The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-02-20
SAYS One FAITH
IS NOT AS GOOD
AS ANOTHER
Priest Delivers Discourse ON
What He Terms Oft Re-
peated Absurdity
DECLARES THERE CAN BE
ONLY ONE CORRECT FAITH
Rev. Henri BlanchOt Defends
Catholic Church Against
Charge of Intolerance

NathOiAN NhhlNhs wv w.
Blanchot. pastor OF ST. Joachim's. dis
cussed. is one religion as good as
another" He said In part.
Il wish To call your attention 10
one OF the errors which reflects the
irreligious spirit OF the times ana
which Is as absurd as II Is oft re-
peated II IL found in almost every
number OF our popular magazines.
The demagogue on the street corner
the practical man Of AFFAIRS, the
wizard OF stocks and bonds and dot
lars and cents, and who over night
becomes a theorizer and philoso-
, pher, all voice the same error. And
last OF all, II Is the chief stock In
trade OF the modern philosopher who
gains notoriety and short-liyed fame
by denying everything heretofore be-
lieved.
And from this very repetition
there Is danger that the unwary may
begin TO think that there Is some
truth In the theory, even though they
are not ready TO accept the whole
falsehood. Now, the error 10 which
! refer, Is that one religion Is just as
good as another. or. as II Is some
times expressed. IT does not make
any difference what a man believes
as long az he leads a good life,' fal-
lacy which ! am sure each one or
YOU has heard many, many times.
But do we not sometimes meet
men who have no belief in revealed
religion and yet live naturally good
lives Yes, II is true, such men can
be found But IL would be wrong to
say that these men have no religion
at all They have a distinct religion,
a belief OF their own. whether they
are conscious OF ii or not. They be-
lieve, for instance, the doctrine that
virtue is its own reward; that to be
happy in this life, one must observe
the laws OF nature; that honesty is
the best policy that social order re-
quires man 10 respect his neigh
boris rights; that responsibility de-
mands conformity TO the customs and
usages OF civilized society. and so on.
But they also have quite an ex.
tensive system OF negative dogmas.
They deny and condemn many OF the
doctrines OF Christianity. First or
all, they deny the existence OF hell.
In itself II is not very comforting
doctrine. and every one naturally
wishes there we're no hell But when
man determines 10 do his own will
instead OF Gods, the wish becomes
father 70 the thought. and from wish
ing there were no hell he comes to
think there is none Therefore. he
condemns the doctrine Of hell. He
also, II he wishes to appear consist
ent, must reject and condemn the
doctrine OF the divinity of Christ. He
may also try 10 make himself believe
that he rejects the doctrine OF the
immortality OF the soul.
But another man may not go so
far He puts forth the same theory
in more taking and less obtrusiye
way He may belong to some Chris
tian sect and believe in the divinity Of
our Lord and in the Scriptures, but re-
ject the doctrines OF the Real Pres
ence, OF Purgatory, OF confession and
so on But he is a friendly, gcod-nat-
ured man and he grasps his neighbor
by the hand and says Well, after
all. one religion Is Just as good as
another. yours or mine We are all
going the same way. only by different
roads Well. friendly and good-nat-
ured he may be; but logical he certain
" is not II white is black and black
white. OF III TWO van
be true at the same time, then he is
right and one religion Is just as good
as another. And If he can go from
philadelphia to washington by follow
ing the road TO New York, then all
roads lead in the same direction and
we are all going the same way.
ct is therefore hard 10 imagine any
: error more absurd than the statement
raIiufnn Ia mat good
another.
"But absurd as this statement would
he on the lips Of an atheist, II is far
more absurd coming from one who
calls himself a Christian. A Chris
tian is one who believes that Christ
is God. that He came into the world
TO teach us the way OF salvation and
that He actually spent three years in
structlng His apostles in the faith they
we're to preach and in laying down
rules for our conduct. Why should
our ord. who is wisdom itself, have
done this II IL makes no difference
what we believe or IL one religion Is
as good as another? Was He merely
wasting His time uttering doctrines
about which lie was Indifferent as TO
their acceptance or rejection? And
as If 10 answer this modern fallacy,
our Lord insists most positively that
belief I'm His doctrines is absolutely
necessary and that II makes all the
difference in the world what man be
lieves. For when He was about to
leave the world He said In all solemn
ity 10 His apostles: Going forth, teach
We all nations, baptizing them In the
name OF the Father, OF the Son and
OF the Holy Ghost. teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever | have
commanded you He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved, and
he that belieyeth not shall be con
demned'
Gould anything be clearer or more
positive? What insolence. then, for
one who calls himself Christian 10
fatty contradict our divine Lord and
say that one belief Is just as good as
another
There can be but one true religion
and that is the religion taught by ouT
Lord Himself. This religion alone Is
the Official announcement OF God
will. All others are private theories
and cannot. therefore. he as good rs
the genuine article And because the
church as the guardian OF truth has
always insisted that there can be bu'
one true religion. she il nowadays
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