The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-08-06

oft somewhere where ecclesiastlCism
is spawned a good deal like mushroom
seed.
1t is contended that church pro-
perty is so decided that it will fall
back to missionary boards, etc, if a
union is perfected. Let her fall. Be-
sides, this is but hoax. There is not
church house in Caldwell that would
be moved elsewhere to another town,
should all the people worshipping in
it, walk over to any other church in
the witty next Sunday Individual
members might contend that they had
put thus and so in money in the pro-
perty, and therefore own so much of
it. That is a dream. No individual
owns one cent in a single church pro-
perty in this town or any other town.
That is happy delusion we work
under. When your money goes into
a church property, it is there to stay,
so far as you are concerned If one
church should sell its property for
cash, the proceeds could not be divid-
ed among its members. If the sum
| should be voted to another church
property in town, the voting members
would own just as much in that other
CnuTCH DIS III the HTSI.
OF course the Baptist board in the
east, or the Methodist board, or any
other general board is there for a
purpose and that purpose is to prevent
sluffing off We have builded up that
system ourselves and the blame lies
at our own doors, but it is there just
the same. We are divided not be-
cause we FEEL that way among our
selves, but because there is a great
big grinding machine at the head Of
every church in Caldwell, and we are
as afraid as death of our machines
Property values are listed on the
books in headquarters. Headquarter's
listing men are as jealous as sin of
each others prosperity. To propose
merging one of Caldwe1l's church pro-
perties into another for the good Of
the cause, means a great big bucking
contest of familiar proportions, but
which would but end in the merging
if we would stand up for Christ and
His church, regardless of the system
we have inaugurated.
1t might be said that we would not
get help from the boards when we
needed help. Shades of Ezekiel! What
help could Caldwell ever want. or
who would have the temerity to ask
for religious help Our lands are
worth three times the land where we
would ask for this help. Our laborers
get better wages, the opportunities
are more numerous and better here
Our merchants are making more
money, our school teachers are better
paid and we are prospecting far ahead
of those very regions where this "help"
would be asked.
Suppose for illustration, that it is
absolutely correct that one must be
baptized immersionly in order for for
giveness Of sin? Those churches in
town that know this to be true, would
better take some steps Immediately
in order to tell to the rest. They can
never succeed in establishing it in
the church of those who don't believe
in it SO long as separate institutions
are maintained There are plenty of
people in Caldwell who absolutely be-
lieve that immersion is taught in the
scripture as Christian baptism. If
| were spring led Christian and got
up to the vestibule of heaven and
was looking largely for my passport
into the joys with David and was
turned down because | hal not been
immersed and | looked around me
and saw some fellow who knew all
the time that | had been wrong and
he had not gone out of his way to
chum up with me here to set me
right on this and other errors, !
should surely get him by the shroud
tail and hang on until he went with
me to the left. If he pulled loose
and left me, would have a good
piece of his shroud any way
Suppose it is true that baby must
be baptized before it die, or else not
do we'll in its future state and there
are men in Caldwell who know this
and they keep separate from others
calls an unbaptized child into the
eternal whereabouts, what of those
who knew it all the time, but would
not chum up with the i'll advised par
ent and show him the way?
1t mlght-be contended that we need
| our boards. So we do on general
principles. Caldwell would have ST.
! 50OO per year to send off for mis-
sionary purposes if we were CONSOLE
dated and board would be mighty
convenient for that But the board
need not be SO voluminous, neither
have the present diamond-cinch.
1t is said that there would be such
a conglomerate mass OF error and
doctrine and beliefs and faiths that
| spontaneous combustion would ex-
rlode the whole affair. Your Fixer
has looked into this with care and
judgment He is safe in stating that
any one of the four prominent church,
in Caldwell has just as many different
doctrines as all four of them have,
In other words. if the whole church
mass was combined there would not
be one new Observation-Disclosures.
We are not worshipping in this sep.
arate and jealous and competitive way
because of doctrine but it is owing
to the lack of doctrine.
1t is listening to men whose doc
trines we do not believe that gives
us what we should know, and not list
ening to those we do believe. If |
Igtt III