The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1913-04-21

| S==15=] |=-@=s----> clared that MS
text. like many other Bible statements.
is so grievously misunderstood as 10
prevent Christian progress. Many no
BILE hearts. he claimed. are famlshihg
| for lack of refreshment OF Gods Truth.
The channels of thought are blocked
bv fossilized errors Of the Dark Ages,
| The ports of our hearts should be deep
ened and widened by the blowing up
of the false and deviliSh hell doctrines.
| which hinder us from receiving spirit
ual nourishment There exists "a fam
inc for hearing the Word of God"
If this text were the only one mis-
| translated and misunderstood. he said.
| the ordinary reader would doubtless
pass it by as figure of speech. But
it is merely one of a combination OF
mistranslations. all of which are con-
nected with an eternal torment syS-
TEN of doctrines invented during the
| Dark Ages This power OF error is
turning intelligent minds away from
the Bible. Hence it is our duty to
| break down these false doctrines. and
to clear away whatever hinders the
flow of Truth to Gods people
The Psalmist is merely telling of his
severe illness. from which by the grace
| of God he recovered. He would have
it understood that it was not merely
slight ailment. Hence he described it
as 1.-The sorrows of death''-that is. the
sadness associated with the thought
that he was about to die about to
leave his friends In poetic Hebrew.
he repeats the thought in the next
statement 1.-The pains of hell gat hold
upon me-" They were the pains of ap-
preaching dissolution. There is not
the slightest reference to the future.
Why Not the Whole Truth.
In their revised translation of the
Bible, our Baptist friends use the ex-
preston, 1.-THE underworld" instead OF
hell. Yet even here is danger that the
average reader may not catch the true
thought. Far simpler and wiser it
would be had the translator said, the
pains of the tomb.S
Every learned minister knows that
the Hebrew word Sheol really means
the grave, the pit. the state of DEATH
Why do they hesitate to tell the people!
Why do they translate it sometimes
the Craze, and other times the under-
,oorld? Why do they use the transla-
ton. the grace. in one place. the pit in
another and then refuse to translate it
in third place. giving instead the
original word Sheol? Was it their in
tention to confuse the people? What
is the motive? We wish that some of
these great men would explain
The Reason For All This.
We would like to have our minis
terial brethren state their reasons FOR
hiding the truth on the subject of hell.
ONLY because they decline to do so. do
we feel at liberty to make suggestions.
These ministers seem to be of two
classes. with slightly different reasons
for silence on this subject. They seem
to agree that it is dangerous to tell the
i people that God is really God of love.
and that the doctrine of eternal tor
ment is unscriptural, promulgated dur
/ 1Q2 Luz LAIN [ASCo ny O1NH 49, 1900
ed one another at the stake.
The Pastor declared that one class
I of ministers seem to fear that if peo-
Die saw the errors of tn" rreeds. they
would discredit the ministers who had
taught these doctrines. But why fear
to tell the truth? Perhaps they fear
that people will lose confidence in their
teachings. and that the party walls OF
Christendom. which have so long di-
vided Gods people. will fall. Since they
will not tell us. we can only surnise. =
Other ministers. he said have become
higher critics. and do not believe the
4 Bible. They prefer to posi- as believ-
ers. and hene for the time when al tie
4 wealthy and Intelligent will have 4t'-
come believers also Then they will say
1--WE have been unbplieyers for many
years. but have kept 1T secret. fearing
4 to be misunderstood as opponents of
the best interests of society"
The Ia tier eaass@eonstitutes the great
est menace to law and order and are
Satan's best agents in destroying faith
in Gods, Word. EngersolFs methods Of
antagoniZing the Bible were far less
successful than ARE these of modern
higher critics and evolutioniSts.
Would ii not he wise to inquire to
what extent@sfalse doctrines are re-
sponsible for the increase Of wicked
ness? Will monstrous, unthinkabe de-
lusicas produce better results than
will the simple Message of Gods Love: