The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-11
RELIGION NATURAL
AND PROGRESSIVE
Unitarian Minister Sets Forth
Two Theories Of Religion
GOD EMINENT IN WORLD
Phenomenal Natural Universe is But
Flowing Garment of God Which
Hides Him, Yet Through Which
He Reveals Himself.
GOD EMINENT IN WORLD

He Reveals Himself.
The Rev. D. c. Limbaugh preached at
the Unitarian church yesterday morning
on the subject of Religion, Natural and
Progressive. Not Supernatural and Final"
The text of the sermon was from the
words of the Prophet Micah: He hath
showed thee. man, what Is good; and
what doth the Lord require of thee but Y
do justly. and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with thy God
In setting forth the two theories of re-
ligion the Rev. Mr.. Limbaugh said that
the two separate. distinct, opposite the
cries, are rooted in and grounded upon
two separate. distinct and opposite theo-
ries of the universe, as every theory OF
religion is founded upon cosmology or
a science of things Old conceptions of the
universe upon which traditional religions
including historic and dogmatic Chris
tianity. were founded, have been out
grown and cast aside; SO the forms and
creeds founded upon these old concep-
tons have been thrown aside.
old Theory of Creation.
The preacher went on to say in part:
The old theory of creation set God apart
and separate from the world, creating
the world as a mechanic builds mouse,
dwelling apart from nature. natural
forces and laws. In the second place
they represented God as governing men
and women as a king governs his sub
jects; expelling His subjects as KING
expels his subjects when they repel
against his arbitrary Commandments. In
the third place, under the old conception
Gods commandments were arbitrary al
fairs. There was and is no natural no
necessary reason why commandment
should be one thing rather than ahother'
without any reason justice or love- Cod
pronounced whatever edict might suit
His personal whlm. could and did ae-
cording to the traditional representation
command Adam and Eve to refrain from
eating the fruit of the forbidden tree
though there was no rational reason why
they should not As these commandments
were purely arbitrary, of course man hau
no way of finding out what they We're
except by special, divine, supernatural
revelation.
Asa message from king must always
be accompanied by credentials, so the
bearers of Gods message to man had 10
have the confirmation of credentials
Herein is the origin of all the signs Won
ders and miracles that accompany an
supernatural religions
oid-Time Religion.
People believe in the old time religions
not ON account of order but on account
of di5order. Fhe rewards and punishments
are under the old conception as arbitrary
as the commandments. It did not occur to
them to attach a penalty to violation
of a law, because there was no necessary
relation of cause and effect between the
violation of the law and the result. Goo
arbitrary chose to attach whatever pen
atty he saw fit independent of cause and
effect. This is plainly shown In the case
of job, where his friends urge that the
loss of his property and OF his children
is in consequence of some secret sin upon
the part of Job.
Religion under such conception as this
is an extreme affair, and is obtained and
practiced by coming into the presence OF
God by protesting dogmas, ereeds and
doctrines, and by practieing eeremonials
rather than by life of love of God and
of helnfulness to man. 1t is something en-
tirelv anart from the natural, everyday
life of the people. Religion Is something
extra. something over, beyond good Nv
ing. Our salvation is not becoming some-
thing. but getting somewhere and escap-
ing somewhere else.
God Eminent in World.
Now. in opposition to this exploded
theory of religion, it is demonstrated
fact that God Is not apart and separate
from the universe, but God Is eminent
in the world He Is the soul, the heart
and the life of the universe. This phe-
nomenal material universe Is but the flow
ing garment of God which hides Him,
and yet through which He reveals Him
self; and which is forever woven In the
ringing loom of time. The laws, the
forces. the beauty, the glory of this
universe are simply the present activity
of God
Men and women are Gods children, not
his subjects, to be loved, guarded. pro-
tected and educated. punished 1t may be,
but always for purposes for reformation.
| They have been placed in the best pos
sble world for the purpose of helping
| them to develop the divine principle
within man. Gods commands are in
| herent in the universe. They are natural
| and necessary and simply the expression
| of the laws of the universe They are
natural and not supernatural, for they
are throughout the universe from heart
| to circumference. here and now and all
| time Special revelation is not disproved;
! it is simply outgrown. Find the laws OF
| the universe, of your own being, of the
| relation existing between yourself and
| the universe and you will know the laws
of God as revealed in all life round
| about you.
| Belief in Old and Distant.
| 1t is easy to believe the old and the
| distant. because we are reared under such
| teachings, but things said to happen n
| our own midst contrary to science, OBJ
| servatiori and experience are never giver
any credence. The story of Joshua com
| handing the sun TO stand still, or OF
1 tho ,,,.apbafo turning tha shadow on ths