The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-05

FN The demand Tor pracIlcal religion
- is not modern discovery. It would
be hard for the most nsational
denunciators Of mere sentimentalism in religion
to use stronger Language than did those hs old
either practice or pretense 1t has Its deep
tides of feeling, but it never ends in these;
the deeper the emotion the more definite VIII be
Its expression. The danger Is not that religion
shall become emotional as that the emotions
shall not be intense and deep striking as
to issue In action. = -.. ''' -
Even the demand for practical religion
may be purely theoretical. 1t is not always
the man who Is denouncipg a dOctrinaire church
who Is doing most for the downtrodden. The
preaching of ethics Is often a refuge from their
practice, and the writing Of books and the de-
livery of lectures on sociology becomes often an
excuse from service of ones neighbofs. 2
Most think that heaven is given: us us
a warehouse Of unrealized ideals; the truth is
earth is given us as workshop for their
| actualization The vital creed is the one that.
with it's force Of conviction and its sway OF
heaven born aspiration, compels one to attempt
to make real now all the good we hope heaven
may hold.
its walls. The inspiration and direction may be
given within. but the work must be done with
out where the need is greatest. When man s
! religion never gets beyond singing and signing,
he is sitting himself with unexpressed emo
tions. 1t is not strange that churches die
when they are content to discuss definitions OF
| the Infinite, while those who are made In his
| likeness are stunted. dwarfed, and snuffed out
by greed and shame. - ..'.
Some Christians know more about the anatomy
Of an angel than they do about the pathology
| of the poor. Yet no living being ever saw
an angel while the poor we always have with
us. The noblest divinity is simple humanity
The most glorious religious service is simple
doing the things for one another that we believe
the all-loving God would do If he were one
Of us. D -, ~
Church work may be far from Christ''
work as the east from the west. It is easy
to mistake fuss and feathers for faith. The
master never worried over congregations, ,o
choirs, canonicals. He. left those thing
him to death. He simply did the good h
could. never counting the cost to himself; b,
simply spoke the truth he knew, never. calcu
lating the consequences. The working creet
wastes no energy on definitions while men ar
doing; 1T walks in the teachers way; 1T doe
his work. . -. >.. e,
The need Of religion is not some compre
hensfve scheme Of saving the world by machin
cry; 1t is not some automatic social propagan
dunn which will wipe out the slum, clean III
place of residence for respectable people. TIL
preparation of such plans may be left to tn
unfortunates who lack the heart or the energ
to engage in definite work.
Neither does 1t need alone mighty wave o
indignation against modern pharasaism an
hypocrisy. nor fasting over our own faults, nc
feeding the hungry with the tears of syn
pathy copiously, generously poured out In tn
comfort of our reading chairs. ''~ : (. -
The need IS simple; practical religion Is tn
easiest of all, 1t is to do the good that lie
nearest you; neither to lecture on 1t, nor
weep over 1t. nor even to pray. over 1t unit
l you have done It. Deeds of love, not dream
l of benehcence, recorded in heaven. It !
Y a nobler thing by far to have put clean, smoot
pillow under a sick mans head than to be til
author Of the most elaborate Utopia the d.
1 fender of the most intricate doctrine, or tt
3 most rigid observer Of exact ritual. -