The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-02-07
PICTURE OF GOD
IS ALL WRONG

Nv "
The regular pulpit editorial Of
Rev. Noble Strong Elderkin, delivered
before a large congregation at the
First Congregational church last even.
Ing. was devoted to the modern con.
ception of the Deity. which tho minis.
ter declared is entirely wrong. Pres.
ent-day Christians. he asserted look
upon God as somnolently Indifferent
to happenings In tho world Of His crea.
tlon. but this conception is entirely
wrong. The editorial entitled "Our
God-Gone to Sleep" follows:
God-dozing. yawning: God-who
simply doesn't care, That is the pic,
ture, The picture doesn't inspire hope
or confidence In better day. The
! philosophy OF the portrait Is here:
God made the world. gave it a push,
and now Is a dlsintcrested spectator
OF Its mad turnings and overturnlngs-
Ile has no interest In his creation.
There he sits. dreaming. sleeping,
But that wasn't the first picture
men conjured up of Cod At first they
saw In the heavens one who revelled
in slaughter and carnage God was
never So happy as when his chosen
people were butchering Amelekites.
He shouted In sheer Joy as he saw
Israel come home bearing swords all
adrip with hated blood, God wns dy-
Ing of thirst. The thirst was for
blood. Israel could keep him from dy-
Ing. And Israel would The eyes OF
God were ever strained for the sight
OF Israel marching in bloody triumph
from some field of battle No wonder
Israel soon came to know what God
wanted. He wanted sacrifice So Is
rael set Itself to the task of pleasing
him They could see the smile of new
content as he shifted the delightful
odors OF burning flesh. Hut We have
turned that picture of God to the
wall
We had to. The prophets of ancient
Israel stirred our souls, They were
brave enough to say that God was not
Insane, He was not wild for the sight
OF blood, He was not forever scenting
the atmosphere for the odor IF burn
Ing flesh. They had been knocking at
the door of his heart and had heard
new word. II will have mercy-I
Will have mercy-and not sacrifice" :"
They had talked with the infinite God.
And God didn't want blood land 1t Is
not likely that later this same God
would demand the blood of Jesus be-
fore he would ease himself of his fu-
rIous rage)- They knew what he
wanted-those prophets, He wanted
justice. righteousness. mercy en-
throned In mems hearts.
And we have turned the picture of
God TO the wall. And We Christians
have tackled up a new picture of our
God. There he is-sittiDg In majesty
between the Notwithstanding ever
so patiently. For what? Well-most-
ly to see whether We shall put the
doNology in the wrong place. Bent
forward to hear If any slip up on the
literary; waiting to be lulled to sleep
with meaningless jargon.
Or here-God bending his ear to
hear this one say softly and sweetly,
Il am an evolutionist and liberal in
theology-or stirring on his throne as
this ono protests quite loudly that he
is Congrcgatlonalist or Christian
Scientist or a Mormon
AS II God corod what spangled robes
covered the nudity OF our souls. Az
If God cared how tho Litany went or
where the doxology was set AS If the
great God cared whether we branded
ourselves orthodox or heterodox
Today-nineteen centuries after the
Great Teacher taught-we who bear
his name, boastlng. perchance, of our
breadth of thought or of our adher-
ence to the ancient standards, have
yet to learn that religion Is more than
nomenclature. more than formulas,
more than rites or creeds or govern
ment. 1t is as Washington GLADDEN.
says. Friendship with God"
Real men with blood In their veins
can't be friendly with a God who is
all alive TO the speculative phases OF
changing thought and 10 the stupid
muttering of meaningless phrases. but
asleep to the stirring problems OF
living. throbbing world,
/ might add: The trouble is not
with God. but with our picture OF Col.