Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-01-14

9PS S'7i77
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A SUFFICIENT MOTIVE.
By Henry T. Cope.

variably mark the religion Of the flu
ture. It will have, and, indeed, largely
It will be, passion for people, love
Of humanity, It's ultimate word VIII
be love, not a mawkish sentimentality.
but an earnest striving after the high
est and best in condition and eharac-
ter for all our fellows,
Religion will be the poetry and
idealism of our modern social think
ing. 1t will give to the barren. dried
bones OF the science of sociology the
quickening breath of a mighty emo
ton; it will compel 1t with sweep
of passionate feeling and convert it
from the dead theories and classified
data to regenerating saving power
The religion that is all emotion, all
feeling, is a paralyzing delusion. But
the religion that is without feeling is
a dead, helpless. deadening thing 1t
is worthless to us and to our world un-
less 1t have in it those ideals and prin-
ciples which can awaken in US great
tides Of feeling, can stir our passions.
kindle our enthusiasms, and claim our
unreserved allegiance.
The fact that old forms of faith
were philosophically absurd, histor-
ically inaccurate, and even ethically
unsound makes little difference to the
great mass Of people so long as these
faiths move their hearts, so long as
they hold out hopes that awaken
longing and stir up the sluggish spirit
with visions of felicities to be enjoyed
or of present wrongs TO be righted
The weakness of the modern and ra-
tional views of religion lies in the fact
that, while they are eminently salts
factory to many thoughtful persons.
especially to those of academic dispo-
sition, they seem to lack In vital sig
nifcance to the many; they offer no
great appealing program OF action;
they invite neither indignation, aspira-
ton, nor endeayor
You will never get a living religion
30 long as you limit it to reason alone,
for, after all, reasoning is simply the
power to record and classify exam
inc, and analyze your impressions. We
must keep our feet on the rational, but
our eyes must see the inspiration, that
which will awaken the life of feeling.
quicken the pulse, and nerve the heart,
that to which we will answer, with
out conscious process OF reasoning,
saying, this is right and nothing else
will satisfy my soul.
A new note Is coming into modern
religion which meets that need It
Is the result Of our social thinking.
The new faith catches its vision in
liberated, glorihed, perfected human
fly. 1t turns from disputations over
an ancient literature to ask, how can
we make our modern living what 1t
ought to be? 1t cares only for the his
tory that is for the sake OF the hui
mainly that is to be-
The new faith is faith In the flu
ture. Accepting the doctrines of our
slow development from lowliest begin
nings, 1t sees in this the prophecy of
our greater growth the hope of the
coming man. 1t argues, if we have
come so far we may yet go much far
Their. 1t believes in an ideal man
and an ideal humanity, not in some
distant star but with us and of lis
here.
When you begin to think of city
streets where no wall Of sorrow surges,
Of homes where no dwarfed lives.
pinched faces, and bent backs may be
found; when your religion turns to
wipe the tears from the faces Of the
children, to lift the burdens from the
weak. to set the bound free, and gives
eyes to the blind and heart 10 the
fainting you may be sure it will lay
hold of the deep places in man
Such an idealism becomes a prac-
teal working creed. One man may
hold its premises in the viii of low
ing God and another in the upward
dynamic of humanity. The premises
are not so important as the conclu-
sion, the goal. The explanations may
differ, but the ideal, the hope, the aim,
and the passion Will be one. Men will
gladly give themselves for the new
heaven and the new earth as a realiza.
Bile fact
Our modern theology springs out Of
our humanity. We believe in a deity
with the best attributes conceivable
for ourselves. and We believe in a uni
verse that will bear as It's highest
fruitage not angels nor harps, but
man IN his ripe powers and race
living together in love, harmony, and
growth into greater glory. And We
come TO believe in a law OF life in
which wrong 10 another IS the great
est sin and helpful, kindly love the
fairest virtue.
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