Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-27
THOUSANDS ARE
OF SAME BELIEF
DR.. A. S. cRAPsEY INsIsSp eaSss esss
MuLTlTuDEs ,aey ,oasNs
IN c,yoos W
Asserts That Priests And Laymen Re-
ject Miraculous Birth of Jesus
Confident That Liberal Views Will
Ultimately be Accepted.

Rochester, N. Y, Nov. 26-That hun
dreds Of clergymen and thousands Of
laymen in the Protestant Episcopal
church disbelieve in the miraculous
birth Of Jesus and in his literal ascen-
sion was the assertion made by Rev.
Algernon S. Crapsey, rector of St An
drew's Episcopal church in this city,
in a long letter to Bishop William Da-
vid Walker of the western diocese of
New York.
In this letter Rev. Crapsey, whose
conviction for heresy has been sustain
ed by the review court, renounces the
Episcopal priesthood and asks the
bishop to take the steps necessary to
separate him from the ministry.
While expressing his willingness to
bow to the decision of his ecclesiasti-
cal superiors, Rev. Crapsey urges his
codissenters to remain in the church,
| assuring them that ultimately the
church will accept the liberal interpre-
tation of the creed which he has advo-
Gated.
Text Of crapsey Letter.
In his letter Rev. Crapsey says:
| Under existing conditions / deem 1t
my duty to make formal and final
renunciation Of the ministry of the
Protestant Episcopal church and in
consequence I ask that you will, for
reasons as to time already given, not
earlier than the third nor later than
the sixth of December, make an order
under canon 81 of the general canons
of the church to accomplish my deposi-
tion from the priesthood.
II am certain that you will be glad
oJr 4l>ot
PEELED to this action by anything that
reflects upon my moral integrity or
calls in question my faithfulness as
a pastor. My sole difficulty lies in the
fact that a long, careful, conscientious
study of the holy scriptures has COM
4 PEELED me to come to certain conclu-
sions concerning the prenatal history
Of Jesus which are not in physical ac'
cord with the letter Of the creeds and
since have compelled me in order to
hold the creeds to give certain articles
q an Interpretation that will harmonic
Ethem with the truth asa -filsd that
n truth in the teaching Of the holy scrip
tnres.
Not Conscious Of Insincerity.
'But recent judicial decisions have
declared that any such harmonizing Of
, the creed with my own convictions ot
the truth is not permissible in the
Protestant Episcopal church. In my
, own case recognize the right Of the
constituted authorities of the church tt
define the limits Of Interpretation anC
, in order to hold fast to the truth mus
, let go Of the creed as now interpreted
by the courts.
!, 4 am not now and never have beer
, conscious of any insincerity in giving
, such interpretations to the various ar
i ticles of the creed as are demanded b.
present conditions of thought and thu
! present state of knowledge, any mor'
than / am conscious of insincerit.
! when | say the sun rises and sets
. though as matter of fact the sun doe
< nothing of the kind.
"If am to hold the creed at all
q must give to certain if not all of it
articles spiritual rather than lii
orally physical Interpretation. Whel
l. say of Jesus that he ascended int
heaven | do not mean and canno
e mean that with his physical body @
flesh, blood and bones he foated int
space and has for 1000 years been e,
q listing somewhere in the sky in tina
9 very physical body of flesh blood an
l. bones. Such an existence would seer
: to me not glorious but horrible, an
e such conception is to me not onl
l. unbelievable but unthinkable.
d "What do mean by this phrase
J. that Jesus, having accomplished hi
D work in the flesh, ascended into tn
p higher life OF the spirit
+ Natural Law Not Violated.
"Also when say of Jesus that h
:. y was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Dor
!. of the Virgin Mary, I do not mea
> that the great and living God in orde
l, to get into this world had to violate hi
q wonderful law of human generation
break into the sanctities of marriag
IS and cause a son of man to be Dor
!" without human father"
lc