The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-11-07
GOD.

alike their conceptions OF him wu
along different lines.
DR.. Lyman Abbott, in the o.n.
of October 18th, says that opa -,
not conceive of God as sitting !. .
throne as a king who sends a., ....s
messengers to bring him. wors In
what is going on throughout his s .,s i
dom, and AT the same tine cos<.7 !. pe|
him as being whose persOnaIity re
all space. onid|
This eminent divine says that c.|'.rge|
is not to be imaged, and quotes ss,. sden
al passages of scripture to sus,,s b.
him in his opinion and in his con... 70 |
ton of the kind of being God reallv trl
| At the time We were ponde,.| EsnityI
over DR.. Abbott's article We pieE.|.. CO
up another publication. the new > +, ial
liter Magazine, and read in its q. asIol|
es of the discovery of tribe Of !. Esugh|
groes in the very heart of Africa. Il 1ric'
ed the "Bushongos," who, il we int. I.siae
pref him correctly, entertain aInsskii
the same conception of God as al d 4
DR.. Abbott. 4
| The article is written by Dr. E 7u'1sy
day. He says that the religion Of 8 10
Bushongo, although having come n.|krsd|
contact with none of the ciEiliss .snioI
races. is combined with the loftiesl .neut|
moral codes. The name of their o,I.s ri
| is Chembe. He is regarded as th&h
creator of all things. He is absolutst thor
immaterial. He is represented ID rsoI|
as a spirit but as power--the fop&
that starts life in all its forms. I'd Or
brings about the death of the agaE ~
that withers the plants and caus pile
the decay of all matter. The Busho, sis
go believes that every created thiq|kn
emanates from him. Ekf
We make a quotation: n
Eyes, even this carved cup, mat.mieI|
by my. son, is the work of Chembs ueI
the gift to carve is Chembe. In SON. osn|
men Chembe is the faculty of cam IN
ing, in others of making song Lilo
Chembe does not give this creallH II |
power to mantle power itself NOV
Chembe. II man dies, Chembe r. Il ID
mains. for he never lived in the sens .sn
in which We live. He is. but he live. iItA|
not. Only creatures live. He is II .hdi|
creator"
Up TO this point it seems to US Tia Nou|
DR.. Abbott's and the Bushongo's cor
ception of God is very similar, but i.
similarity ends there. ii
Still quoting from the BushOngI
spiritual instructor, DR.. To-day gos a
on to say:
f.No. we never pray to Chembe. 20 NiI
might fatter chief by glorif5A nssi
him in this way. but chief is ma n
only, whereas Chembe is not huma1
consequently is devoid of vanity. y an
is not human: he is more than humah
If a man surpasses all Others
strength. beauty or. intellect. it Is
cause he is godlier than the rest.
goddess person? OF course there Ar
SUCH You have seen the idiot 0a
yonder? He is goddess. for he has 2
creative power. No. he is not wieks'
The is only unfortunate
What happens if a man b3
phemes? But why should he? VIII
good would come of it to him?
We would not punish him If he dA
but no man would be such a fool Ia
power which created the hills and 2
rivers, the forests and plains, maa
beast and fowl would then. you Win
men think. resent it if some persq
called it names?''
"No. Chembe is not great; he h#sI
not powerful. These are human az
tributes. consequently cannot be
cribed to what is inimaterial and %
human. He does not sit in judgmep
either on the living or the dead.
mans soul. after death. finds its VA
to the womb. of one of his qescena
ants, and is then reborn asa chls
in the family of the deceased ofts'
this child even looks like the ances
tor whose soul he houses. But D.
peoples souls do not desire to-
into an innocent little child. 50 the
remain without the abode. haunt tns
village and do great damage
The story of the "Kingdnm OF p
shongo' covers number of pages
the magazine and is quite an inter
esting one. It shows that every trios.
kindred and tongue has some origlnh
conception of an overruling power