which
ever spranE from human heart and brain to
eKRlt the Creator aud His creation az common
Psalter htDoRE bINom.
EEW YORK, April IS.