Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-12-13
NEW RELIGION
is DEMANDED
Rabbi Frederick COhn So Declares in
His Lecture on Soul Of
the Centuries"
PACING NEW REFORMATION
speaker Declares Science and Con-
science and Democracy VIII he
the Foundation Of n brand
New Faith.

lectures on THE Soul of the Centuries
lagt night. said n new religion Is de-
manded and would be created as the Re
ligion OF science. conscience and democ-
racy."
Rabbi Cohn said:
THE dominant fact OF the Sixteenth
century was the Reformation.
THE Reformation was the direct result
of the renaissance. Had there been no
revival Of learning in the fifteenth cen
tury there probably would have been no
1 religious revolution I'm the sixteenth.
THE rebirth Of reason was attended by
moral awakening, and awakening OF
the conscience.
ITALY was the land Of the renaissance.
Germany was the chief theater Of the
reformation. Italy. though cultured and
! highly civilized, was too corrupt 70 be
come the leader in the work of regenera-
/ ton and moral reform. For that the
moral spirit OF the Germans was better
fitted.
THE Reformation found It's voice In
Martin Luther. an AugustInian monk.
Luther at the Diet Of Worms, before the
emperor. Charles VI. and in the presence
of the highest dignitsties of the church.
voicing his protest against the corrup-
tons and errors OF the ecclesiastical
system OF the Middle Ages. Is the chief
character and hero Of tho Reformation
The voice OF Luther IL the voice OF re-
formation. The soul OF the great re-
former IL the soul not merely of the
movement that spread over all Europe,
that divided all Christendom into Cath
Ollie and Protestant, that changed the
map Of Europe and altered the history Of
the world; the soul Of Luther is the soul
+. OF the entire sixteenth century.
soul of Protest.
1T il a soul OF protest. or revolt, Of
! change. 1t IL a soul OF moral reform and
OF religious reconstruction. II is the
soul of the Individual against nightly
intrenched power. 1t Ia the soul of in
dependence against authority. It is the
soul of freedom. 1t is the soul OF reason
and liberty asserting themselves against
custom, against tradition, against super
stitlon. against every manner OF tyranny.
/ The soul OF the Reformation is found in
Luther's brave, manly words when
asked TO retract his opinions before the
Imperial Diet: Here stand. I can not
otherwise. God help me. Amen
Here l stand The Reformation was
a fact. IL was inevitable. II was brought
about by forces over which, neither
/ Luther, nor the pope had any control. II
had long been preparing There were re-
formers before Luther. Wycliff, Huss
Jerome. Vessel, savonarola had all felt
the reformatory spirit. zwingli and CAL
Win were reformers. Independently Of
Luther. The times were ripe for great
moral and religious change. The reforma-
ton OF the sixteenth century was merely
an expression on religious ground OF the
Classical and literary revival OF the fif-
tenth century.
I cannot do otherwise. Luther was
too sincere and noble spirit to do vio-
lence to his convictions. and this spirit OF
sincerity was impressed upon the whole
character Of the Reformation. Some may
have embraced the new religion out OF
personal. selfish reasons. 1t was only in
part a political movement On the whole
II was an assertion Of mans moral spirit
deeply stirred by the corruptions and
abuses OF the time.
stimulated Much Piety.
God help me- The deeply religious
character OF the Reformation was owl
denced by the stimuluB Il gave to personal
piety and pure inward religion through
out Europe. The Catholic church itself
was deeply affected From the middle OF
the sixteenth century dates the great re-
form that took place within the church as
regards morals and discipline.
Amen. The solemnity OF the whole
movement is expressed in this one word
The old order was closing new era
was dawnIng for all humanity.
THE spirit OF the Reformation goes on
in our own day. Its principles are still
at work, In many respects we seem &c
be standing at the threshold OF a new re
formation in religion Society Is invaded
and pervaded by the scientific spirit
Men are calling for a new religion. one
that shall be perfectly consonant with the
scientific and philosophic teaching OF the
time. Reason and liberty are again the
watchwords Mankind seems to be pass
ing through crisis-political social
} moral and religious A new world 1.
, again TO emerge from the great up
heaval of the present day and with Il q
new conception Of religion. The religion
OF the future-and largely through tn.
strenuous work of the sixteenth century,
will be the religion OF science. conscience
and democracy"