Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-24
NEW RELIGIONS
COME, THEN CO
BURDETTE breaches ON UN-
C0NoUERABLE CHURCH
Declares Some Beliefs viii Pass Away
Like Hysterical Nlghtmares-If
Criticism Is sienoed Tri-
unnph Is Complete

Borean hall, tho home OF Temple
Baptist church, was crowded to its
fullest capacity yesterday by MEM
bers and tourists who wished to hear
Dr. r. j. Burdette.
A fine musical program had been ar
ranged by the church's talented mu-
sical director, DR.. Il. q. Kingsley, after
which Pastor Burdette preached on
the topic. "The Unconquerable
Church." taking for his text Isaiah,
54:17 mo weapon that is formed
against thee shall prosper; every
tongue that shall rise against thee in
Judgment thou shalt condemn"
DR.. Burdette said:
THAT is written of the church of
God. OF nothing else in the world can
it be said.
"If we can disarm opposition and
silence criticism. how complete is our
trumph--how far-reaching and secure
in all its results is our victory.
"The history of physical strife has
been, in one phase, the story of war
Of inventive genius, fighting against
itself. attack and defense.
"rhe man with the stone AK won
his first fight with it. In the next con-
nict his ak rebounded from a helmet
and his ak and his skull, side by side
on the museum shelf, gather dust
equally we'll, the one as brainless as
the other.
"The man with the helmet con-
quered until one day a feathered ar
row pierced his heart before he could
bring his short-handled artillery to
bear.
an the next war the archer heard
his arrow ring against bronze shield.
The iavelin met the coat of mail. .
FINALLY, the gallant knight ar
mored himself like a modern battle
ship and was the most glorious figure
in war, until the fated day when a
common soldier rested clumsy match
lock on tripod, touched it off with q
match and knighthood that was in
flower that morning went to seed at
sunset.
"Since that day governments have
never tried to protect the soldiers
men are too common and too cheap.
But they have spent millions to pro-
tect the fighting ship-the thing that
costs money.
zone day the government pays an
inventor thousands of dollars for .an
armor plate that is thoroughly shot
proof The next day he says, You
know the inpenetrabe armor plate |
sold you?' Yes says the government.
Well says the patriotic inventor, l
have Just invented projecttle that
will go through it like bullet through
a pine b,>ard,'
$50 it has been fight between the
impenetrable and the irresistible.
''What would not any government
nav for an absolutely inlpenetrable
armor plate, with no appendix of eX-
ceptions?
MEN say of an idolized party leader,
master of logic and Oratory: His ar
guments are unanswerable; no man
can stand against his convincing elo-
uuence.' And when the votes are count
ed, 10! a ma ajority of 100000 grown men
have answered them in most en-
phatic negative.
"a scholar announces a new principe
in philosophy or science. a thousand
people understand him; ten thousand
read him; and a million applaud and
approve and accept. Ten years, and
unless his book is absolutely forgotten,
it is the laughing stock of science, dis
credited and destroyed by something
vet newer-with the same old varnish
vet sticky on the New Thought
And as for new religion-beyond the
numbering of a busy man. they come
and go-especially in Los Angeles.
"They come with the blare of trum-
nets out of tune and harmony, but
Justify blown with all the power of
human or inhuman lungs; they shine
with phosphorescent gleam, strangely
like that of birthstone and with odor
more of less tainted they distract the
affrighted atmosphere with a bewllder-
ing jargon of babblng tongues OF all
grades-dried. boiled and smoked;
thew rant and dance and roll in a dis
eusting amalgamation of African vou-
doc superstition and Caucasian insan-
ity, and will pass away like the hys-
tericaI Nightmares that they are.
Gwen denominatiohaliSm has no
right to emblazon the text on its own
sectarian banners.
zone day a powerful sect spells
church with capital c, which any
denomination has a right to do, IL IL
wishes-and sits on the throne OF the
caesars ruling the world. The next
morning of history, the pope is the
prisoner of the Vatican. and Liberty
Fraternity and Equality are craven
over the stone doorways or It's con-
fiscated churches and schools.
"Another denomination, loved ana
renowned for the beauty of its SER
vice and the scholarship of It's clergy
solemnly proposes to call itself Inc
American church. and the outn@Nll-
bering hosts of the other sects Ill
America make no objection.
"They only smile. And sometimes, do
Won know, I have grave doubts whether
The great Baptist denomination is the
sole and exclusive oracle of all re-
vealed truth?
"Unfortunately, we have no eeculne-
nical council, or general assembly OF
conference, or convention TO declare
whether. we are or not SO it may be
that we are really The Church. as no
authoritative body Of our own ap.
pointing has ever decreed otherwise"