The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-29
RELIGION AND
COMMON SENSE
Great Need of the Hour in the Work
of the Church Organ
izations.
CHRIST AS AN EXAMPLE
WHY OLD CREEDS ARE NOW
PASSING AWAY.

The Inward Harmony With the
Outward Fast was the sermon-tOpic
of Rev Frank Fay Eddy yesterday at
Unity hall. In the course Of the SER
mon it was pointed out that unhappi-
ness and degeneracy was the result of
accepting disharmonies In all phases
Of life. The scientific aspect was de-
tailed with Illustrations from the the
cries of Professor MetchinOkof, who
argues that we will attain a greatly
prolonged life when once the human
species completes its physical evolu
ton and thus gets in harmony with
the universe
In dealing with the social aspects Of
the subject Max NOrdau's "COnven-
tiOnaI Lies was quoted and partial
endorsement was given to the general
iZatiOn Of that book, which is that I'M
rest and pessimism of modern society is
largely due to a lack of harmony of
our ideas and ideals with the exist
ing social institutions to which we
conform.
An Illustration on the positive side
was found in the defence of Jesus when
he was accused of breaking the Sab
bath of his people and he replied 1.-THE
Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath"
That is he choose to conform to
higher set of facts and his action is
analogous to that of most great souls
who usually need to secure inward
harmony with their Interpretation OF
truth at the price of a break with es-
ia blished institutions.
But a study of results makes it clear
that those individuals or groups who
have followed conviction or conscience
have always gained strength and Sc
cured that higher type of happiness
that is better called blessedness.
Ideas Undergo Changes.
Mr.. Eddy went on to illustrate this
thought by numerous instances and
He showed how all our ideas about God
and his universe, man and his prob
lens had undergone transformation.
What then, he asked. remains for us as
individuals and social groups but to
secure harmony with this new point in
view. In so doing the religious express
sion is important. Certain great
thought currents have developed in
modern life namely, democracy, sci
enee and what is vaguely described as
socialism. The religion Of existing in
situations, which we broadly describe
as the church, has stubbOTnly fought
all these.
In conclusion Mr.. Eddy said:
I'm human life nothing else is half
so important as fidelity to your honest
convictions. There is absolutely no
other way Of growing strong and gain
ing nobility. There are plenty of other
ways of being comfortable. The nObleT
sort of conformity is almost always
nOn-cOnfOrmity to things as they are
hardened in institutions.
1--WE live in a splendid age. pulsing
with mighty motives, gladdened by a
wide vision. Something more is asked
of all who see than merely guarding
the tombs Of our ancestors If our
conscience has not grown with our Wis
ion of truth then we are indeed dis
graced.
Sacred Institutions Pass Away.
I'VE are not meant to have any per-
manent forms or institutions in human
life. All holy churches, all divinely
instituted kingships, all sacred consti-
tutions are meant to pass away, and
they ought to as soon as they cease to
represent living realities. There is no
standing still. If we grow decadent
our revered institutions may for a time
conceal our growing weakness. But
just as sure as we grow they must
become obsolete. That is why every
progressive people are in a constant
fOment of reconstruction.
I'm religion one great thing is re-
quired of us and that is fidelity to con-
victioh. This is more and greater than
fidelity to an unchanging creed. 1t
means first freedom to follow the truth
No man has an adequate religion who
has not looked the facts of the uni
verse as it appears to him squareIy in
the face and harmOnized as best he
could his inward life with these out
ward facts. In the world today there
is a swelling tide of religious faith
of this type. 1t is the faith Of the
free spirit and who can doubt that it
will build anew the temple of the living
God?"
A pleasing musical programme was
given. the special numbers of which
was the anthem by the Unity quartette
entitled, LAS the Heart Panteth," and
the tenor solo of Joseph z. Poll
Sometime, Somewhere" in which Mr.
Polls strong, clear tenor was heard to
advantage.