The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-20
Protestant VIEW
OF HE'LL AssAILEO
Pastor Russell Says Belief in Place of
Everlasting Torment Is An
Accumulation.

With voice that has the ringing
power OF youth. and a physical per
sonality that suggests vigorous young
manhood despite the hint of the pass
Ing years In beard and a thin shock
OF silvery hair. streaked with black,
Pastor Charles +. Russell, OF the
Brooklyn tabernacle, and one of the
foremost pulpit speakers OF the day.
told an audience that filled every cor
ner OF the Light Guard armory, sun
day afternoon, that the Protestant
creeds OF today are an aDomination.
Pastor Russell chose for his sermon
The Hereafter" and he assailed
every Interpretation OF the word
hell as meaning everlasting torment
to be false and untenable from study
of Gods own word. Pastor Russell
he objects 20 being known as the REV
erend Charles I. Russell-chooses the
simplest OF words and phrases In his
public speaking and uses none or the
tricks OF the orator either In language
or gesture. He speaks in clear, we'll
modulated voice OF peculiarly at
tractive quality and exerts a power
over his audience that holds II quietly
attentive from beginning TO end OF
his discourse
Believe In the love OF God and that
God Is love-" he said. ''Protestants
tell us that we are doomed TO hell,
meaning everlasting punishment. In
saying this they blaspheme God. They
look at God in the wrong light. Such
q belief Is an abominable theory OF re-
ligion. The Roman Catholic belief Of
purgatory Is preferable TO the doc
trine Of eternal torment Rather than
believe that my loved ones are being
consumed by fire, because OF their
earthly sins, would accept the Budd
hist belief that those who have entered
the grave return to earth In the shape
or flowers and animals We refer with
pride to our colleges and universities,
but where these are fostered and sup
ported by religious denominations they
are hotbeds Of agnosticism rather than
schools for the inculcation of true
christianity. The teachers In these
schools tell their pupils that the Bible
Is good text book or they teach them
that the word OF God Is one long tale
Of persecution. The dark ages did not
know the contests OF the Bible-the
Protestant professors and ministers or
today do not know the Bible. II is q
shame and a disgrace to Christianity.
You and are not satisfied with these
creeds. Let us change them. Back
20 the Holy Word, say /; Il is there
that salvation is secreted and not in
the minds of men who set themselves
up to do the thinking and mold the
belief of humanity. The world has
really been better than its creeds for
many years. so let us now and forever
lay aside creeds and false doctrines
and accept the one belief that God Ia
love"
Pastor Russell related In a brief way
bis own history, how he turned In un-
rest OF soul to Conregationaiism
only to become an agnostic; then, still
unsatisfied, back to the deeper study
Of the Bible to come forth into the
blessed hight OF a true conception OF
Gods acknowledging love and mercy
The audience that listened so atten-
lively TO Pastor Russell was made up
Of every race and color, with a large
percentage OF men. and all joined
heartily In the singing of a few simple
hymns. No admission was charged
and no collection taken, this being one
OF the tenets Of Pastor Russell's belief
that religion should be absolutely d.
yorced from the question OF money.
The International Bible Students asso-
citation, which brought Pastor Russell
to Detroit, will bring other noted |
speakers In the near future.