The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-11
BEYOND CREED.

Rev DR.. ]. NJ. Green OF Lowell.
Mass has been an active pastor OF
the Congregational church for fifty
wears, and during that time has never
preached a sermon on Congregational
Ism or creed,
What! Is IL possible that servant
OF Christ shall merely preach the prin-
ciples of Justice, morality and frater-
nifty in the world without abusing and
condemning to punishment In the
hereafter all people who do not bear
The name OF his church and who do not
accept the truth with the creed eX-
crescence? Yes. not only has this min
lister done It, but we have In mind
many evangelical preachers, under
whose sermons earnest men and wo-
men have sat for years without hearing
one word to indicate superiority OF any
special creed over all other creeds in
the Christian world. and without hear
ing nny' decree OF damnation against
Pastors who can rise TO this altitude,
men whose broad comprehension of the
great principle of spiritual hope for the
race recognizes the fraternity Of men
in an earthly sense and the equality OF
men as the children of God-they alone
are entitled to be proclaimers OF the
Word.
Only the ignorant bigot in this mod
ern age processes TO know all about
the hereafter and to divine how many
OF the human race. and by what path,
shall be saved in the presence OF the
All Father. The greater intelligence.
the increasing charity of judgment, the
knowledge that much that may be true
must be unknown to us here. all COM
bine to make rationalism and gentle
ness the characteristics Of the~5ncere
profession OF faith,
If man have made a profound
study of some science and If he have
reached absolute knowledge OF certain
principles of natural truth. he will not
fly into a passion If questioned or even
perIences He will feel profound sense
OF sympathy for lack OF knowledge.
and being confident In his own pos
session Of truth. will content himself
with its promulEation-well knowing
that in time the world will accept But
if man have some self-generated or
Inherited theory OF dogma concerning
God and eternity and the method by
which men shall regain a place In
heaven-subtects concerning which
there cannot be human positivism; and
Ii the man be. in addition. ignorant
and selfish. he will denounce with
bigoted hate and he Will deliver ana
thema upon anathema If anyone ven
ture to question his arbitrary conclu-
sions.
Religion is based upon faith. and for
the individual that faith may be GER
tainty. But he can no more assume
that the form Of his creed is necessary
or possible for another than he can
demand that the affections and affini-
ties OF another shall be as his own.
II has been a noble advance which
the Christian clergy has made In grow
Ing beyond creed restrictions, and In
to humanity upon the eX-
allied plane OF charity, mutual help and
blessed hope. The 'isms'' may we'll be
left to fraud and to ignorance, for
these alone can utter and these alone
can accept the fanatlcal idea that a
truth so vast that It is beyond our
finite boundaries and beyond all posi-
bility OF actual proof shall be circum-
scribed by any creed
Those ministers are the best help to
humanity, before whose utterances the
walls of church melt away. and In
whose illuminating thoughts every soul
OF any creed or no creed can find its
comfort.