Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-08-06

Be Love of God and Service to Fell
low Men-SkiIlfuI Surgeon to Be
One of Its Ministers.
Charles W. Eliot president emeritus
of Harvard university outlined in an
address before the Harvard summer
School of Theology at Cambridge.
Mass, the other afternoon his idea of
the new religion that of the twentieth
century-a religion not based upon au-
thority or dealing In promises Of future
compensations, religion among whose
ministers would be the skilifu sur
geon, whose aim would be prevention,
not consolation.
you have been studying this year"
said DR.. Elliot. "abCut changed views
of religion aud increased knowledge.
new ideas of God as seen along many
lines You have learned that social
progress has been modified and that
energy Is being conserved. From
these and other indications you must
believe that religion is not fixed, but
fluent, and that it changes from cen
tury to century. Such, indeed, has
been the case.
The progress in the nineteenth cen
tury far Outstripped that of similar
periods. and it is fair to assume that
the progress of the twentieth century
will bring about what call the new
religion First, shall tell you what
this new religion will not be, and. sec
ond, what it will be.
Its Faith Not to Be Racial or Tribal.
"The new religion will not be based
upon authority, either spiritual or TEN,
poral. The present generation Is ready
to be led, but not driven. AS a rule,
the older Christian churches have re-
lied on authority But there is now
tendency toward liberty and prog
ress, and among educated men this
feeling is irresistible. In the new re-
li@ion there will be no perSonification
of natural objects. There will be no
deification of remarkable human be-
ines. and the faith will not be racial
or tribal
THE new religion will not afford
safety primarily to the individual; it
will think first Of the common good
and will not teach that character can
be changed quickly.
The new religion will not think of
God as a large and glorided man or as
king or patriarch. 1t will not deal
chiefly with sorrow and death, but
with JOY and life. 1t will believe in
M liuna npyVnt,S if will of
tack quickly all forms Of evil.
"a new thought of God will be its
Characteristic The twentieth century
religion accepts literally st. Pauls
statement, In him we live and move
and have our being This new re-
ligion will be thoroughly monotheistic.
God will be so imminent that no inter-
mediary will be needed. For every
man God will be multiplication of
infnities. A humane and worthy idea
Of God then will be the. central thought
Of the new religion.
This religion rejects the idea that
man Is alien or a fallen being who is
hopelesSly wicked. 1t finds such be-
liefs inconsistent with worthy idea
of God. Man has always attributed to
man spirit associated with but indie
pendent of the body. This spirit is
shown in mans habits, in his appear
ance and actions-in short. it is his
personality; it is the most effective
part of every human being. In the
crisis Of a battle it is superior soul
that rallies the troops, and it appeals
to souls, not to bodies.
Will Reduce Need of Consolation.
"The new religion will admit no sac
raments, except natural, hallowed Gus
toms, and it will deal with natural in
terpretations of such rites. Its priests
will strive to improve social and in
dustrial conditions. 1t will not at
tempt to reconcile people to present
ills by the promise of future compensa.
tion. | believe the advent of just free
dom for mankind has been delayed for
centuries by such promises. Proven
tion will be the watchword of the new
religion, and q skillful surgeon will be
one of its ministers. 1t cannot supply
consolation as offered by old religions.
but it will reduce the need of consola-
ton.
limitless Field of Action.
"The new religion will laud Gods
| love and will not teach condemnation
for the mass of mankind. The true
end of all religions and philosophy is
to teach man to serve his fellow man,
and this religion will do this increas-
ingly. 1t will not be bound by dogma
or creed. Its workings will be simple,
but its field of action limitless. It's
discipline will be the, training in the
development of cooperative good WILL
again and again different bodies
of people, such as spiritualists~ and
Christian Scientists. have set up new
cults. But the mass of people stay by
the church. Since there will be I'M
dOubtedly more freedom in this cen
| tury it may be argued that it will be
difficult to unite various religions un-
der this new head, but such unity, |
believe. can be accomplished on this
basls-the love of God and service to
ones fellow man. There are already
many signs of extensive cooperation
democracy, individualiSm, idealism. q
tendency to welcome the new, and pre-
ventlve medicine. Finally, l believe.
the new religion will make Christ's
revelation seem more wonderful than
ever to u.s.