Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-31

| We nave been assuTcu tH't q
| money generously would result In a
| deepcninE spiritual, life in the church.
| Alas! Such has not been the case. VI
II the situation in the religious world
were thoroughly analysed the cause OF
| the trouble would be found to be conf
pick.
In the first place. religion has not be-
come reality to many OF its profess
sors, and therefore. they arc not n
religious force In tho community. Busi-
ness Is reality to some; politics 70
others. Some devote all their time to
money niak,ngS fTa,ey' study money
making. They measure success by
money making. They have no eye for
any other blessings" than those that
can be secured by money. Others are
politicians They are giving their very
soul, and their energy to politics. Re-
| lgion Is to them only side Issue. II
they attend church they do so to keep
| UP an appearance of rcspectabili,y' nu'
| their thoughts are elsewhere. No man
| can successfully divide himself between
| two interests that each claims all ms
energy NO mian can serve two mas
tors. That is evident in the churches
In the second place. the pulpit has
caught the same spirit of Mammon-
service to large extent Many min
| listers arc IN the pulpit only for the
salary They have no particular spir-
| itual ideals, and II they have. they do
not dare to follow them. They have
probably, a family to support, and for
the sake of the family they must keep
their places and look for advancement
AS consequence they cannot be over
scrupulous as to whether they speak
| the truth. or not, IL the truth is dis
| tasteful to those who pay them. And
so we find ministers sacrificing truth
to popularity. Initiating the yellow
press they make their pulpits as 'yel-
low rs possible; or, they will, il they
have the necessary education and train
ing, preach philosophy, or astronomy.
| or anything but the gospel of Jesus, to
| be well spoken Of. They dare not re-
buke the sins of the rich for fear of
| losing patronage. They dare not take
the lead in reform, for fear of becom-
ing unpopular
OF late years, what Is known ns
| higher criticism" has become u fad
| with many ministers. With parrot-like
nonchalance they repeat the one-slded
conclusions OF all the negative critics.
from Spinoza and Astruc to Eichhorn.
Davidson. and Briggs, hoping to make
an impression by a display of ''ad-
vanced learning" But souls are not
| rescued from error, nor from sin, by
! the criticism that consigns the Bible
| or Scandinavian myths 1t used to be
| accepted as an indsputable truth that
! what Is prohibited in the Bible, Is
| wrong, and that what is commanded is
right. But as far as the influence Of
higher criticism" goes. this is no
longer so. The Bible may brand steal
ing, lying, killing, as sin, but under
the rules of that "criticism" who knows
but that the portions of the Bible con-
tanning commandments relating to
| those crimes, are forgeries? Every text
| must be inspected, analysed, dissected
as to its date. authorship. and clrcum-
| stances under which 1t was written.
and IL it does not stand the scrutiny
| Of the rationalistic school of critics, 1t
| must be rejected. Is it to be expected
| that u ministry that glories in such
uncertainty can have spiritual influ-
| ence? The Master spoke with authority
| and not as the scribcs and Pharisees.
| Many of His professed followers in
our age speak as scribes and Pharisees
and not as the Master. They have even
| given up what little authority their
| predecessors used to derive from the
| Bible.
| The CHURCHES very largely miss the
mark. Our'age Is witnessing. q gigantic
| struggle between different classes OF
the human family, for tho equitable
distribution of tho common resources.
1t is witnessing n gigantic reform
movement for the tightening of eco.
nomic burdens, through the Limitation
OF ornaments and the eventual cessa-
/
Of peace on earth. 1t IS witnessing a
struggle against the wave of immoral
| lty that threatens many modern cities
with the fate of the t.ntediluviar
world Are the churches leaders In
these movements? Hardly. They have
missed the mark. Christianity, when
it first appeared, came as new force
for freedom and bcttermcnt OF human
conditions, us we'll as spiritual sys-
tenn OF truth. In fact, the spiritual
life it impaired to It's followers mani
tested itself in an entirely new view
i of life. Through Christianity men be-
came brethren. though before they had
been strangers and enemies. Through
Christianity the slave was elevated tc
tho Lowell OF the MASTER and woman
was recognized In her sacred mission
as mother, companion, friend. Through
Christianity democracy conquered inn
perialIsm Christianity, In one word
became rcgencrating force in tho
world. Even In tho so-callcd dark ages
the dominant church tried to direct The
course of events. to some little extent
into tho channels of bctterment. 1t be
came the custodian OF learning and lit
eraturc. 1t gave to the world mcr