The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-11-18
PAINTS RELIGION
AS A PUNy THING
TolStoy'S Criticism of Chris
tian Faith Is Just, Says
Rev. Mr.. Brown.
TRUCKLES TO MATERIALISM
SEARCH OF AWAKENED SOUL
FOR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE.

The Religion of Tolstoy" was the
subject of a lecture delivered by Will
liam Thurston Brown at the Unitarian
church yesterday.
THE story of Tolstoy's life is the
story of the search by an awakened
human soul for reality in religion, for
such a philosophy of life as could sat
isfy the Utmost demand of his moral
nature said the preacher. Born and
bred in the atmosphere of the orthodox
church of Russia and familiar with its
teachings, he early makes the discov-
cry that mems lives are not guided or
nodded by the so-called religious
very opposite, and that the church, in
stead of leading and dominating the
lives of men, merely follows the lead Of
the forces of materialism.
l have sought in Yain,' says Toll
stoy, in our civilized society for any
clearly formulated moral bases of life.
There are none. No perception of
their necessity exists. On the con-
trary, we find the extraordinary con-
victiOn that they are superfIuous, that
religion is nothing more than a few
words about God and future life, and
few ceremonies very useful for the
oot4N dlIOll VI TIE SOuI according 10
some, and good for nothing according
to others, but that life goes on of it
self and has no need of any funda-
mental bases or rules, and that we
have only 10 do as we are told to do
I'm the first place, the religious
quest of Tolstoy is the only religious
quest there is, the only thing worthy
of the name. Religion can be had on
no other terms. 1t cannot be an in
heritance. 1t cannot be imbibed in
any church.. 1t has to be discovered by
life itself. The tremendous demand
for reality, for a satisfying faith, which
was the whole mOtive-power of Toll
stoy, is just as much your demand and
mine as it was his. We can no more
satisfy the deepest need of our nature
with any conventional teaching, or
with anything less than the personal
discovery of a divine law of life than
he could. Until we find the eternal
law of life which harmonizes all NOR
al a. ethical discords we are but
wa .erers in a wilderness and have no
gospel for any one.
Criticism Is Just.
I'm the second place, Tolstoy's crit
icism of the Christian church and of
the civilization which the church ap-
pIONSSs IL Dis uueTTlnSly just as was
that of the Hebrew prophets and Jesus
of the civilization and the church of
their time. There is but one place
which the Christian church,. or any in
stitution which presumes to stand for
religion, may honestly occupy in this
world, ard that is the place of I'M
doubted moral and spiritual leadership.
1t has no business to be, unless it is in
spired by a moral and spiritual and
ethical vision incomparably higher
than that which so easily finds en-
bodiment in the selfish institutions of
materialism; unless it dominates. in
spires, mOlds, leads the life of men. To
the church as to nothing else the world
has right to look for moral leader
ship. And the fundamental claim of
the church is made ridiculous, if the
might of its truth and of the spiritual
life which it prOclaims be not Superior
TO the might Of materialism.
Does the church lead the world to-
day? Does it shape and mold the
ideals and passions which determine
mems daily lives? On the contrary. is
there any sort of evil influence, any
political corruption, any commercial
selffshness, any immoral national pol