The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-08-01

H. w utEG AlC lAS
Dead?' and l'sIhe
Judgment of the
HASIQR RUSSELl)J Great White
Throne" We re
port the former. Each address lasted
for nearly two hours, but so deeply IN
terested were the audiences that they
seemed not to note the flight Of time.
BE said:-
No other question could be Of deeper
interest to thinking people than the one
now before us-@Where Are thcDead|
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. l have merely for my
guide what Is recognized by all Chris
tians rs the Divine revelation on this
subject-the Bible. hold that there
is no other source Of information COM
parable to it.
Before presenting his own findings
on the subject, in the Bible, Pastor
Russell reviewed the findings Of 9th
ers-C Christian in general. The agnos-
tic view, that there is no life beyond
the tomb, he could not entertain. he
believed that mans organism, 50 much
higher than that of the brute, implies
not only an all.wise Creator, but His
benevolent intention for mans future.
He examined the Catholic view and,
while according full liberty TO every
Catholic to believe what to him seems
notwithstanding the dead, Pastor
Russell Gould not agree with Roman
Catholic teachings. BE summarized
their view to be that very sanity
few were fit for heaven aud that they
went thither. He complimented the
justice of their intentions, that q COM
paratively small number of humanity
we're worthy Of eternal torture.
For his own part. he could not imag-
inc any human being, on account Of
any human weakness or depravlty, as
meriting endless torture. Tile Catho-
lie view, that oil heather and prac-
ticallyI diff ProtGstants and Catholics
60 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, all-lovng and powerful Gre
ator will torture His creatures for cen
turtles in any such manner as Catholics
generally believe and as Dante's great
poem, "Inferno" so graphically de-
plcts,
Our Protestant View Is Worse.
Pastor Russell declared that he was
a Protestant, in large measure be-
cause his parents were such. But he
declared that while he sees many
truths both In Protestant and in Cath
olic teachings hc considers that the
Protestant view respecting the here
after of the dead the most dlabOlical
conception to be found on the face
Of the earth, the grossest blasphemy
against 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 aud Disconnected by bis
early teachings, he had, when youth.
discarded all human creeds, aud the
Bible us we'll believing that tho latter
was the basis for the former. 1t was
q 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 q new book
the most wonderful book in the
world. Its teachings he now sees to
be, beyond oil comparison, the most
lOgical-the only rational presentation;
and most glorious one respecting
man-explaining Ills past, present and
future as sprearranged by n wise, gra.
clous and all.powertut Creator
Two Protestant Views.
Protestant views respecting the here
after are various, but two in particular
represent Protestant thought in gen
efal: (D The Calyinistlc theory ~
the Arniplan theory. y
Five centuries ago there were no
Protestants-all were Catholics and be
IIcyed in three places for the dead
heaven for the sanity few; PursatdFy
Tor the general mass of mankind; and
hell, everlasting torture. for the incor-
riglble. Luther and cosdjutors got to
studying the Billie, and, finding moth
ing there respecting purgatoy ana
mass for tile dead, they threw these
out. Figurntiyely, they smashed com:
plotely the idea Of Purgatory. Allttle
later they were pcyplcxed and said TO
each other We have smashed Pnrga'
tory; but now what shaIl we do with
all these thousands Of millions who
hive been there IN our Imagination
= So 49,