Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-15
FAREWELL SERMON
URGES TOLEUATION
Rev. Mr.. Rouse Denies Existence Of
Satan and Pleads for Modern
Science.
HAS CRITICISM FOR BUT FEW

Rev. Frederick T. Rouse pastor
OF the First Congregational church.
who accepted the teachings Of mod
ern science in their application to
religion; rejected the theory Of a
personal satan; stood for a broad
spirit Of federation. and strove to en-
ploy the methods OF BILLY" Sunday
for the IMMIGRATION OF the church,
preached his farewell sermon in
Omaha yesterday morning.
And now. my frlends. my voice is
silenced, by the will Of some OF you and
the acduiescence OF the others" said the
minister. II carry away no sting. or ~
feeling. only the prof un6 st love and
good will. ! have no co bit IL - test for
me-and probably for you.
nasybody Neeessarys
Il deeply love and respect and believe
IN the great file auu rank Of this church.
Almost without exception they ring true.
and shall ever have my love. The Pharl-
see and the busybody are perhaps the
needed element Of every flock bat the
strong common consecrated sense OF this
lovely people can hardly go wrong and
Will hardly often be stampeded. do
not see clearly your future. 1t is not
easy, but believe that through prayer
and conservation and se'fforgetfuIness.
and burying OF your own personal desires
and pet plans. you will he led out into
better things than you dare now ask or
think"
Rev. Mr.. Rouse took az his text / Corin-
| thians xv:l-2, beginning Now l make
known unto you the gospel which |
preached unto you" He told without
reservation of the gospel he had sought
60 preach, OF which the outstanding fea-
lures were the following statements:
Accepts Modern Science.
II have regularly and consistently ac-
eepted the great trend OF modern science.
That an antiauated science should be
taught in our pupits. contradictory to the
science taught In our schools Is subversive
OF the truth.
The love Of God is as natural as the
love OF a mother or the lisht and warmth
OF the sun; and His revelation OF Himself
as natural as the revelation OF the truths
and wonders orelectricity. This, perhaps,
ia my most radical and important depar-
ture from the common way OF thinking
and the commonly accepted mode OF re-
lisious teaching.
No single Path 10 Heaven.
! Il believe that God reveals himself in
all religions, that Buddha drank In a
degree of the life giving rock and Con-
fucius and Socrates and Epictetus. The
prayers and aims of many a non-Chris-
tian Cornelius have come up acceptable
to God
II have serious doubts concerning the
practical value of formal theological
dogmas. often only idolatrous objects OF
faith. Thou shalt not make unto thee
any craven image A creed is a craven
image.
! Il believe in the personality of God
but not in the personality Of Satan OF
evil. To exalt great he-devil in the
neither half OF this universe as almost q
rival of God. is fetish worship. devil
worship and the biggest kind Of idola,ry
immortality Possible.
/ Years Of tolifui meditation lead me in
creaslngiy to the lofty. perilous height OF
Jesus hope OF Immortality. lie who rises
highest sees the farthest. And Jesus rose
so high that what Is to us faint hope.
became to him the most profound con-
vtction. / would rather trust his spiritual
vision than any other"
The present location OF the church a,
Nineteenth and Davenport streets has be-
i come impracticable Rev, Mr.. Rouse told
the congregation. The following two
solutions OF the removal problem exist.
ne said:
Secure new site not far from For
tieth and Dodge. or merge with St.
Mary's church on a site near Forueth
and Farnam and continue the present
church as an institutional work under
the charge OF the united church."
DO not quote me to your new pastor
the minister advised the congregation.