Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-08-05


port the former. Each address lasted
for nearly two hours. but so deeply In
tercsted were the audiences that they
seemed not to note the flight of time.
lie said
No other question could be of deeper
interest TO thinking people than the one
now before us-"Whcre Are the Dead"
Our ancestors, our neighbors. our
friends. are dead or dying. and our
selves with them. What will be our
condition when the spark of life flick
ers out? have no new revelation on
this subject. have merely for my
guide what is recognized by all Chris
tians as the Divine revelation on this
subiect-.thc Bible. hold that there
IS no other source OF information COM
parable to 1t.
Before presenting his own findings
on the subject. in the Bible. Pastor
Russell reviewed the findings of 9th
crs-ChrIstian in general. The agnos-
Tie view. that there is no life beyond
the tomb he could not entertain. He
belle, ed that mans organism, so much
higher than that of the brute. implies
not only an alIwise Creator. but His
He examined the Catholic view, and,
while according full liberty to every
Catholic 10 believe what to him seems
reasonable respecting the dead. Pastor
Russell could not agree with Roman
Catholic teachings. He summarized
their view 70 be that very sanity
few were fit for heaven and that they
went thither. He complimented the
Justice of their intentions. that COM
paratively small number of humanity
were worthy OF eternal torture.
For his own part. he could not imag-
Inc any human being. on account of
auy human weakness or depravity, as
meriting endless torture. Tile Cath0-
lie view. that all heather and prac-
lically all protestants and Catholics
80 in death to purgatory. he could not
agree with for two reasons. First. he
finds no Scriptural authority for such
view. and secondly. his mind cannot
accept the thought that an all-wise.
ADJUST. ALLOWING and powerful Gre
ator will torture His creatures for CEN
turtles in any such manner rs Catholics
generally believe. and MS Dante's great
poem. Inferno" so graphically de-
picts
Our Protestant View ls Worse.
Pastor Russell declared that he was
a Protestant. In large measure be-
cause his parents were such. But he
truths both in Protestant and in Cath
Ollie teachings he considers that the
Protestant view respecting the here
after Of the dead the most diabolical
conception TO be found ON the face
of the earth. the erossest blasphemy
hgainst the Divine character and pro-
vision for humanity. Had he nothing
better TO Offer he would not be address
Ing his audience on the subject.
Perplexed and Disconnected by bis
early teachings he had. when n youth.
discarded all human creeds. and the
Bible ms well-bclleving that the latter
WAS the basis for the former. II was
n happy day for him when he learned
that this was mistake-when he
learned that the creeds OF the Dark
Ages are Numerically opposed TO the
teachings Of Gods Word. Now his
Bible has become to him n new book
the most wonderful book In the
world. Its teachings he now sees to
be. beyond AL comparison. the most
logical-the only rational presentation,
and most glorious one respecting
man-cxplaining his past. present and
future as prearranged by wise. gra-
cious and all-powerful Creator.
Two Protestant Views.
Protestant views respecting the here.
after are various. but two In particular
represent Protestant thought In gen.
eral: (b The CalvinistIc theory: CT
the Arminian theory.
Five centuries ago there were no
Protestanis- all were Catholics and be
licyed in three places for the dead
heaven for the sanity few: Purgatory
for the general mass OF mankind; and
hell. everlasting torture. for the incor'
rigible. Luther and conductors got "a
studying the Bible. and. finding moth.
ing there respecting purgatory and
mass for the dead. they threw these
out. Figuratlvely. they smashed com.
pletely the idea OF Purgatory. A little
later they were perplcxed and said Ia
each other. We hive smashed Purga
tory. hut now what shall we do with
MI these thousands OF millions who