Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-31
is ETHICAL CULTURE
DEVOID OF RELIGION?
From the Literary Digest.

From the Literary Digest.
The idea urged by the critics of ethical
culture that it is devoid of spirituality and
real religion, is disputed by no less an au-
thority than DR.. Francis Greenwood Pea
BODY, Plummer professor of Christian NOR
ais in Harvard University, in his new book
on Jesus Christ and the Christian Charac-
ter. When specifically regarded" he
comedies, this movement seems neutral or
hostile to the formal teaching of religion
and deliberately restricts it's program to
moral education" But beneath the ques-
lions of ethics there always run the deeper
questions OF religion, issuing from sources
which lie back of ethics and flowing to an
end which is beyond ethics,' so that the eff
fort of the ethical culturists to confne their
program to questions of conduct must be
failure, and DR.. Peabody's implication
seems to be that they must become re-
ligious almost in spite of themselves AS
an instance of this inevitable tendency he
cites the case of John Fiske, who permit
ted himself to think about the evolution of
morality" until it lied him across the
threshold of religion SO he says of the
ethical culturists:
The metaphysics of Christianity are dis
missed from Gheir) consideration as super
fiuous and obstructive, and attention is
called to the obvious and immediate truths
OF ethical responsibility and human service
1t Is an indictment which the churches
should take to heart, appeal from feel
ing to conduct, from theology to life When
however, one observes more closely the lit
erature of ethical culture, he is surprised
to observe that, though its title seems re-
pressive Its intention is comprehensive It's
culture represents not merely the practice
of morality but the philosophy of ideal
ism. It's hope is not to reduce religion to
morals, but to expand morals into religion
Its language is that of ethics, but its mo-
tives are those of faith. Ethical fdealism
may shun the phrases of religion. but it's
emotions, It's impulses its spiritual attitude
are Identical with those of rational piety
Faith in the moral order of the universe
In the categorical imperative of duty in the
fitness of man for ethical culture may not
express the whole of religion, but it is GER
tainly the point at which the teaching of
Jesus began. Lives which are trained to
recognize the universal authority Of the
moral law may not name the name of God,
but they are doing the will of the Father
Ethical culture is suppressed theism"
Confirmation of this view is claimed by
the author in citations from Felix Adler's
The Freedom of Ethical Fellowship"
where he says: 1.-The teachings of Jesus
are that it is necessary to live tbe
spiritual life in order to understand the
spiritual truths. - The symbols of re-
ligion are ciphers of which the key is to be
found in moral experience The new
religious synthesis which may be longed for
will not be fabrication but a growth 1t
viii - come In time as a result of the
gradual moral evolution of modern society,""
Again, w. NJ Salter in his Ethical Re-
igion,' is quoted to the effect that Ethics
realized in its meaning is religion.
Aspiration, reverence, awe !" . are but I'M
completed morality; and when the moral
act is done, ecstasy is it's sign-ecstasy.
which is the grace heaven sets upon the
moment in which the soul weds itself to
the perfect good To this may be added
the words of j. R. Seeley from his Ethics
and Religion: MY advicesis that instead
of waging war, open covert you enter
once for all into the heartiest - alliance
with Christianity"