El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-11-29
By Rabbi Martin Zielonka.

tons to undertake church work along
modern lines.
And wherein does this religious IN
rest display itself? What are the
dOgmas and doctrines and creeds
against which the modern social or
der rebels2 Stephen frame, John
Holder and Robert Elsemere present
the same picture, while John Marvel
does not enter into a critical analysis
of faith but lays greatest stress on his
social activities his search for the
hayward girl, his intense interest in
the strike, his work in a chapel of the
factory district which he would not
exchange for a fashionable church.
Realized FutfIity of EndeavOr.
In the first place, these men realized
the futlity of much religious en-
deaVOr. Religion has no hold on life
1t means nothing to the average bust
ness man; It means nothing to the
social world While men and women
are ready and willing to support a
church organization and build mag
nifIcent church buildings, such sup
port IS salve to conscience and such
buildings are monuments to the glO-
ries of the past and not Gbusy centers
OF modern activity. Church organiza-
tons have become rich mems clubs
and mission churches are an attempt
TO keep the labOring men satisfied
with their lot. And within the church.
eS the preachers are fettered, told to
preach religion and keep their hand
of business and politics and social
progress The requirements are gen
orally such as st. Johns put forward
when seeking a successor to DR.. Gil
man-"One who would preach the faith
as we received it, who was not sensa-
tional and who did not mistake So
cialism for Christianity"
As II religion could be divorced from
life and made separate study for a
special time and occasion. But when
the preacher realized his lineal descent
from the rrnwhaTc ~ 01d nh he
read and reread the burning words
of these moral teachers whose books
have lived throughout the centuries;
when gaining courage from these, he
applied their thought to modern con-
ditiOnS then snug self satisfied class
declares him a traitor to the cause, a
socialist and would drive him from
his pulpit.
his beliefs and consulted the cultured
members Of his community, he found
their doubts were his doubts; their
failure to respond to the call of re-
IgiOn was the failure of religion to
interpret its truths in terms of today.
he found the neurological accretiOns
or the ages repealed men and women
whose hearts were aching for some
religious fellowship but whose minds
could not give assent to the dOgmas
and creeds which as John Holder tells
US, were settled by compromise, by
manlpulators, by bribery in councils
u the CHURCH. winch TeSenpleQ mod
ern political conventions and in which
pagan emperOrs did not hesitate to
exert their influence over metaphysi-
cal bishops" These men realized what
Robert Elsemere learned after deep
research-"nOt that Christianity is
false, but that it is only an imperfect
human reflection of a part of truth.
Truth has never been, can never be
contained in any one creed or system
No Doubt About Fundamentals.
A.
which these laymen have their doubts?
Is it any doubt about the fundamen-
tails of all true religion Is it any
doubt as TO the FatherhoOd Of God
or the Brotherhood of Man? Is it any
doubt as to the value and need of re-
llSlon in modern life2 No, thrice no.
These men recognize the value and
need Of religion; these men know
modern philosophy as taught by
James and Royce in America, by
EucSen and BergsOn in Europe as the
hand maid and not the opponent of
These men realize the force