The sun., 1908-03-26
MODERN UNITARIANIsM.
ATheOry Of the Causes Of Its smallness a,
a Denomination,

To THR EDITOR OF The suN-Sh, A 70.
cent editorial In TIE Sun noted the views
Of a clergyman Of the Unitarian Church
on the causes Of It's failure to attract larger
numbers Of persons to its fellowship aud on
the measures necessary to secure a larger
following In his view the failure Ia due
10 too great prominence Of old principles
aud doctrines, and too little inslstenco on
things Of present interest the denomination
must become up to date" must lay the
emphasis Of ia teaching upon works OF be-.
neicenoe; must put foremost the advocacy
and the practice Of various works Of humanity
and philanthropy, because these are ever
present needs, and by advancing them hs
Church may gain and maintain larger
hold on public attention.
To me and to very many who are Unl.
tartan In opinion the causes Of the failure Of
that denomination to attract us are very
different from what this clergyman cup.
poses. There is, indeed, a large number OF
men who cannot assent to the doctrine Of
the Trinity, the Virgin birth Of Jesus and
the great theological structure which has
been built upon IL. These men are by nm
means materialists. They deeply believe IN
the reality Of forces beyond those Of tho
visible material universe; they are deeply
convinced Of the reality Of such a relation
Of the unseen TO the seen as may be- called
q divine order in the world, In belief thesa
men belong with Unitarians, but as the teach.
ere and preachers Of that faith eXpound IL
they, hnd not much In II to draw them into
any active fellowship with 1t. The failure
TO attract them is not because the teaching
and preaching Of that denomination is nor
up to date In insisting upon good works
al 81
&c. The failure is deeper than that 4 (,
because emphasis is not put upon this divine
order OF which ] have written because Il
seems to them that modern Unitarlanism
reverses the true order OF cause and effect,
putting the fruits In the place Of the causes
which render the fruits permanent.
To the men for whom am writing II seems
that no schemes Of right living or social
benefit can be permanent except as thev
are based upon the affirmation that mans
life here 10 not entirely isolated from a divine
order through. the world; that 10 the stresses
IRE & s,hSal sysgfes Sor Sy %nSbeisI namg me
the assurance that right shall prevail IN tha
world because behind II is the power Of ths
divine will, In their estimation the regener-
alton Of the individual soul, lis support In the
emergencies OF life, depends upon the kin
ship OF that soul with the unseen power which
orthodox Christianity calls a personal God
They cannot assent to very much that 1rinl-
tarianism has added to this belief In personal
God, but they are deeply convinced that
there ia no other sure foundation for right
living among mentor the development NJ
the various, works OF humanity which the
clergyman I have referred to eGtolled and
ethical societies are formed to promote
than a belief In the supremacy Of the unseen
Ruler OF the Unlverse-a belief which per.
haps can be best expressed IN the phrases Of
Of Sf' GOd. sdHP'n'p oil nen' anu the '''n''"00o
In thus insisting upon the supremacy Of
the spiritual beliefs over the practical bCney'
olences which are the fruits OF the be,iels
these men believe they are supported by
the profoundest religious teacher Of the
world. No teacher more profoundly under
stood the needs OF the human soul nor
more promoted both the personal moral.
ties and the brosdest benevolences than did
Jesus Of Nazareth, and He has left no doubt
as TO the order in which He placed the spirit
usl belief and the practical beneyolences
which were together TO bring in that kingdom
Of God for which He lived and died. In
these great words Of His is set forth the true
order Of the means for all human good, and
In them Is also exhibited the real cause Of
the failure Of modern Unitarianism to attract
and hold the numbers OF men who cannot
have any close fellowship with the orthodox
churches because they cannot accept the
dogmatic structure which those churches
have reared around these words OF Jesus
This Ia what He said
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God With all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with sl thy mind
This Is the first and great commandment
AND the second II IKE unto II: Thou Shalt lows
thy nelghbor as thysef.
To insist upon works OF human welfare -
the motive for being OF a religious bodv
seems TO us too superficial greatly TO concern
us, The needs Of the human soul are deeper
than that, To insist on those works as the
purpose Of Churchs being Is to reverse
the true order Of cause and ei1ect, 10 ignore
the only cause which can insure that the
effects will be permanent. When the minds
Of men are penetrated with a belief In the
reality OF divine order In the world, when
unselhshness and mutual help are seen 10
be obligatory because men are children n
the one father. and 10 be our contribution
to that divine order which moves through
the world, then do all works Of humanitarian
proceed from permanently operating cause
without such belief and sense OF obligation
these results cannot be permanent. A de-
nominatlonal system which is to become m
to date by substituting humanitarianism for
insistenCe upon the deeper things Of the
spirit loses its hold upon the hearts Of men
because II fails to note the deeper needs NJ
the heart and ignores the true order Of human
benefits.
II is because modern unitarianism has
too much not too little, tended to this reversal
Of the spiritual and the praCti icsl that II has
failed TO attract the many who agree With
II in belief. \,