The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1910-06-16
Co
COrner7West and Grove SITS.
The Big Store on the Corner
Rutland, Vermont

A mans conduct Is governed by his
belief A Protestant, believing tha
he is justified, may marry a diyorc
ed person He may not be held ac
countable by God for such an act
while il a Catholic does the same
thing the latter is committing q
grave sin If one Is born and bred
In "A region where polygamy is the
rule he may not be held response
BILE for following the custom of the
country and having several wives
| If a man does not know he is acting
against the laws of God he Is moi
eulpably wrong.
The statement that II makes nc
difference what man believes is
false principle Faith Is the foun
datlon of the religious life. A man
must believe right before he can do
right He may believe right and dc
wrong A man may have faith al
still be a drunkard, a thief. immoral
| II he continues in this course OF
eyildoing faith will not save him;
he viii be damned.
ference what a man believes Is to
assert that God is Indifferent as to
whether man believes truth on
falsehood, calls good evil, or evil
good Such concept of God Is
contradictory to our faith that tells
us that God is absolute Truth. How
could He, then, declare II made nc
difference whether one denomination
of Christians believed in the Trinity
or another denied It? A man in
Africa worships many gods, Chris.
tan worships one; the Unitarian
says Jesus was a man; Catholics
Baptists and others says He was
the Man-God; both views cant be
right. Catholics say that the Sac
rement of the Lords Supper Is
Jesus Christ really present, under
the form Of bread and wine; Presby
terians say there is only bread and
wine, symbol of Christ's body.
Both cant be right Among the
Protestant sects, one claims thai
baptism is necessary for salvation
another says it Is not necessary,
the Unitarian says there Is no hell
the Catholic says there Is an ever
lasting hell. One of these contra
dictory statements must be false
Why, then, ask what difference doef
ii make what you believe?
while the Catholic Church says
plainly we do not condemn a maj
because he has had no opportunity
to know, she does condemn indiffer
entism TO the truth. Is not truth
the one thing essential to the truly
religious man?
win you ask, how can man
decide? Is IL not reasonable to ex
pect that God would have left upon
earth divine, infallible teacher TO
be our guide to His truth2 To as
sert that God is indifferent to truth
because some men are; to declare
that IL matters not whether they ac-
cept or reject His revelation at viii
lis to the thinking man nothing
but blasphemy. Is not goodness the
one thing necessary? Yes. but faith
is a part of goodness loyalty to
truth IL the very essence of the
truly good man A creed Is mere
ly the concrete expression of reveal
ed truth good man, from Gods
view point, is one who accepts Gods
word once he knows ita brave ma
Is one who faces the problem oi
morals and religion aud seeks iol
the answer till he finds It,
God intended religion for all
men. Christianity Is for rich and
poor. sinner and saint, stupid and
clever. ignorant aud cultured When
a man admits that he is bieot
that be has decided views on re
iigious questions, am antipathy 70
the Catholic Church even, we are
glad 10 hear II. He hates the
Church probably because he
was taught that she vas false. and |
idolatrous in her teaching and prae- |
tlces. There is every indication tha |
such a man Ii sincere aud that WheHI
he n disabused Of his preJudices /
and false views he may be led 10 ac- |
know ledge the claims Of the Church |
But when man aayA. ] am a liberal
IN religious matters We are not en- /
OF course II be means
that he Is tolerant and kindly 70 /
ward those whose convictions are
not In accord with his own, We adj
mire bis charity. il IL good thai /
men have become more kindly dis 4
posed toward each other. that the
old time disposition 10 kill one an
other for religious differences has /
given way 90 more humane point 1
u yiea But when a man calls
himself liberal We begin 10 ques
tion whether be- would accept the
ituth u Il were made clear 10 him
II his ilberaiitY means that be
doesn't care shat Jesus Christ i
,Aught then be IL III bad way
His conduct is built on the shifting
sands o. public opinion II be lives
in a iaNleks community he miil pro
badly slak 10 the level of the stand