Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-05-11

ment is that, "since by man came
death, by man came also the resurrec- !
ton of the dead. For as all in Adam
die, even so all in Christ shall be
made alive. But every man in his
own ORDER Il Corinthians XIV, 21-23).
Doctrines of Demons"
The truth about this matter is severe
enough; it shows forth Divine Justice,
intertwined with Divine Mercy and
Love. We admit our present un-
worthiness of life eternal and feel
grateful for proposed assistance
through Christ, but our great Adver
sary. operating through ignorance, and
superstition and fear. seized the op-
portunity to deceive us and misrepre-
sent our Creator by bringing in what
ST. Paul designated doctrines of
demons" Il Timothy iv, II. These have
been promulgated, not merely in heath
en- lands but amongst the civilized.
These false doctrines have tended to
ALLEVIATE the hearts and minds of hui
mainly from God and his revelation;
they have put barrier between God
and his creatures.
These doctrines Of demons are pre-
sented from various standpoints. but
they are alike in one respect; namely,
they all teach that God deceived our
first parents when he told them that
the wages of sin is DEATH" These
doctrines of demons" assert the con-
trary that man cannot die, but must
live somewhere to all eternity. Thus
on the basis of mans fears, this doc
trine that God thrust immortality upon
his creatures, the demons built up for
us a theory so horrible as to be nau
seating and terrifying to every sane
and healthy mind. These doctrines
of demons" have been promulgated far
and near, and with various colorings.
but in essence they are all the same
They have come down from the dark
ages" represented in all our creeds,
Catholic and Protestant.
| Our Catholic friends have developed
this thought to a nicely. They tell us
that of those who die, only a mere
handful are fit for heaven and &C
there Immediately. They tell us that
the most reprehensible class, heretica
reiectors of Divine Truth. will be sem
to a hell of eternal torture where they
will never die. They assure US, how
ever, that the number who will re
ceive this extreme punishment is small
in comparison with the race as ;
whole. They tell us that the majority
Catholics and Protestants, civilized
and heather, are unfit for heaven a
death, and likewise not deserving o
eternal torture. and that thus the grea
mass of mankind, nine out of ever.
ten, go at death to Purgatory, there t.
suffer for centuries or for thousand
of years in expiation of sins, and 70
publication Of their souls, that the.
may be eventually fit for Heaven an,
it's blessings. Our hearts rebel at sue
a view of the hereafter" While Civ
ing our Catholic friends, and our ow
forefathers who were Catholics, credi
for being as sincere as ourselves, W
conclude that the light of our day. an
the light of our intelligence. will nc
permit us to believe and rejoice
such a view of the hereafter" as thi:
We say to ourselves, Surely the Grea
God has something nobler than this
reservation for his creatures.
Protestant Views Worse.
What shall we say Of the "Hert
after" from the standpoint of GU
Protestant creeds? How do these con
: pare with the Catholic views for,
, going-how much worse? When on
: forefathers thought they had foun
t something erroneous in the teaching
. Purgatory was not to be found in tt
Bible, they heroically determined
cast it out of their creeds. But ala
When discarding it, they did not r
aliZe that they were making bs
: matter worse. They held on to Il
u doctrine of demons" that God hf
e created man so that he could not di
: and could not be destroyed. and
they proceeded to interpret matte
c along that line. Realizing the Scri
!. turalness Of the proposition that on
the sanity were fit for heaven. and !
jecting the theory of Purgatory, tn
. logically consigned all except the sail
. ly thereafter to eternal torture. Ala
l. How inconsistent it is; how stran
- that we ever thought Divine Fol
1t knowledge, Wisdom, Justice, Nero
4. Love and Power should have Great
q man to the number of thousands
n millions. with the foreknowledge a
q fore-intention and desire that tn
= should suffer an eternity of torture.
,s Parting of the Ways.
Thus, my dear hearers, you with n
self and others of the intelligent p,
:, pie Of the world. find ourselves tod
~ in most trying position. Our hea
u have repudiated the doctrine Of ct
as nal torture as being un-Christ-like, I
1y worthy even of a devil. We can
&C. heve neither in Purgatory Of cen
al ries, nor in eternal torture as a con
I'M quence or penalty for Adams disobe
to ence in eating of the forbidden fri
eS- nor as penalty upon his children