The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-02-28


can freely admit thar be was n relJ,
io6s man. that tho consclousnes
which is portrayed in the story y
Jesus rs the consciousness OF ,eltrion
And ne said religion was TO lsnoy
God That is the most trenrendon,
thing one can say about rcli-lon y
about anything. He doesn't say tha
religion Is TO believe sometime obou
God or 10 have some conception o
God OF TO perform certain rites. Il
is simply to know God. or course
| knowledge of God Will involve somC
sort of conception. but the concep
tion is no more 4 vital part of tho
! knowledge than is our conception ot
the sun an essential part OF on
knowledge or our consciousness of tho
sun.
Eternal Life.
don't think We need to frame any
other definition. Il doesn't even mnf.
ter whether the word God" means
much 10 us OF not, The word is not
/ important Only the thing Itself is
important To know God, said Jesus.
is eternal lie Eternal lie, as Jesus
uses the term, is not mater of du-
ration but OF worth Religion is
wholly a question of worth. The sense
OF worth is the sense OF religion.
Now, there are In this country over
two hundred different sectS avowedly
devoted TO the work OF religion. Per
haps there hundred thousand
churches. What are these churches
forR To solve this religious problem
for the people OF this country. To
sec 10 II that every boy and girl and
man and woman shall come into his
or her greatest, noblest, dlvinest in
herltance; shall know religion as a
fact of consciousness, as the tran.
scendant joy. inspiration, certainty of
life.
Let us think what is being done
toward this end. Think for 4 mo-
Dent what Is going on in the world.
Here are millions of human beings
coming into the world every year
They are coming upon the earth
every day, every hour. every minute.
every second They come here with
out any memory of a previous exist
ence. They arc not born religious
beings. II they are to know religion,
they must know 1t for themselves
No one can know 1t for them. It
must be a matter OF personal con-
sciousness. How are they to know
religion as a fact In their lives? How
are we trying to put them in posses
sion of that knowledge? How are
they to know God2
Today a baby is born In an Indian
tepee, another In n crowded tenement
house In New York or London, an.
other in Fifth avenue mansion, an
other in n kings palace What are
the religious prospects OF these hui
man beings? What chance is there
of their ever Knowing religion as
the richest, divincst experience OF
their life2 If YOU viii visit some of
the Indian reservations You VIII find
that n considerable proportion OF the
male Indians are becoming almost
nothing but tanks for the reception
of beer or whisky. And yet these
same men were once babes, Graded
in arms, loved, perhaps longed for
and prayed over If you will visit tho
slums of our largo cities, you will
understand WHY we are breeding such
a swarm of diseased and defective
people. And yet every one of these
moral wrecks was once a baby In
arms, some OF them the objects of |
hope and PRAYER II YOU win exam
ne the records you VIII find that 1t |
Is not much better fortune to be |
born In Fifth avenue mansion than |
n an East Side tenoment The child |
1f wealth quite as often becomes
nothing in the world but an idle use
ess parasite And the atmosphere OF |
'oyalty is always abnormal and often |
degrading The chances that these |
,abies will ever known the expert.
nee of religion are very slim. II Is |
hardly to be doubted that literally
Millions OF human beings come upon
he earth, exist for little span,
at and drink and sleep and go
through the motions OF animal life
nd pass off tho stage without even
moving that religion is a possibility
What Religion Does,
But part of this swarm OF human
" IS reachable by what are called
eligious agencies. What do these re-
iglous agencies try to do? Let us
uppose it is their aim to help these
uman souls to know Cod, 60 be CON
ciouS of the great reality, to be SEN
ible Of supreme Worths. How do
hey proceed and how do they sue
eed?
Well, one thing that Is being done,
# used to be, Is 10 teach little chill
rem to say prayers Another Is to (
I've older children some knowledge
t the Hebrew and Christian scrip
ures, and some knowledge OF what
as been thought about God Does
,od become real to them In that
'ay? Can they know religion as a
act OF their life by knowing all the
'lble has TO teach, all the creeds con-
ain, all that has been crystallized
lto doctrine or dogma2 To know
eliglon is to know God as fact, not
S a theory. That doesn't mean to
the Infinite. 1t doesn't
lean TO think about God 1t means
D know ones self as n part OF d.
inc plan. to know that this world is
OF a jungle, not a desert is not n
lind alley. Is not den of wild
casts, nor a meaningless tumble OF
iScordant elements. but is something
lll of hope and promise and prophe.
Y and Joy. To know religion is TO
now that life Is good: that we arc
OF actors IN a farce. but in a drama,
N epic II Is 70 know life as having
acred meaning and divine worth.
That is what real religion always
as been and always Will be. And
was a true instinct that led men
, make the Bible a religious text
ook for all generations Why, Be
ause large part of the Bible is the
roduct OF men to whom religion was