The Washington times., 1920-09-12
MORE RELIGION
NATIONS NEED
Wealth, Power, Fame Sought BY
Too Many, Says Dean at
University.
By FRANK W. COLLIEn.
Deas Of the Sehssl Of hsiigsss'
Aaes1eaa Universtty.

~ FRANK W. COLLIER.
Dea. Of the sehssi Of RsiiSsss'
A.e~1eaa Uaiversity.
Man is religious. whether We
like Il or not. we must face the simple
fact He has been described as in
eurably religious" Judging from past
attempts to "cure" him OF religion
IL must be admitted that the deserip-
tion 10 JUSTIFIED. Now that religion
has been so thoroughly studied. from
that OF the cave man. the savage
the barbarian, up to and including
that OF the most ethical Christian
saint, II Is seldom we nnd q mind de-
manding respect which denies the
reality of religion. The phtlosophical
rnaterialist must deny the truth OF
religion: but philosophical material
lists have always Deem rare. On the
other hand practical materialism, De-
cause OF It's misleading promises, has
always been the greatest foe OF re-
ligion. And the most effective cor
rective Of practical materialism Is re-
ligious education.
When we turn to the inner life we
nnd IL agrees with the outer life.
4
TO understand that man Is a spirit
dwelling in the body. And we arc
nsver so crude as TO think of God
as anything other than spirit. But
the distinguishing attribute OF
spirit is activity--mental activity or
thought. IL may seem bold. but II
Ia nevertheless inevitable to con-
| clude that the Divine and human
are one in kind. the difference being
that OF degree. God Is inhnite. in
dependent, self-sustaininE spirit; man
Is finite. dependent spirit. Hence he
must depend upon God. Then his
very nature makes him . religious
being. This is why such sayings as
that OF Augustine live through the
centuries: 20, Lord. we were made
for Thee. and these restless hearts
will not be at rest until they md
rest in Thee" or that OF AmieI, "As
1t 10 impossible to be outside OF God.
J 1t Is best consciously to dwell in
Him"
But religion involves self-deveIop-
: ment The fnite cannot grasp the in
fnite At one bound. And self-d
|. velopnent is just what is meant by
education. The getting OF informa
, tion Is not in itself education: but
! when the mind assimilates and re
acts upon information 1t Is developed
Religious education Is OF the
/ greatest Importance, for II develop.
the deepest depth OF mans nature
This 10, in the language Of the New
I Testament, that Divine light which
| lighteth every man coming into tn,
| world. That is, every human beins
| begins life with an inherent ca pacity
for God. This Is as inherent a. is hi,
latent capacity to reason or to love
| As q person grows into self-con.
sciousness certain vital questions in.
sistently PROFOUND themselves to him
whence am To- what am II
whittier am I bound?' Religion
alone gives practical answers. where
as philosophy can give. at best, only
speculative ones. 1t may be claimed
that instantaneous conversion can
answer these questions. This NAV
well be granted. But was IL ever
known that these Questions remain.
ga answered when they were not
foIlowed up by religious education
so far we have confined our consid :
Grafton to personal religion. But re-
igfon Is also social. Its historians
say IT has been the bond OF communi-
ty life from the beginning: and in
spite of some apparent contradictions.
II is a greater bond of social life to-
day than many realize. Witness the
fact that civilizations arc defined in
terms Of their religions Typical
then Is 1t for people not to be edu-
Gated in their religion. 1t was false
religious education which caused the
German people to be led by the man
who boasted that he was their war
lord "a term of an old pagan reIigion),
into conflict which carried 81. 900
900 persons to untimely graves. and
imposed incalculable suffering upon
millions Of human beings.
In our land the overwhelming ma
3ority go professedly, to the New Tes-
lament for their religion. What they
find there Is in harmony with our
form OF government. We are a de-
mocracy and the religion Of Christ
involves logically democracy, &C.
clesiastical, political and Industrial.
All have not seen this as yet, for not
a few are contented to accept as their
religious principles the doctrinal for
mulas OF the Middle Ages and post
reformation times, when despotic
monarchy was practically universal
ard Influenced all thinking, rather
than the teaching OF Christ. He said
there should be no privileged classes
among his followers Matt. xxiii1-12)
in the Declaration of Inde ependence we
have asserted the essential equality
OF men. Lincoln said to this PROPOSE
tion we as a nation are dedicated.
fright religious education would
show us that as Christian church
we are so dedicated.
In our community life the tendency
is, where there is lack OF religious ed
ucation for our sense OF values to be-
come falsely developed The domin-
ating things are the love Of material
wealth, of power, OF fame. When the
first two are realized, the third seems
to be the crown OF them all. But
when attained It gives no undiluted
satisfaction, and the seeking OF IT
Is an unconscious admission that we
fear that we have failed. As Henri
Bergson says, I'VE cling to praise and
honors in the exact degree in which
we are not sure OF having succeeded" !"
1t is not strange then that Christ re-
placed these pagan ideals with the
love of service as the mark OF great
ness. In II Is found geenuine joy.
Now, the only escape from these
subtle and false guides which arc
misdirecting our personal and social
development, and, hence, preventing
our happiness, is the lack of proper
"a - In