Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-02-08
CAN CHRISTIANITY TOLERATE THE
CHIIRGHQ
CHURCH

cans would promptly reply, No. Democracy
has use for religion in it's business It can
not permit so vital social function to be
monopolized and arbitrarily controlled by
private interests. Religion, like every other
universal human concern, must be brought
under community control, if democracy is
fully to vindicate ITSELF A church bearing
sect name and exploiting society in the
interests of sect idea cannot be tolerated
by thoroughgoing democracy. Religion
is too vital social function for it's institu-
lions to be monopolized by private cor
porations.
The great majority are still reconciled to
laissez faire in religion. Democracy can
tolerate almost anything. Even such insti-
buttons as the present hodge-podge Of re-
hgious organization are not beyond it's COM
placency. Democratic society suffers great
deal which it does not approve Even ma
jorities do not arbitrarily order affairs &C
cording to their will. Until majorities at
tain a unity of purpose and select a clearly
defined objective, they let minorities have
their way. The community as a whole has
been too busily occupied with matters which
it must handle to mix in with the scramble
of religious sects which it feels that it can
let alone. The American doctrine of the
separation of church and state is still COM
monty interpreted by the sects Themselves
by the politicians and by the general public
as involving a complete let-alone Of the re-
ligious bodies by agencies under public con-
troll. Our democracy so far takes the re-
ligious situation philosophically. Nobody ex-
cept securely installed hierarchs likes the
way things are going, but the only course
open to the public seems to be to keep hands
off, The public indeed gets much salts
faction out Of it's Indifference, taking pride
in it's federation"
But our question is not Of the diligence
or Indifference of democracy in the face of
of the integrity and sincerity Of the Chris
tian system. Can Christianity save it's soul
while sponsored by the institutions which
assume to mediate it among the American
people? The churches are not democratic;
are they Christian? Can genuine Christian
ity survive their manipulation? Is the
Christian tradition safe in their keeping?
Will the American people ever know and
feel what Christianity really is under the
churches tutelage?
It is hard to define Christianity This
quality it shares with every great and vital
truth 1t is impossible to express in fixed
formulas any living and universal reality.
But whatever Christianity is, it is not an
institution, culture. 1t is spirit, an
inspiration Conformably to it's nature,
therefore, it must resist confinement In an
official institution. Least of all can it toler
ate the monopoly Of self-appointed hier
arches, close corporations which can con-
sistently resist democratic control.
Christian history is one continuous break
ing away from the institutions which have
assumed to confne Christian truth and the
Christian spirit. The greatest foe in more
than one clearly defined crisis with which
true Christianity has had to contend has
been the Christian church. The larger ques-
ton is whether this has not been always
true. whether the attempt to ecclesiasticize
Christianity has not always been blunder,
when it has not broken out into fragrant
crime. It is common enough to hear the
church castigated for it's shortcomings. Re-
breaches and charges Of malfeasance are the
nabulum of the press and the forum, and
furnish the common talk of the street and
the railway carriage. May not the much