The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-05-10

time religion; tbs the old-time religion
: and it's good enough for me-" Pos.
sibly it is. 1t certainly seems to be.
They don't seem to care to improve on
the religion which their grandfathers
believed in and practiced. At least
they won't confess that they have i'm
proved on it. But / notice they don't
travel in stage~coaches when they can
get express trains, with parlor cars.
The old-time method of travel isn't
good enough for them. Why should
any man be less progressive in the
most important matters of life than he
is in the least important? The ques-
tion isn't whether the old-time religion
is good enough for popular evange-
list 1t certainly will be good enough
for man who doesn't use his head for
anything but hatrack, The question
is, whether it is good enough for
reasonable, thinking man, in the year
OF our Lord 1912.
For instance, Captain White-and II
refer to him simply by way of illus
tration, not by way of personal at
tack-says that his mothers Bible is
good enough for him. | deny that 1t
is. Capt White doesn't believe in
his mothers Bible. He only thinks
he does. He is the victim of a similar
ity of names.
AS matter of fact, the Bible is a
different book to each man who reads |
it. One Bible teachers fore-ordination.
Another, free-wil Depends on
whether the reader is Presbyterian
OF a Methodist. 1t is only in name
that these two have the same Bible.
One Bible teaches baptism by INNER
sion, another baptism by sprinkling,
according as the reader is a Lutheran
or a Campbellite. It's dollars to dough,
nuts that Captain Whites mothers
Bible taught that the world was made
in l44 hours, and that He'll was Mil
tonic lake of "ever-burning sulphur un-
surely do not give credit
20 Captain White for believing such
hings, though it was entirely natural
or an intelligent Christian to believe
hem seventy-fye years ago.
Religion changes. just as everything =,
Else changes. There are no real stand ;
)atters anywhere in the universe, ex-
'ept in the cemeteries. The only diff ,
erence between the so-called stand
'atter' and the so-called radical is,
hat one moves faster than the other. !
religion has been in Il process of con-
inual change ever since its birth, 1t
las developed fro ma worship of indi- :
idual gods in individual stocks and !;
tones, through polytheism. to the be- =
ief in one God. In Christian history
We have had the simple, undogmatie !,
aith of Jesus, the organization and ],
recommendation of the Catholic church. ;
he iron-bound intellectualism of Pro- :,
estant theology. and now We have the !
loral and spiritual freedom of mod
IN liberal thought. Christianity used
teach that the Roman Emperor was r
.ntichrist. Then it taught that the
'ope was Antichrist Now it has ),
rown wiser, and doesn't know who in
he world the Scripture means by Anti ;
hrist. Once 1t was orthodox" to be-
eve that the sun moved around the :,
orld; now the common Christian be- :
eff is just the reverse. Religion pro L
resses as the world progresses. The !,
ian who elings to his mothers re- !,
gion is standing still while humanity
weeps by him. He might as we'll be :
cad y
What do ] care if the Christian
hurch did once persecute Calico for
eaching that the world moved? Chris 7
anity has got just as good a right to u
utgrow its mistakes as science has. 7
] this particular case. science made \
he mistake first. Christianity had 5
cen taught by science that the earth :
as still in space, and the run NOV
tg round IT, and believing implicitly !"
lat the teachings of science was the Il
.utb of God, it thought Galileo was =
saching hersey Science can hardly :
ford to throw stones at the church y
,r its mistakes in scientific matters. =
S own house has too many panes OF
lass in the walls. Science and re- = =
gion, as a matter of fact, are getting u
ogether. Each is eonfessing that it .
asn't the final truth, bur is still seek y
lg for it, and learning more and more
very day: science about nature. and =
aligion about the soul They are 4
.orking together, using each others y
rocesses. sharing each others results, o
each others sincerity. y
cience is growing more believing, re-
gion more progressive and expert "
lpntal Science is disnoVerino tba "a