The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-11-24
II. NAY BE No BET TER !
REGULATIONS ON QUALITIES OF
~ RELIGION or FUTURE.
viii Be More Definite and Dogmat'e
Than tho advanced" Faith OF
the Present, 10 Opinion
Of One Writer.

Theorists concerning the religion OF
tho future usually plant themselves
upon one of two assumptions: that the
religion Of the future will necessarily
be better \ than that Of the past: or
that it will be characterized by fuller
allegiance to certain views now held
by opponents of so-called advanced
thought"
We see no reason for knuckling un.
der to either OF them, says the St.
Louis Republican. It does not neces'
sarily follow, because all things
change. that they must need change
for the better. Architecture in Paris
in the thirteenth century was SO in
flnitely superior to the architecture OF
the present day as to be impossible of
comparison with it. Oratory In the
United States senate in 1920. just 81
years ago, was so far beyond the ora
tory Of today in form, finish and inner
spirit that it is difficult to realize that
the body is the same in function and
method OF selection of membership.
The violins Antonlus Stradivarfus
made in Cremona in the early years OF
the eighteenth century are unmatch-
able In the workshops of today. either
here or elsewhere. No present day
builder can equal the cement mixed by
Roman artisans in the time Of Con-
stantine.
Now We make bold to prophecy that
the religion Of the future" will have
more OF defniteness than the lad.
vanced faith" Of the present. 1t will
demand more of it's votaries. It will
be-inveigh If you will!-more dog
matte.
The religion OF advanced thought"
suffers from too much width, like a
shallow river smothered among sand
bars. It has "broken the shackles OF
dogmat1sm." Very good; but it has
failed to substitute for them any
definite obligation or tie to anything
else. 1t stands for 'progress"-toward
what it cannot tell for the life of it. 1t
believes in "the uplift of humanity"
But what Is uplift? And what IL the
thing that humanity ought to be up
lifted toward? It Is silent.
Advanced thought" goes on the as
sumption that with Wilderness of vision
comes necessarily happiness of spirit
It has evidently never read the lives
of the philosophers. It goes on the as
! sumption that the champion Of ad
vanced ideas will, in his age, be hon
ored Of all men. It evidently has not
pondered the history OF the martyrs
It ignores death, inherited disease, and
the apparent lack of connection In
this world between the service render
ed by life and the reward returned by
its own age, whether in the form Of
gold, praise or. love.
The religion of the future will have
In 1t less of the spirit Of revolt. 1t will
be humber and have keener sense
of its responsibilities. 1t will ash
fewer questions, and strive to answer
more. A youth once. told Charles G
Finney that he did not need the formal
service OF the church: he went forth
into the Ohio forests. and worshiped
there. young man." demanded Fin
ney, what do you do when 1t rains?'
The religion of the future will concern
itself with the devotional possibilities
Of wet days more than has the lad
vanced thought" Of the present.