Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-10-28


olics warning with each other, burning
each other mt the stake, etc, Each
may feel free to investigate for him
self and to accept or reject such doc
trlnes and creeds as he may please.
All true Christian people deplore the
division of Chrsts followers into nu'
merous sects. Nevertheless we may
surely feel a great sympathy for all
of them when we remember that each
separate sect represents an additional
effort on the part of honest minds to
grope out Of darkness toward the light.
All who are awake are conscious that
some terrible nightmare of error rested
upon Chrstendom for long, long cen
turies
The Torch Of Civilization.
Well has the Bible been called the
Torch Of Civilization and Progress.
The Bible, not men, was the great Re-
former and leader into civilization.
When the Bible was placed in the
hands of the people, they began to see
that Gods Message came from Jesus,
and the Apostles, and the Prophets Of
old, and that clericism and sacerdotal
functions were man-made. A desire to
know what the Bible teaches became
more and more prevalent. The first
effort of the clerics was to tell the
masses that the priesthood had the Bl-
BILE and would read 1t in their hearing
but it was read in Latin, to those who
could not understand Latin.
Gradually the desire sprang up fol
the Bible in the English language, DIR.
Tyndale was amongst the first to rec.
Ognize the need and to supply it to the
British. Later on Luther, with assist.
ants, supplied the Germans. But not
many were able to read. A partisan
spirit arose Seeing that the Bible
was popular, all acclaimed it as the
Divine Revelation. But each party
condemned the translation made by the
other, when in reality there was nc
particular difference between them. II
was all the bishops could do to keep
the people from studying Gods Word
themselves and to make them satisfied
with the presentations already given
them by their teachers,
Therefore the Bishop of London
bought up lot Of Tyndales Testa'
ments and burned them in public But
more were printed and the demand in
creased People hungered for Gods
Word and felt suspicious Of the creeds
as well they might. Then came the
Catholic Bible in the English language
and later, our Common Version English
Bible, and many others. Still the claim
Is made that Protestants should not
read the Catholic Bible, and that Cath
olcs should not read the Protestant
Bible, when in reality. the two are
practically the same-good translations.
1t would appear that there are many
religious teachers of all denominations
who outwardly eXtOl the Bible fol
popularitys sake, but who in reality
inwardly wish the people would never
read it, for they realize that the Bible
is the greatest foe in the world to eccle-
siastical hypocrises and superstitions.
Back to the Bible, Says Popel
The present Pope with clear vision
beholds the drifting Of our day away
from all faith and religion. Viewing
the attitude of the Protestant colleges
universities and theological seminaries
the Pope realized that nearly all the
educated young men Of Protestant
lands are being taught Higher Critic.
ism, which is but the polite modern
name for inhdeity. He perceived that
Professionalism, which originally boast
ed Of its fidelity to the Bible, and pro.
tested against the acceptance Of the
teachings of the bishops as instead Of
the Divine Word, has cut loose from
the Bible as an inspired authority and
Is drifting upon the rocks Of Higher
Criticism, rationalism, atheism.
The Pope then bethought him of the
Catholic colleges and found the same
Higher Criticism urudlng itself
there He perceived that this general
trend away from God has already
crushed all religion in ninety-slx per
cent. of the French and in ninety per
cent. of the Germans. The awfulness
of this situation greatly impressed the
holy father. He realized that our in.
crease of education and decrease In
religious faith must speedily spell an
drchH At the risk of condemnation
from both Catholics and protestants
as narrow-minded and bigoted, the
Pope instituted heroic measures. He
gave orders that all Roman Catholic
ecclesiastcs and teachers must be ex
amined as to their faith, and must
solemnly swear to It, and that all
books along the lines Of Higher Crit
lcism should be banned
Pope Plus Y took another bold, cour
ageous step. The Pope percelvinp
that the masses would no longer rec
ognIze the Bishops as Divine authori
ty-Os successors to the Apostles, the
Papal bull directed the Catholic
masses to no longer look to the sue
cessors Of the Apostles for instruction
hut to the Bible itself. He urged upon
the Bishops that Catholics everywhere
be encouraged to read the Bible This
is move In the right direction, II
Catholics should get to reading the
Bible Il care not whether they use the
Catholic Version or the Protestant
Verslon-l use both, Protestants may
be shamed into real Bible study. I'm