The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-06
In the Religious World
What the Church Folks IRE Thinking
4Abcuf and Doing. RELIGIOUS AeWS
From Everywhere.

ON EVeFYWheYe

All the vexing questions that harasz
our nation would speedily be answered
We're the people In Office and out 10
gain normal relations with the Su-
prone law G3ver.
In Tune With the Infinite
The difference between the attitude
cf the Ja-anese and the Chinese to-
wards their respective rulers is sugges-
tive OF TWO common states Of ulnd te-
ward Jehovah. The Chinese either dis
like or are irli1erent to their en-
Deror- Such a state OF mind as per-
sOnal attachment and devotion TO him
al pears to be 5eyond the RANGE OF
their thinking. He is a necessary part
Of the eAistiEs CIDER Ct things. which
has come down IRON the past and 50
is to be acceFted, bu. she average Chit
nese would as soon think of getting en-
tnusiasric over the multiplication ia
Bile as over the sun Of Heaven" who
dwells n Pektn.
Conrrariwise, the Japanese are de-
voted TO their ruler. Loyalty to his
person amounts TO religion with most
OF the People. Every victory on sea
or land is ascribed to ''the virtues of
thair ruler the Japa nese find joy and
patriotism anc a national unity that
are making item one of the foremost
of world Dc-vvers- OF this nature,
though Infinitely greater should be
mans attitude toward God. 1t is not
enough to accept him as the Eternal
Sovereign, he must be loved as a par
ent. No mar knows God q all. except
he know him rs . Father.
A distinguished American naval Of
Car. Captain Maaan. not long since
pointed out thar what society most
needs today is a reiteration and en-
phasis Of this First Commandment.
lack of the sense of esDonsibility to
God and of reverence for him is one
OF the days tendencies, apparent to
every observer. Irreverence is q spir-
itual blight that goes deep into the
nature of man. Thus, many persons
aboard an ocean liner, not long ago,
saw nothing incongruous in the spec
tacle Of enc Of the passengers leading
a devotional service with the same
sang-froid which he had displayed on
successive nights III presiding over the
gambling in the smoking ROOM A deep
and awful sense of what is due to the
Almighty is a spiritual trait which
Americans sOrely need. The attitude
of patrOnizing the eternal is a common
twentieth century sin. No relationship
between man and God is possible at
all. until there is reverence displayed
by the former toward the latter The
highest act of which mortal is capa Bile
is that Of approaching and entering
| into sympathy with the Divine Being.
AS the preface of the command
ments cited by Jesus emphasize, God is
not one of many, but he alone IS sin
/ gular and supreme. zone religion is
as good as another" glibly says the
man who knows little of religion be-
yond what he reads in the joke book,
or the daily paper. Were he given to
thinking at all he would realize the
/ absurdity of placing, let US say. the
/ high morality of Confucfanism on the
same plane as the cannibalistlc fetish
worship of the South Sea Islander. AS
! the pantheons of India Japan and
/ China have demonstrated. the worship
] of all soon degenerates into the wor-
ship of none. God must be God alone
/ If he is to be God at all.
The True Test.
The piety which processes much and
practices little, is rightly held up to
condemnation and ridicule by both the
/ religious and the irrelgious. There
ever exists the danger of employing re-
4 ligiOn merely as an inherited habit
| When a mans faith ceases to mould
| his deeds, then it ceases to be vital.
! The religion which does not affect
every day life is a mere hollow pre-
! tense. and little better than no religion
1 at all The gentle Apostle John said,
with a severity that is to be remarked,
IF man say, I love God and hat
eth his brother. he is liar: for he
| that Ioveth not his brother whom he
! hath seen. how can he love God whom
| he hath not seen" The best, If not the
only expression Of love to God, is love
to man
Sometimes devotees Of doctrine sneer
at the practical philanthropy Of that
modern institutional church. They say
/ that It is religion being socialized to
death. On the contrary. by this af-
frmation Of Jesus Christ. it is plain
/ that the very test and proof of love to
! God and devotion to him is ministra-
ton to his other children. He is a flu
| tile. anemic Christian, who is not, SO
I the good old phrase has it. serving his
day and generation doing something
to make the world glad that he has
1 lived.
Pious- Pose.
Two incidents illustrated the Mas
ter's exposition of the greatest com
mandments One was a tremendous
and burning indictment of the Phari-
sees Although the latter wore these
commandments in their phylaeteries
and upon their arms and the Hntels
of their doors, yet they were far from
practtcing them. They loved them
selves more than they loved God or
their neighbors. To them religion was
a pose. and not a practice. It was
| strictly for public consumption, rather