Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-02-15
REV. THOMPSON ON
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Protestant Pastor at Milwaukee
Defends Catholic Faith.
Says the Beauties of Religion Are Not
To be Scorned-Synopsis
of Sermon.

Republished by request from the Water
town, Wis, Daily Leader OF Feb. 4th.)
The Milwaukee Free Press of yes
terday morning gives the following
synopsis of a sermon delivered in
that city Sunday morning by the
Rev. Thomas Barney Thompson.
formerly pastor of the Congrega-
al church in this city.
The Rev. Thomas Barney Thomp-
son at the Plymouth Congregational
church, where a program of Catho-
lie music was given, including the
Ave Maria" and the "Sanctus,' %
from Farmers mass, defended the
Roman Catholic church. He said.
when Protestant ministers speak
OF the Roman Catholic church, it
is perforce to speak in condemnation
of her propose to assume the I'M
protestant like attitude. of saying
some things in the way of respect
and veneratiOnl of her wonderful
ministry to the centuries of human
life. There are undoubtedly some
facts about this church that we as
Protestants cannot commend. But
In all fairness it must be admitted
that popular ignorance, superficial
knowledge and malicious slanden
have misrepresented her teachings
In many instances.
TO contemplate her history is to
admire. Reformations, wars, empires
and kingdoms have been arrayed
against her After all these centur-
les she stands so strong and so firm
~ rooted in the lives of millions
that she commands our highest res
pect. AS an institution she is the
most splendid the world has ever
seen. Governments have arisen and
gone to the grave of the nations
since her advent. Peoples of every
tongue have worshipped at her
altaIs.
1.-The Roman Catholic church has
stood solid for law and order. Her
police power in controlling millions
untouched by the denominations
has been great When she speaks
legislators, statemen, politicians, and
governments stop to listen, often to-
obey.
In the realm of worship her
ministry has been of the highest.
In employing beads, statues, pictures
and music she has made a wise and
n Of Il Ii
use of the best in music and paint
ing has been the greatest single in
SEPARATION to those arts, and her
cathedrals are the shrines of all
pilgrims.
1.-The love and veneration of the
virgin, Mary, plays an important
part IN the ritual of the church I
find no difficulty in approaching the
attitude of the Catholic worshipper
toward the mother of Jesus. Jesus
is the love of God made manifest.
But Christ himself has often been
made SO aUstere, and so unaproach-
able that a mediator between him
and man has become an insistent
necessity. What is more natural
than to worship him through the
gracious influence of ,@he mother.
If I felt myself compiled to wor-
ship the Jesus of some creeds, /
should feel that the only way of
nearness to him would be through
some mediatorship, of Mary or of
some saint.
"Aside from this one cannot help
but feel that the enforcement of
the virgin Mary has softoned the
heart of the world toward woman
hood; that it has done much to give
woman the place Of honor she oc-
cupies today; that it has put the
whole Catholic church behind the
sanctity Of the home. In the respect
given to Mary the Roman church
has paid the worlds finest and most
delicate compliment to the grace,
sweetness and beauty OF mother
hood.
'Nor do I discover any difficulty
in understanding the basis of the
confessional. Tie confessional APP
pears everywhere il life. The err
ing child confesses to its mother,
the patient confesses to his physi-
clan, the accused confesses to his
lawyer. the penitent confesses to his
priest 1t is most natural for the
penitent, Durdened, doubling soul
to confide in his spiritual leader.
professionalism has wasted much
of its force in a forced reVivalism,
which would have been unnecessary
had we paid wise attention to relig-
ious education. We may rail against
the paroch1cal school system as
Continued on page 81