New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-01-14
Jewish Speaker
Asto nisfles All
Rypins Points Out The
Faulty Methods OF
Churches.
resent Day Humanity De.
u mands Demonstration &.
q of Truth,

LIZ the accusation We're ever jusii.
liable that the Church was mex
cnsably conservative in the promotion
OF the scientific spirit of the age, it. no
longer seems 70 be so now, if the
tendency shown by the local Churches
ista general phenomenon. Time was
and that not long since, when a
jewish Rabbi would hardly have been
likely to speak from the rostrum of a
Methodist Church. Such, however,
was the case Tuesday evening of last
week, when Rabbi Isaac L. Rypins of
the Reformed Jewish Synagogue of
ST. Paul spoke in the local Methodist
Church under the auspices of the
Brotherhood OF that church upon the
striking theme Authority in Re-
ligibn:''
The Rabbi is man of considerable
ability as a speaker and therefore
soon captured and held the attention
OF bis entire audience. From more
than ono poiat of view the lecture of
she Rabbi was one of the very best
ever delivered under the auspices OF
she local mems clubs.
The speaker opened his address
with the surprising assertion that
many Of the Evangelical Churches of
soday as we'll as his own are playing
a losing game. The various denun nj
nations Of the Cities are peddling their
advertisements weekly in the form OF
printed hand-biIis from honse to
,quse ia whieh the main emphas is is
iain upon the special musical attrac-
lions offered. These phenomena, the
speaker said, are an Indication of
something vitality wrong in the pre-
sentaIion Of spiritual truth. The
question would naturally arise:
'Whaa is the secret of the difficulty 90
70 iilts question only one answer can
be given, viz. that the church has lost
It's authority.
Owing to the fact that we are now
living IN scientific age religion, too,
must be scientifically presented saio
the speaker. ''The scientist in every
field OF inquiry lays down an hypo-
thesis as d working basis and then
proceeds to establish his hypothesis
by demonstrable facts. The church
has failed to follow suit in this regard
and in consequence has lost it's
authority. 1t has been the method of
Religion to lay down moral principles
and formulate dogmas without scien-
ILLEGALLY demonstrating the reason
ableness OF both. No objections are
made against this method of Religion
nor is the truth of its moral mandates
and its dogmas denied, in fact they
may be both perfectly legitimate, but
the modern mind demands a practical
demonstration. This Religion has
failed to give and SO the impression
has been made upon many minds that
Religion is simply an arbitrary i'm
position upon man. The Mosaic laws,
for instance, forbid certain things
and make certain demands, but they
do not give the reason for the pro-
hihitory and mandatory laws. Nor
was it necessary at the time of Moses
thar they should give such reason,
since they we're given to different
type OF humanity than we, perhaps
unfortunately, are today. Men today
want to know why they should not
steal, or why they should not commit
adultery. Some are stealing, even in
high finance, and they seem to fare
splendidIy 10 spite of it. Many are
the moral laws, and do
not seem to suffer greatly by doing
500
The riddle would be solved if men
actually knew it to be demonstrab
fact that what men SOW, that they shall
also reap, i. e. if they actually knew
that retributive justice would follow
them in the Hereafter. Now this
fact OF the continuity OF life,'' the
Rabbi said, sis demonstrable. 1t can
be scientifically proven and person
ally verified by every one who leads
the absolutely moral life. that when
man dies he shall live again. This
fact Religion presents as a Faith, but
It fails to show the way by which it
may become fact of actu al knowledge
10 all those who are willing to live
The. right Kind of q life. !"
"a number OF Years ago. The anaakarl