The Detroit times., 1915-03-24
WHERE IS
YOUR GOD?
Illinois Rector Talks
Straight From the
Shoulder

That the recognition OF the broth
erhood OF man is a corollary OF mans
faith In God. was the point brought
home by the Rev. George Craig
Stewart. OF Evanston. ILL.,, In his
opening Lenten address In the Miles
theater. Tuesday noon. Mr.. Stewart
lived up TO the estimate Of him CIV
en- by his local admirers In advance
of his coming. He In five wire"
In the broadcast sense. and talks
straight from the shoulder. In his
address, Tuesday. he gave special
attention TO the atheists. He saic
In part:
"a religion without creed can
neither be believed. lived nor set to
work. The creed Of Christendom 10
not dead dogmatic formula dug
out like a fossil from the past. but
rather n map OF the country travers-
ed by the Christian soul. Each gen.
Grafton eniarges and enriches II
without destroying It's outline. AS
we grow. II grows In importance, Il
discloses larger vistas as we de-
velop. But 10 make II q living thing
Il must be translated into life. In
telligent convictions. moral relation
ships and ideal quests.
when I come across man who
has given up his belief In God ! see
him as one who has suffered the
greatest conceivable loss. II there
be no God. then the whole whirlinf
cosmos Is a meaningless sand heap,
n frightful madhouse. and we are as
the apostle said, without God and
without hope In the world
The average man believes In God,
but does he reallyY There are few
professed atheists but many practt
cal atheists. Isn't II practical athe.
ism when God counts for nothing In
the life. when the existence OF God
f. a kind OF pious opinion that lies
on the surface OF the brain and
makes no difference In a man: when
ne doesn't pray: when he doesn't
n he prays. really down deep In his
heart believe In God after all7 Is II
any wonder such q vague and shad.
owy idea of God provides no great
vital impulses, hopes and assurances
In a life,
where is your God? What kind
OF n God Is He that you believe In
He n a father! That cuts the fog.
that resolves the confusion. Here Is
n clear note In the midst OF INFINITE
philosophical jargon. And there Is
the Christians conception OF God
7 believe in God the Father
"The test OF a mans belief In the
Fatherhood OF God Is his grasp OF
the brotherhood OF men. There has
been a great deal OF talk about hui
man brotherhood. as II that was the
beginning and end OF religion. II
isn't. II II a corollary OF q mans
faith in-God. You can't love your
brother or recognize him as broth
er unless you recognize your com
mon fatherhood In God. But once
you have gotten hold Of that. then
men and women become your broth
ers.
There wouldn't be any economic
problems. poverty. war. restitution
or white slavery II men realized their
brotherhood. believe In construc-
tive work. Investigations. settle
ments. And believe In something
deeper than that, getting at the root
OF all our unemployment and pow
erty by insisting on the principles
OF economic justice In the land of
the free and the home OF the brave.
But I will not forget that the one
great force that Is needed TO
straighten the whole thing out Is
love for mp brother. There Is al.
ways the danger OF organized char
fly becoming what some one has call.
ed Il, 'sterilized milk OF human kind
mesa
when our Lord was on earth.
when he saw the multitudes hungry.
he was moved with compassion. Not
until boys and girls are released
from mills and peonage. not until
every man who wants TO work can
work, will we have the country
Christian.
81 believe In God the Father.
and when say Il I answer. Yes
and I believe in my brother. too