Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-07-24

church of the future will offer IT'S mem
found in amusement parks such as the
one in which he spoke.
Music, merriment and smiling faces
will he important features of the re-
ligion of the future" the Rev. Valiant
said. las in the Olden times, men and
women will be won back to God from
depravity and crime in just such gath
erings as this. There will be the
dancing women, the cymbal players.
the singers and the games, just as
there were in the days of Moses and
Solomon. MOrbidity and solemnity are
the twin children of mother evil.
Crime is Matched where mirth Is not;
depravity fourishes in the shades of
secretiveneSS.
1.-THE old hell of the old religion, with
its flaming fires, its dancing imps in
leather hides, its catacomb Of dead
hopes and its fumes bf sulphur, is n
thing of the past. 1t was adroitly en-
ployed to brighten people into the
church. Today the modern religion
does not prey upon the fears and ig-
norance of the people. 1t says God
is love. God is light, God is happiness.
1t bids you come to church with ac-
claims of joy. 1t presents church in
which you may smile and from the
portals of which morbidity and fear
have been banished.
THE church of the future that will
make the most converts for Gods
cause and the betterment of humanity
is the church that will offer its mem
bers such attractive features as we
| find in the park this pleasant July
Sunday morning-music and light and
harmless games and the laughter of
joyousness.
my friends. be not deceived. Our
| Father does not want US to approach
| him with long faces and downcast
eyes. Go to him with happiness beam
/ ing from your countenance and over
| flowing from your heart. Take "a les
son in happiness from his creatures,
f, the birds with their songs of praise,
the glittering fishes as they firt about
! like flashing sunbeams In the silvery
waters or the animals as they gambcl
f, on the greensward. Crime and de-
! pravity are unknown to such of God
creatures. 1t is left for man to be
morbid and sorrowful-and sinful
| There Is no crime in the enhancing
strains Of music, no sin in the simple
means of enjoyment called games. no
secretiveness nor wrongdoing In this
! bright and cheerful glare of Gods cleo
| tricity.
| BLUE laws and fanaticism will find
no place in the religion of the future.
There will be more recreation parks in
the new order of things and very much
less ignorance. sorrow and crime. In
the good book it is related that Gods
smile is reflected in the happiness of
his people. Such being the case. God
must be smiling MOTT benignly on this
gathering. where all is joy and happi
ness. Those of you who profess to
be Christians. ! beseech you, do not
seek to take away the joys of the PEG.
pie by imposing fanaticaI conditions
upon them. Do not waste your ener.
giles upon that which does no harm
except you regard happiness as harm
Rather go We as God has commanded
out into the sin darkened highways
and into the gloomy hedges and seek
poor, downcast. sinful humanity and
bring them to the light
SEARCH not here, for If We do We vii
not find the sinful and the unhappy
but the contented and the happy. May
Gods brightest blessing be upon yor
ALL"