The Detroit times., 1916-09-21
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.

by WILLIAM '. Ellis.
Count Okuma. the great Japanese
statesman. once expounded TO me
his belief that the ultimate world
religion would be a compound OF
buddhism. Confucianism and Chris
tianity. The Grand Lama of Tibet
told me that in 400 years the whole
world would be Buddhist The Sheik
ul Islam explained TO me why Mo-
hammedanism Is destined 10 be the
universal religion. Abbas Effendi,
one memorable night In Egypt, ex-
pounded length To me his the
Dries about the universally OF Be-
haism. This idea OF world.religion,
which all men would one day an
cept, has an especial allurement for
most thoughtful persons. To the
intelligent Christian IL is inwrought
in his faith. He cannot believe in
Christ at all unless he believes that
Christ designed His Message and
His salvation for all mankind every
where. II was for preaching an ex-
tra-Judean gospel that Jesus was
crucihed. His vision, like that Of
His great Apostles, was of a world
redeemed. TRANSPORTED and unified
in a new brotherhood OF love. &C.
knowledging God as Father
Some faiths are local. They are
like certain plants, which cannot
grow except in a restricted region
They make no claim to universally,
and no attempt at worldwide propa-
cation. Shintoism, the ancestral
faith OF Japan. is one such. II has
no missionaries and seeks no con
verts. II is solely a national faith.
Present day Zorastrianism, or Par
seeism, Is another such. II has no
provision for proselytes. Nor is
Judaism missionary: 1t does not
look toward winning OF the world
TO it's beliefs. Neither is Confucian-
ism missionary: indeed, II Is not.
properly speaking, religion. The
elemental religions of primitive peo-
pies. like animism. and shamanism
as we'll as certain mystery cults OF
the Near East. do not contemplate
the religious conquest OF mankind.
The faiths that claim the whole
world are few. Most resolute and
successful among them Is Christian.
ity.
More than one college student, In
an examination. cited Confusion
ism" as a prevailing faith! Perhaps
they were not so far wrong. The
average modern man or woman
seems to be confusion worse con-
founded. The common progress
sive" or liberal" thought upon re.
ligion Is as nebulous az a Cape
Cod fog Clear. strong, thoro think.
ing upon religion is not the charac.
terlstic OF our day.
Only three faiths are really con,
tending for world dominion--Chris.
tianity, Mohammedanism and Budd.
hism. and In the case OF the last It's
present missionary activity Is al
most wholly defensive, to Offset the
inroads OF Christianity No serious
thinker contemplates for an instant
the incursion OF Buddhism into the
western world, any more than he
considers the likelihood OF real
spread OF Behaism. As for Islam,
it's field OF conquest is practically
limited 10 the non-Chrlstian lands
Rarely-very rarely--a Christian
becomes a Moslem, but there is no
where any perceptible drift in that
direction.
Buddhism is eclectic: II has ever
been willing to select from other
faiths, and to conquer by absorp
ton. II has no absolute standards
This tendency to concession is one
OF its weaknesses; for intelligent
man wants an absolute religion. to
which he must conform and which
will not conform 10 him.
Islam makes too many conces-
.g... a. tRa aagh q, uattaf, 4. ra.a