The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-10-30
REV. C. E. PERKINS. Mr.. T. E. WOOD
LOCK.

Early last week number of gentlemen repre-
sentng the members of st. PauIs Episcopal
Church. this city, met at the rectory by invitation
of their pastor, Rev. Charles E. Perkins. The OBJ
ject for which the meeting was convened to
devise ways and means for reaching the members
of the Episcopal Church who have recently come
and are coming daily to dwell with u.s. to introduce
them to their fellow COMMITMENTS of ST. Pauls,
and assure them that their spiritual brothers and
sisters of the congregation would be happy to meet
them, to make them welcome in their homes and in
their church
Incidentally the Indifference of resident mem
bers of the church to the presence of newcomers
members of the Episcopal church-was touched
upon, and the repeling influence of this GOODNESS
or Indifference toward the strangers was amicably
discussed and threshed out.
We congratulate the rector and the gentlemen
of his parish on their ZEAL and we especially com
pliment them on their good sense in forming them
selves into organization the main purport of
which is to look after the stranger and the wander
ing sheep. If they continue in their fervor we see
no reason why the congregation should not increase
in numbers and much good be accomplished
Indeed it would be well if all our churches were
profit by the example set them by the congrega-
lion Of st. Paul, and, dropping for time their
commendable zeal on behalf of foreign missions
look after the wandering sheep of their own range
Long ago the Catholic knights of Columbus, com
ing the aid of our priests have been doing admir-
able work among Catholics settling in our city. and
have extended the hand of friendly greeting to
hundreds who came as entire strangers to Salt
Lake
Among Protestant friends, however there
is marked tendency to unbelief and materialism.
and when men lose faith in revealed truth and in
the supernatural creeds of their churches. visiting
and invitations but temporary stimulants
Something more must be done and many
changes must be made before the wandering sheen
are brought into the fold or even those now within
IT be induced to stay In the American Magazine
for last September, Mr. Thomas Wocdlock. for
many years editor of the Wall Street Journal gave
US his reasons for the "beggarly array of empty
benches" painfully striking in the Protestant
churches of cities. Mr. Woodlock cannot be
charged with Partially for the Catholic Church. he
Is not Socialist, and his arraignment against sec
tartan churches is therefore most serious Here is
what he writes:
People do not go to church-to the Protestant
churches-because the churches have ceased to
teach them religious truth with authority and be-
cause Christendom, so-caed outside the Roman
Catholic Church. has ceased to believe in the funda
mental truths of religion
The Protestant churches started in business.
so to speak, the basis of faith, not works and
now have drifted to the absolute opposite of that
position, Niz., works. not faith Dogma is thing
creeds 'outwom all truth is relative
man Is not fallen, Christ is not God atonement is
fiction, and unnecessary fiction at that every
thing IS explained away on natural grounds. there
IS no hell to fear-why should people go to church,
Protestant Christendom has already lost faith
IN the Incarnation, large part of it no longer be-
heves IN original sin, and great many who call /
themselves Christians do not even believe in per-
sonal God What is religion if it be not that rroup
OF truths which express mans relations with and
duty TO his Creator2 What are these truths but
dogmas9 How there be an undogmatic reI.
gion!
There is no Christianity properly so-caIled in
he world tcday-that is, Christianity as religion
outside of the Roman Catholic Church, Protests
nntism in all its forms is an empty shell now ard
even the shell is rapidly disintegrating. The pen-
Grafton now growing up will demonstrate thar 70
you and me if We live our allotted space according