Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-15
Sunday Morning Talk
The One Gate and the MANY ways

Why so many different religious bodies2
The query forces itself upon US sometimes
from unexpected sources. Two men of the
rail-neither Of them 1 Judge professor
Of religion" have recently freely expressed
their minds to me on this point. Said
brakeman the other day. in the course OF
brief. but serious conversation: There
are too many churches. Some of them
ought to CO." A day or two later, as a
motor man halted his car in front of a
handsome new temple OF worship he as
sumed a meditative mood and remarked:
kinder queer there should be so many
different kinds OF religion when they are
all after the same thing and bound to the
same place" These instances suffice to
show that everyday people are coming to
realize, as some of our wisest spiritual
prophets have been long declaring. that
the world is overohurched at far too many
points, and that pure and undefiled religion
is SO much the weaker
But the first thing to remember In dis
cussing this subject Is that in the near fu-
ture there are going to be fewer rival re-
lgious bodies. The tideE of unity are rising
higher and higher daily. In the United
States, In Canada. in Great Britain in Aus
tralia movements on large scale looking
toward unity and cooperation are in prog
ress. Certain desirable consummat lions have
already been reached involving in some
cases the abandonment OF regimental desig-
nations which had become dear !. order
that the bodies newly affiliated might be-
hereafter known as one battalion. The next
twenty years will see considerable reduc-
ton in the number of sects and the deca-
dence Of many tsms and ologfes. Our age
Is not interested in petty movements and
forces. It is demanding the large and the
inclusive
Moreover even in the strongest bodies
which bid fair for some time yet to main
tain their separate existence there has come
about in recent years q FAR kindlier atti-
tude toward other religiouists than obtain
and determinations are largely thing Of
the past Great INSTRUMENTATION phil
anthropic and missionary movements have
enlisted adherents of all schools of thought
and as they have worked together they
have found out how good the other fellow
ia how earnest and self-sacrifcns. So the
Christian badge comes to take the place Of
the UNCONVENTIONAL tag, and the truly spir-
itually minded man puts his denomination
second and his religion first.
All this is fraught with immense signih-
canoe for the church. the world and the IN
dlvidual. 1t means that only that church
will win out which seeks less to perpetuate
It's own Institutional prestige and so grind
out a prescribed amount of ecclesiastical
grist year by year than to minister to the
real needs Of real men and women. And as
religion thus Is simplified and brought home
to the business and bOsoms' Of mankind.
there will not be the confusion and mysti-
fication that now pervades so many minds
touching the central elements in religion.
Yes there are many ways, and will be
so long as men differ In temperament taste
and training. But as we travel the one most
agreeable to US We can send a friendly
greeting to the man who Is Flooding along
on an adjoining road. The main thing is to
be sure that we are on some Of the DON.
verging roads and that we keep our eyes
on the goal THE PARSON.