The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-11
Giuc No Occasion
.Of Stumbling

Lesson september rs. Cor. 1923.
3J3 j.l6-l1.
Tho value of cNpcdlcncy as con
trolling our action toward othrrH tu
thv church. as we'll as outside, ia
here emphasized hy Paul lie dnc7
Not mean that In any case "Npcd'
curN is superior 10 principle. h1i
that I'm many cases a Nriyt con.
formiO To- laws ana customs ~ NOT
tp Doc regarded as incapable ot mod
iUpltinus 10 SUIT times aud citcuW
stances Principle is the main thluE
and principle is un,hbusinE but
there are wide variations of the 'p
plioatiun uf fundamental principles
60 the matter IN hand. ana there Is
much room for the exercise of wis
dom I'm making thcsc applications
To some people, M It was with Paul,
"au things are lawful Thut is. all
Things that are not inquest iouablS
immoral have their Umo ana plhc"
ut permissible usage. hut there are
others who cannot conceive OF piety
uulrss(it makes mandatory the OBJ
sprvaucc of certain iron clad rulos
and TO such the conscience that In
liberal must make uCossiuna lest
N. cause the weaker brother 10
stumble. II is not cSpedicnt for us
tu 10 many things we believe to N"
right or to practice conduct when
We are convinced is perfectly proper
tor u Christian to do, " I'm go doing
We give otfcnse tn the man who"c
conscience must he cuddled To kCrp
him from feeling that he Is doing
wrong,
Tender Cunsricnccs.
our first anxiety should not he
for self, but Tor the welfare OF
others True. we should do only
such things ns we know are night
+ but there are many such things
/ which seem wrong to another. and
/ for the cake of his conscience we
/ should refrain. II man thinks u
/ certain thing II wicked and he soos
/ n man whom he regards az right
/ cous doing that thing, he TX apt to
! lose faith not only In the man but
/ In the scheme OF religion that winks
at the error We may do right, yet
be responsible for undermining the
faith OF the other fellow. Religion
puts no bar ON dancng. smoking.
card playing. baseball football,
thcatcrgoing and a number OF other
practices which a number OF good
| people look up with horror aA
/ schemes OF the devil when we,
l prOfcsscd Christians. indulge In
| harmless amuscmcnta which others
. have put under the ban, W.
may do no harm to ourselves, hut
We run the risk Of destroying the
tender moral sense of ths class VI
Christians who spend most of thor
/ time straininR at moral gnats Yet
we are not always privileged to do
AZ we please even when we please
to do right. for we are cautioned "a
itttf an IA IA,
To stumble. How far this Ia true II
not left for the decision OF any
church council or discipline, but Is
question each conscience must
decide for itself.
Deceptive Dognnas.
We have no more sympathy thar
Paul did for the dogmatists In re
ligion. The Bible makes all thlngi
plain. but there never has been I
time bu; some human authorit!
added their own translation Of prin
| ciplcs to the plain word Of God an
, sct their own rules up az tost o
other peoples piety. Creeds whicl
40 beyond the Bible teachings are
delusion and Il snare. Yet II is evel
better to give crecds and discipline
consideration they do not dcscrve
ather' than to cause a weak broths
to lose his loyalty to religion. Whei
"A man thinks a certain thing II
wrong. oven II his belief he In error
that certain thing In a sin for hin
to do. Paul said that, rather thar
some brother should have pnips II
mis- conscience on account or mcat
offered to idoL. he would himself
refrain from eating meat forever
although 1t was no sin to him. Tho
writer hereof II inclined TO rebc
against the dictn Of ccclcsasti'
Upstairs az to regulating his con
duct. yet he strives to live accord