Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-05-08
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THE EXPRESSION OF RELIGION.

By Henry E. Cope

By Henry F. Cope.
And whosoever shall give to drink
unto one Of these little ones a cup of
cold water only in the name of a dis
cs2le, verify / say unto you, he shall
IN nowiSe lose his reward Matt. X,
A.
The greatest present need in religion
is the discovery and use of adequate
methods OF practical expression of our
beliefs and emotions. There are more
than sufficient forms and means of oral
expression; we need to know how we
may put into work and service the
Ideals, aspirations, passions, concep-
tons and convictions that make ones
religion.
No healthy being can be content to sit
and listen to sermons forever. Many
turn from the church and the organized
forms of religion because these too
often simply seem to be arrangements
for satisfying the desire for better
things here by listening to fiowery de
scriptions of a fairer world and an
ideally adjusted social order somewhere
else.
Feelings move the world but the life
of feeling alone soon becomes a living
falsehood. The finer the emotions that
are sedulously nurtured and then de
MED their normal expression, the great
er the damage to the life. This life of
ours needs fine feelings deeply stirred,
but only that we may be moved to do
the things of which we dream and right
the wrongs over which we weep
A man feels this strongly in religion.
He is conscious Of the worlds sin and
sorrow; he knows It's imperfections and
his own; he is moved to righteous In
dignation against social abuses and
enormities; he Is stirred to longing af-
ter lofty, spiritual ideals; but unless
he is already atrophied by emotions un-
expressed, he is crying. What can we
do about these things?
1t often seems that all that Is being
done, as definite expression of religious
ideals, to bring about better conditions
for individuals and for society is being
done outside the church. The churches
furnish the stimulus and leave to juve-
nile courts, mothers congresses, child
labor leagues, to the many organiza.
lions that care for the helpless and de-
fenseless these things that the great
Master Himself began to do amongst
men.
All these movements for the better.
ment Of our neighbors and our race are
good and it is not much use our talking
about our religion unless we are doing
our part along with all those who seek
TO wipe away needless tears and redeem
humanity from darkness, who feed the
hungry and clothe the destitute No
man needs to worry over his spiritual
life If he is moved by the spirit of sac
rificing love for his fellows, if he is Civ
ing himself thus to them.
Yet sometimes we feel that such
means are too formal for the full, free
living out of the religious life We
can only touch these great problems
occasionally and in spots; whatever we
may do through organizations, there
still remains much of our faith without
adequate expression. Do we not here
need to learn Of him who taught men
so well the religious life?
The best way to put our religion into
our lives is to live his kind of a life, to
be Just what the man of Nazareth was
to men, a friend to every one whom he
met. Full, free, living friendship is the
best avenue for the expression OF the
best In any Of us, and the faith that
does not make man friend amongst
men is not the faith of the great friend
of sinners.
Our world needs friends Folks need
more than movements, organizations
and impersonal machinery for their re-
lief; they need folks, eyes that look into
theirs, hands that touch theirs, lips that
frame simple words Of kindness, hearts
that go out to their own and, fusing in
the fire of sympathy, lift their hearts
and raise their eyes to better things
to hope and cheer and happiness.
How simple it all is, how sufficient
just to be a true, helpful friend to ev-
cry other one, to look on him, not with
the critics eye, but with friendships
eye Of faith; to lift him, not officially
but with a brothers tenderness and
strength, just to go about amongst men
with the strength, cheer, sympathy and
helpfulness of the friendship that lifts
and ennobles.
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