The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-09-14
HERESY TRIALS OUT OF DATE
World Has Progressed Beyond that State Where Ortho-
doxy So-called, Must Be Sustained at the Cost
of Spiritual Development.

Don't the MOudmmeQauS look upon
the whole Christian world as peopled
by hopeless pagans-"C dogs"
and the Koran as the guide to eter-
nal bliss?
oh well, you say. this is begging the
question?
Is it? And, If so, why?
Is there anything in the teachings of
Christ about being orthodox"
Love thy neighbor as myself
him that is without guilt throw the
first stone"-"do unto others as you
would have them do unto you, '-"go
and sin no more,"-
| Isn't it an undisputed fact that, in
the. Christian world, everything is
dropping away from the figure of the
one Perfect Man who is silhouetted
against the ages as the ideal of hu-
mainly?
That all is shrinking into oblivion
save the spirit of Christ?
| That the latter is permeating all
other religions and peoples and lands?
lands?
The other day this column had some
commentary on Quakerism as the reli-
gion of the twentieth century since
it's animating spirit was the universal
brotherhood of man, peace on earth,
good will to men.
The fact that the foundations of it's
faith, however they may have been
warped and twisted into the thing now
known as Quakerism-and which is
largely the form, not the substance
are those ideals toward which society
is trending, may account for the decay
of the body itself.
For many of those things for which
the Society of Friends was distinguish
ed in It's origin-equality of men and
women, universal peace, brotherhood
of men, the direct responsibility of the
individual to God without an interme-
diary (for there was no such thing as
the Quaker Church in it's beginnings,
merely the Society OF Friends, ")-are
the social bases of the day-at least
in part.
The ideals of the founders having
been attained, or in the way of at
tainment through other and diverse
channels, and the function of the par.
ent body having been performed, the
latter, as in the scheme of the universe
falls into desuetude.
In other words the mission of Qua.
kerism has been performed-it is the
twentieth century religion-and it's
work done.
Why, then, try to animate the husk
Why not accept the inevitable, the
result of evolution, as all things dis.
ipfoorofo ond rofnrro opd IN tn
other, and, perhaps, still better things
Why appoint committees to investi
gate the Orthodoxy" of one of the
most brilliant opponents of pure Qua
kerism this country has ever had, FL
bert Russell?
Why publish to the world your OWE
decay?
Why bark back to the days of witch
burning and inquisitorial torments
For this is the spirit of the com
rnittee appointed by the Western Year
ly Meeting.
While modified in accordance will
the humanitarianism Of the day it Ii
modelled on the Spanish Inquisitio1
which tortured those who did not sub
} scribe to its own man-made code ant
. creed.
Earlham needs such men as PROBES
I FOR Russell to give it distinction ant
prestige.
, The hayseed period is long passed
in the history of this institution.
/ If this committee wants to make it
self ridiculous and the college prepos
ferrous and set the latter back abou
/ fifty years in its course it will procee,
with this amusing Investigation"