Omaha daily bee., 1916-03-03
Only Real
Test of
Christianity
BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.
Copyright. 1916. Star Company.

Copyright, 1915, star Company,
What is the true meaning Of tho
phrase. n good Christian? Does that
only apply to a believer in Christi
Couldn't a person be called a good
Christian. be he jew OF Gentle. II he is
pious. charitable, good at heart, etc. =?
BY replying you will more than oblige
one that Is anxious"
A fact frequently forgotten is that
Christ was only the name OF the Great
Teacher who taught love and uuselfish-
ness for a creed"
He gave no name to His philosophy.
Ut Is virtually the same religion which
has been the central thought Of every
great religion the world has ever known
Any careful student of the older re-
ligious faiths Of the human race can
prove this by a little research and study
-, Robbed OF their cruder and more bar
baric features. all religions have taught
that love of the Creator and ones fell
low men and unselfishness and morality
were necessary to salvation.
Christ, the last and greatest Of all the
teachers, .simplified these truths and inn
pregnated them with His own wonder
ful personality.
-
parallels. and when He found His audi
ences ignorant and skeptoal He resorted
to working miracles merely TO attract
their attention and to lead them to
listen to higher truths.
The world has called the philosophy
which He taught Christianity" Cler-
symen and translators have perverted
much Of His teaching, and distorted
many Of His meanings.
The generally accepted idea Of the
term Christian is one who believes
Christ to be born Of an Immaculate con-
ceptlon, and to be the only being ever
30 born, and to demand that belief from
each soul before it can be saved" That
Is the orthodox Christian.
But Christ himself would. If upon
earth, most assuredly call many great
and beautiful souls who existed before
dIim "Christians"-since they followed
after love, truth. unselfishness and mo-
Atty
have known Buddhists, Brahmins and
Jews who lived lives as nearly ideally
unseIfish as is possible in the body OF
clay; and / am sure the gentle and un-
selfish Christ would class them among
His Christians" were He here with u.s.
it was the spirit, not the letter. Of faith
that He stood for. He knew that lie
was absolutely unselfish and that He
had only universal good at heart and
because OF this, that He and the Father
were one; therefore. He said' Il am
the way"
only by the way of absolute unset
fishness of life can we be saved from
the sure punishment. which selfishness
always brings. 1t has been truly said
I'VE are punished by our sins, not be-
cause of them They are our ''hell-fire'
20 which we supply the birthstone.
The way to salvation lies In drop
ping them. growing out Of them and be-
ileyIng In 'unselfishness and love-the at
tributes of Christ.
whoever possesses those attributes
and lives that life is a Christian" Not
on orthodox Christian. to whom cler-
syman or priest would administer the
saerament, maybe, but Christian whom
Christ would accept.
To love your Creator with all youi
heart, and your neighbor as yourself
60 do good to those who despitefully use
Sou-that is to e a Christian" no mat
ter whether Jew. Pagan or Gentle.