The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-01-18
JESUS CHRIST NOT FOUNDER
OF A RELIGION, SAYS ABBOTT

Or a kELl
Lyman Abbott. in The Outlook:
Jesus Christ is very generally regard
ed as the founder OF a religion. It Is
thought that China has q religion
named for it's founder, Confucianism;
Persia, religion named for its
founder. Zoroastrianism; Turkey. a re-
ligim named for it's founder. Moham-
mechanism; Christendom, a religion
named for it's founder, Christianity.
Each of these religions has its own
characteristic religious creed or
cTeeds, form or forms OF worship, and
church organization. We compare
these religions to see which is the
best; or we believe that we have the
true religion and all the others are
false and endeavor to supplant them
with ours; or we endeavor to select
something from each Of these relig-
ions and make new and universal
throw them all into the junk heap as
outgrowths of essentially the same
superstition. AS we cannot all agree
what was the creed, what the ritual,
and what the church organization
which Jesus Christ prescribed, we
divide up into different christian
sects, each with its own creed, ritual,
and organization, each claiming to-
have derived them from the founder
of christianity. And we determine
the question whether any individual
is christian or not by asking, viii
you accept this creed, unite in this
form of worship. belong to this organ
ization?
But, In fact, Jesus Christ Is not
the founder of a religion.
He prescribed no creed, formulated
no system OF theology. He taught
certain principles of life. such as the
cultivation OF a spiritual vision look
ing upon and estimating at their right
values the unseen realities; a. spirit
of hope dissatisfied with the achieve
nlents OF the past aud aspiring 10 q
better record IN the future; spirit
Of good will. reverent and trustful
towafd God, kindly and helpful to-
ward all mankind. Out Of these and
our theologies, but they are no more
a part of the christianity Of Jesus
Christ than the homes which we con-
struct out of forest trees are part OF
the forest.
He prescribed no form Of worship.
He did not even counsel His disciples
to unite in any exercise of public
worship. Once they asked Him to
teach them how to pray. Ask your
heavenly Father. He replied. for the
things you want as your children ask
you Are you hungry? Ask Him for
bread Are you perplexed? Ask Him
for guidance. Are your temptations
too strong for you? Ask Him to help
you to overcome them, Have you
sinned? Do not be afraid Of Him.
Ask Him for forgiveness. Do not
you forgive one another? And do
you think you can forgive and He
cannot? We have converted this
Lords prayer into ritual ana use
I It In our public worship; and 1t Is
| well to do 50. But He did not pre-
scribe it as form, but gave it as an
ed in the seventeenth chapter OF John
| is much better ILLUSTRATION OF His
own spirit of devotion.
de organized no church The word
church occurs only twice in the COS
pels, and the Greek word means as
sembly or mass meeting. 1t would not
be inapt to translate it townmeeting.
He had not time or strength to reach
all the people, with His message. So
at one time He selected twelve friends
and sent them to preach in the vii
| lakes while He preached in the larg-
er towns and cities. At another
! time, when the territory to be reach
ed was larger, He selected seventy
for the same purpose. But He did not
! frame for them any constitution or
bylaws or appoint for them any Of
| ficers or authorize them to appoint
any successors. When they returned
! TO, Him with their report. their mis-
sion was ended.
/ The earliest creed, known as the
earlier than the second century; and
! the definite organization of ritual
! and church date from asout the same
| epoch. Creed, ritual, church, are out
srowths from christianity; but they
/ are no part OF the christianity OF
/! Jesus Christi He prescribed no form
| for either religious thought. relig-
! ious worship, or religious organtza.
| ton.
| Jesus Christ did not come to found
new religion. He has told US in per-
| fectly explicit terms for what pur-
pose He came. ri am come" He said,
that they might have life, and that
| they might have, it more abundant
ily.v He came. not to found a new
religion, butSto give new life.
When He came, the prevailing feel
ing toward God or the. gods was one
OF fear-sometimes an AFFECT and
sordid fear of a powerful and i'm
placable enemy whose favor could
be won only by the most painful sac
rifices or enormous gifts; sometimes
i s,obIsr and -=o:th!ar fear of God as
~. -
be submissively borne unless they
could be escaped by bitter repent
ance.
Jesus Christ brought into the world
a new life toward God because a new
Interpretation Of God HA did not
argue for the existence of God or
! furnish a catalogue of His attributes.