The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-07-28
ELIOT PREDICTS NEW RELIGION

ELIOT PREDICTS NEW RELIGION.
Sectarians and denominationalsts
of every degree, the varying forms
of orthodoxy, the promulgators of
creeds and tenets and every form of
religious beliefs may possibly be up
in arms against the recent pronounce
ment concerning new religion made
by Charles w. Elliot, president
emeritus of Harvard, in an address be,
fore the Harvard summer school OF
theology.
cit will not be founded by dogma or
creed +" he said. Its workings will
be simple, but its field of action limit
less. Its dicipline will be training in
the development of cooperative good
will. II will attack all forms of evil.
There will be no supernatural ele-
ment; II will place reliance on moth
ing but the laws of nature. Preven-
tion will be the watchword and a
skilled surgeon one Of its members.
The new religion will not be based
upon authority; the future generation
is 20 be led not driven. In the new re-
ligion there will be no personification
of natural objects; there will be no
dedication of remarkable human be-
ings. The new religion will not teach
that character can be changed quickly.
II will not deal chiefly with sorrow
and death but with Joy and life. God
will be so imminent that no inter-
mediary will be needed. Its priests
will strive to improve social and in
dustrial conditions The new religion
will not attempt to reconcile people
10 present ills by the promise Of fu-
ture compensation.
That sounds good to honest souls
wearied by the multiplicity of war
ring sects and disputing theologans.
Perplexed though they may be by
the hair-splitting arguments of con-
tending schools of philosophy, wear
led by persistent claims of the intol-
Grant dogmatist, and rejecting as final
or conclusive positive assertions and
declarations concerning those matters
which neither science nor personal
experience has ever demonstrated.
there will be sincere and truth-seeking
mortals who will hail with joy re-
digion unfettered by superstition or
prejudice, free from dogma or creed
and that will seek TO lead, not drive.
IL we may know and do all that
humans may know and do properly,
realizing that the time Is now, the
place here, to do good and to be good
whatever the future may have In store
the problem of the centuries-is not
to be added to or suDtracted from by
any particular creed or dogma of
finite origin.
And II may be that DR.. Eliot's pre-
dicted new religion will really come.
For while the number of denomina-
tions seems TO be increasing, and a
good many OF the Oldest established
churches find they have some stellar
members who can not keep their
course In the same pathway and an
other congregation, another church
and another pastor must be provided
creating two weak churches where
one strong one might be-the truth Is
that the denominational walls are not
as high or as thick as once they were;
and as they are lowered from year TO
year 1t may be that the time will yet
come when all denominations will be-
come as one In anticipation of the
coming of that glorious period TO
which they all look forward with ar
dent joy--the era of universal brother
hood.-Mansfieid News.
This appears 10 be an age OF fer
nent with regard TO social and spirit
ual affairs. We have discussed pretty
freely the peculiar notions of the
radical representatives of the former
but the domains OF the later are so
wide and deep and boundless that
one hardly has the courage to take
them up, However. there, is vast
amount OF speculative theology now
being discussed by prominent teach
ers In the universities and college of
the country and there seems TO be a
movement tending to change the pres
ent conceptions Of Christianity or to
supercede 1t with a new religion scien-
tifcally conformable TO the laws and
constitution of the physical universe
as suggested In the above address by
DIR, Eliot In order that the reader
may get some notion OF the drift of
speculation and criticism in this mat
Ter which seems to be largely among !