Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-02-11
roo MANY CHURCHES.
Creeds grow so thick
Along the way,
Their bOughs hide God


Along the way.
Their boughs hide God,
We cannot pray
There are too many churches. Christ
gave US one church. But now. accord
ing 10 statistics OF Or. K. c. Carroll
associate secretary of Federal Coun-
ell, OF the Churches OF Christ in Amer
lea, there are in this country Fifty
Christian Denominations. sub-diyided
into One Hundred and Ffty-seTen Bod
les. This does not include 2G7 indie
pendent congregations. all claiming to
show the most direct road 10 heaven
but all unwilling 10 yield unimportant
doctrinal points and join in fedora
ton of effort which would be magnili-
cent IN It's results.
There are six kinds of Adventists
fifteen kinds OF Baptists. eleven kinds
of Brethren" thirteen kinds OF Cath
olics, four kinds OF Friends. twenty
one kinds Of Lutherans, Twelve kinds
of Menonites. sixteen kinds of Method
lists, twelve kinds Of Presbyterians.
and so on. When these separated from
their parent churches doubtless both
God and the members knew the reason.
but since then many of the members
seem TO have forgotten what it was,
Surely, the Christian religion has
been made complex thing, yet just
so surely it ought to be the simplest
thing in this world or the next Even
a lack OF belief in the divinity of Christ
ought not ito bar a man from asso-
citation in righteous endeavor with his
fellow men. provided he is willing to
accept Christ as the wisest and truest
prophet of all time and to recognize
his teachings as the best that have
ever been given for the conduct OF
men. We are inclined to think that
those of us who are permitted TO land
on the heavenly shore viii find there
but one kind OF Christian not one hun
drcd and sixty-seven kinds.
Or. Carroll's figures, although they
do not show any lessening OF the num-
bers of denominations or branches or
schools of thought during the year.
do show. as viii be seen. by reference
TO part of his article, net decrease in
stead of the normal increase in the
number of churches. Whether this is
because of a sensible consolidation. or
merely because of hard times which
have come upon churches in the rural
regions and have led to a closing of
a number of them, is not shown. al
though DR.. Carroll seems to think that
both of these factors have been re-
sponsible. But he shows that we still
have 225.SSS churches, and it is quite
likely that if we had but loo, 900. or one
TO each 1000 of population, the cause
of religion would be strengthened.
Tho church should take a lesson
from the blacksmith shop. the wooden
factory the grist mill and the old-time
smelter. These have been practically
crowded out by modern conditions,
men finding that the operations form
erly carried ON by these small estab-
lishments could be done cheaper and
better in a big way. But until right
up to the doors of yesterday. the
churches went right on sub-dividing
and multiplying, reminding one of
some of those lower animal forms
which keep breaking up.an the pieces
taking on the form of the living or
ganism. each becoming complete in its
way and continuing the multiplying
Small congregations have
been running at a fearful overhead ex-
pense, even starving their ministers at |
hat, and frittering away their efforts
n struggle for existence, instead of
being free to do something positive for
he benefit of the souls and bodies of
men