The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-31
Feeding The Five Thousand


L I / ! =,
T1sYSe are AIDS 10 aesvosi6thktt ~ sfHs2
actu.-l religion does NOD lie In the
prayer. nor In the Bible, reading, nor
in the confession. nor in the church
attendance, but in the quality OF life
that the ohseryanceS OF these things
produce within you. and IL the doing
cf those things does not produce any
change ia your life. then you win go
20 he1, no mIster IL yoa do all OF
than
SO religion Is mot IN that. Religion
is in :hs quality of life that the doing
at these things produces within you,
and yet there are lots of people that
arc doing these things and live like
the Sevi!, so they are not religious,
som etinss a so-caIled religious OBJ
servance may be an actual hindrance
20 religion itself. Let ne illustrate.
read OF a certain family who were
and they built "A beautiful home, and
everything was in place but family
altar and they were discussing where
they would put this altar. The mother
said, In the kitchen. that,ts where my
troubles are
The father said, Tn the library. :"
The sen was sort of social snob
and he said, Put 1t in the reception
bah"
Then finally their differences Of
opinion as To " here that altar ought
TO go became go marked that they fell
TO quarreling. and the father saw that
the altar was creating a quarrel aud
was destroying the very spirit which
il was hoped it would engender. So
they said, Wei, let's go to the baby
And the little tot used to sit be-
fore the fireplace. Her eyes looked
like two patches Of blue torn out of
the sky. She used TO love. to Sit be-
fore the fire and imagine all fantas-
tic shapes and forms and she'd say,
There goes a king out to battle. look
at his army
There is a queen going TO be mar
ried. hasn't she got a beautiful dress -
And they said to her Honey, we
can't agree. you take this altar and
put II where you think II ought to
be"
She said, Wen, the FIRE IL pretty
near out | win throw II In the fire"
SO she threw the altar on the dying
embers and soon they burst into II
flame but it made the perfurned wood
from that altar fragrant and they
hoated out and filed the kitchen and
library and reception hall, but the
altar itself had TO be destroyed be-
fore 1t could fullll ats mission.
And there are a thousand and one
who forget religion. and allow the
forms and the ceremonies to take the
place Of religion and you have to get rid
OF the forms and ceremonies TO give
: religion a chance.
They are just choking by their forms
today. and we are substituting re-
ligiousness for righteousness our dan
ger Is not. in the boiling over of the
, religious caldron, but the danger is
that the FIRE win be drawn and the
boiling will cease.
Enthusiasm Docsent Hurt.
! Religion has never been hurt by en-
thuslasm, but IL has been killed by
your darn ritnalisma. DO you under
stand lt2 Never OF earth, and / defy
you to show me whore ii has, Re
ligion has never been hurt by en-
thusiasrf but 1t has been killed and
choked by rituals and forms.
And God only can save the world
hut God can't save IT alone. he's go'
to have somebody to help him II he
could have saved II alone. he'd have
done II long ago.
Now. then. tho world is not hun
ETY. for that kind OF religion. the
world is not hungry for a religion oil
theory
There was time when people were
intensely Interested in fine-spun the.
illogical arguments and theories, ant
YOU could announce a debate Uniform,
~
destination or REORGANIZATION or tht
falling from grace. and the poputaI
preacher few years ago was the hes
theological debater. To-day that tins
has passed and o. debate on baptism
or predestination OF sanctihcatior
would not draw n corporals guard.
The average persons has not los
| interest In these vital truths OF re
lgion but they have lost interest IL
that type OF religion that spends 81
arguments in word battles. Religion
my friends. should relate to life ant
conduct as well as theory IN the
world.
go they have not lost ANY fnteres
In vital trut this. but they have lost re.
iirion. Now listen! The world IA MOI
hungry for a religion OF social servic
without Jesus Christ. and we haw
had enough Of this ChristIees socia
service bunch. We win agree WITH
all your social service and everything
provided You win take Jesus Chris
with you, but / won't stand up ard lie,
anybody make an attempt to stibsti
tute the gospel for Jesus Christ Their,
rs no substitute for the sun. and there
Is no substitute for religion by Jesui
Christ
You can't get to heaven any wa,
bat by being born again in the bloot
OF Christ VIII go with you in socia
service, ] Will 70 with you in soci
ology, win 10 with you in all move
ments for the good and the uplfft OF
humanity. that viii put laughter II
the face OF that man or woman; tina
viii take that little child out of q
sweat-Shop and put II playing in tho
park or in the school. I will go with
you ir every movement on earth pro