The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-08-15
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE''
DOCTRINE POETIC IDEA

DOCIRlNE POETIC IDEA
Dante and Milton Responsible for Modern
He'll Fire Theory, Says DR.. Young.
Asked by the Times for his views in
regard to the recent action of the Inter
national Bible Students Association, in
going on record against the doctrine of
fire and birthstone torture FIR sinners
after death. the Rev. T. W. Young, pas
tor of the North Woodward Baptist
church said:
THE resolutions adopted by the recent
International Bible Students Associa-
ton, in session in Washington, D. c.,
repudiating the hellfre and birthstone
theory asunscriptural, remind one of the
famous bull concerning snakes in Ire
land, After all was said it was decided
there are no snakes in. Ireland And
these wonderful resolutions are aimed
at something that only does not exist,
but which practically nobody believes.
or with few exceptions, ever did believe.
There have been struggling and fantas-
tic things about the Bible, and there are
still. The widely diffused ideas in modern
times about the devil and hell of fire
and birthstone for the wicked, comes
from Dante and Mllton-which is
poetry-and not from the Bible. Some
of the ancient church fathers that
fruitful source of heresy also held fam
tastic views about the future torment
of the wicked. But no great religious
creed and no great religious denomina-
ton as such has ever advocated any such
literal Interpretation of the Bible. No
present-day creed, or church. as far as
| know, believes IN hell of fire and
birthstone. Some few struggling liter
alisUs NAV, but they have little or no
following. If there are any outsiders
who think the religious denominations
stand for this conception, they are
simply belated onlcokers. They do not
know. But this is not saving that the
scriptures do not teach that sin inhicts
its own appropriate penalty on evil
doors. Every man shall reap just what
he sows."
DR.. Young is a prominent minister of
the Baptistchurch, to which faithBrother
Hudson also subscribes. Dr. Young s
statement, while more sweeping than
any which has yet come to my notice, is
in line with what the majority of Pro-
testant ministers privately believe, but
who have not declared themselves
publicly, particularly in their pulpits,
thus denying themselves the privilege,
nay the great honor of assisting in the
work of removing from our Heavenly
Fathers name the foulest of SANDER
and the groSSest of Misrepresentation
regarding His character and as a result
of this silence on their part, they con-
tinue to keep their flocks in ignorance
Of the real facts.
For proof that this horrible doctrine
is being discarded in other lands than
our own, quote from the Press report
(as it appeared in the Washington Star,
Saturday July 18th, of the proceedings
of the l. B. S. A. convention then in
session in Washington:
delegates to the International Bible
Students Association convention are
jubilant over cablegrams from London
being printed in the press Of the
country and quoting Canon Henson of
Westminster Abby, speaking for the
Church Of England, as declaring that
his church repudiated the literal Hell
fire theory years ago The published
statement of Rev. r. j. CAMPBELL,
speaking for the non-conformists of
Great Britain, and averring that no
English devine indorses the theory in
question has also given much satisfac-
ton.
The statments of Canon Henson and
DIR. Campbell here referred to were
current news about July 18th or 18th,
the full text of which we regret we have
not at hand, but which we personally
read in the columns of the New York
World at that time
DR.. Campbell, as most persons know,
is the greatest nonconformist preacher
in England today, and in the news item
referred to, he not only states that hell
fire had not been preached in England
for twenty years, but that he himself
did not think there was an intelligent
educated minister in the United Kingdom
who believed in it. So much for the
proof which Brother Hudson challenges.
Come now, let US reason together,
lisa. 1:18. Hear the word of the Lord as
to the end of the wicked: THE wages
of sin is death, " and in contradistinction
to this the apostle adds, "but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord" Rom, 6:23. For it is
only through the merit of the Redemp-