The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-11-10

uals and Creeds.
The people of the county have
- had such surfeit of politics
during the past few weeks that they
may be glad to read little religion
for change. The following com
municat!on from Rev. Robt. Irwin is
In reply to an expression of opinion
from Prof. Gerald Smith, of the Uni
versity of Chicago, on the subject Of
rituals and creeds' and which was
published in the ISLANDER two weeks
ago. To enable those of our readers
who may be interested in the subject
to better judge Mr.. Irwin's argument
we republish Prof. Smith utterance.
as follows:
1T is easy for us to take up some his
torical Interpretation or theory and put it
above our religion. tits so easy, in fact,
that we have hundreds of sects in our one
religion. Each sect represents some
slight difference Of theory.
These differences have grown so great
that nowadays it is comparatively easy
thing for one to be good member of any
particular creed, while it still is and
always will be difficult to be a true Chris
tian. I say away with rituals and creeds
and lei us have true Christian religion"
Mr.. Irwin takes strong exception
to Prof. Smiths opinions as quoted
and makes answer as follows:
EDITOR SAN JUAN ISLANDER Dear
Sir: Kindly allow me space for remark
apropos of quotation made in your ed
itorial columns, Oct. q, from Professor
Gerald B. Smith, University of Chicago.
entitled Away with Ritual and Creed"
have not read the address or article
from which the quotation is taken, but
suspect that the author would disown the
statement if he saw it, even though they
be his identical words. He probably
meant something very different from
what the quoted statement does. Put,
however that may be, want to protest
against the statement az partial, illogical,
misleading and shortsighted.
It is partial, because, while it infers
that creed-and ritual-holders are re-
sponsible for the Hundreds of sects'' and
sets them over against TRUE CHRISTIANS,
as though they were mutually exclusive,
it does not tell us how to attain the truo
Christianity. Certainly, judging from
experience. the mere dropping Of creed
and ritual does not make mon truly
Christian.
1t is illogical, because true Christianity
is not mere subjective feeling. 1t must
be expressed = inwardiy in gentle
thoughts, outwardly in kindly deecs.
That is to say, Christianity is positive
ideal. Now, ideals are abstract things.
A philosopher may be able to hold one in
his mind but even he cannot carry it into
practical Life any more than he can carry
a bubble without crystalizing it into some
form. Practical men and women must
have their ideals embodied in some pos
tive institution. Creeds and rituals are
only two of such. The Constitution OF
the United States is another of the same
kind.
Ifit be objected that we can feed the
hungry and comfort the distressed with
out believing this or that doctrine. 1t may
be asked, "Where did we ever get such
an idea as feeding the hungry or comfort
ing the distressed?" Is it not naturaI
one? Wild animals do not do It. =
ia borne to us from Christianity In
creed and ritual through the living
Church. Ard men decry creeds and mt
nails and churches and sects quite forget
ting that they are saving off the plank
that holds them on the scaffold OF progres-
sive civilization.
Asain, if it be said that Christianity -
only following Christ and that creeds arc
not necessary, we have to reply that u
more than eighteen centuries since any
ono saw Christ. We srs dependent on
the record to teach as what he was ana
vhat kind OF life he lived. So that inc
.ttampt 10 follow him involves tho creed
:, statement 81 believe in Jesus Chist our
Iord.n the foundation OF every Greco IN
Christendom
It is misleading. We assume that
neither the author nor the editor wishes
to do away with ALL creeds and ALL mt
nails but only certain c-eeds and rituals
Racause to Go so would obliterate Chris
tianity itself for Christianity is = creed
tocetner with its practical fruit, the
II.
church, the school, the hospital the asy-
lum. 1t would be > return TO barDarlsm
and place Us alongside our monkey iore-
fathers. for civilization is an insfitutaons
If slow and elaborate growth. II would
Ia, i. = aestroy law and INTRODUCES an
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