The Washington herald., 1922-01-15
UNITARIAN FAITH
LAUDED BY TAFT
Offers Common Ground for
Understanding of God,
Chief Justice Says.

Address by Chief Justice Taft,
Delivered Before the Unitarian
Laymen's League, New will
lard Hotel. Washington, jan
uary s. 1922.
The presence of so many when
the weather is so forbidding Is
proof that, whatever else we are.
We are not fair-weather Chris
tlans. We are here under the
auspices of the Unitarian lay
mems League. And what is that?
1t is a national association ini-
tiated in Boston, for everything
good comes out of Boston. by
militant and enterprising Unita-
rians. to help the cause of the
Christian religion and to spread
its influence. They believe that
our world society is only to be
saved. for useful progress by the
foundation of religion. sThey be-
lieve that the plan of our civ
ilization is only to be justified
by the influence and antidote Of
religion. They believe that ma
terial progress with men as they
are is only possible by the main
tenance of the rewards secured
by guarantees of life, liberty and
property and the spur of en-
frightened selhshness. and that
the only way by which the dan
serous tendency to materialism
and greed in such a system can
be neutralized is by the Chris
tian doctrine of the Fatherhood
of God and the brotherhood OF
man.
Interferes With None.
They do not seek to disturb
anyone in the faith which brings
him close to God Sand Wis
its him with responsibility to
his Creator. They are making
a call to the unconverted. The
danger to the cause of religion
and the churches is Indifference.
Many cannot accept the tenets
of orthodox Christian creeds,
and they have made this an ex-
cuse for drifting away from
churches. and from religion and
religious thought. 1t is these
we of the Unitarian League
would reach. We would quicken
their sense of relation to God
and their responsibility. We
would press upon them that 1t is
possible to worship God and to
believe what Jesus taught as the
kingdom of God and to follow
Him in what He said and did
without asserting to the creeds
of orthodox churches. We are
not a numerous denomination.
We have not been great propa-
gandists. In times past we have
had to defend ourselves and give
and take blows. But the world
and the churches are more toll
Grant now.
brotherhood for All,
We are anxious to work with
them all to rescue the men and
women of the community from
the slough of religious indiffer-
ence and the inevitable selfish
ness and materialism that fol-
low II we are to progress to any
ideals at all as a people, it must
be under the inspiration OF relig-
ious feeling toward God and man.
There are men and women who
can lead moral lives without re-
ligion; but religion strengthens
morality. and most men ana
women need both to make the
best of themselves. The peoples
who have done great things, the
peoples~who have made for real
progress, have been inspired by
religion. II people are to succeed
In making popular government a
boon to them and to the world,
straint. the spirit of fairness to
the other fellow, the faith in the
Fatherhood of God, and their re-
sponsibility to Him. Now, as a
reaction from the great war, we
see frivolity, fiippancy, irrever-
ence. Grass selfishness, self-in-
diligence, and a lack of serious
ness.
Religion and Duty.
Society must arouse itself to
a sense of duty. In our dis
position to class struggle and
class selfishness, we are likely
to lose the sense of loyalty to
all, the teamwork OF society as
whole. Religion must supply
that sense of duty. to all our
brethren which Is the basis of
Christian civilization.
We Unitarians wish to play
our. part in this movement. We
wish to draw into our fold and
into our religion the many who
are living without any. Many
think we are not Christians be-
cause we don't accept the full
orthodox Christian creed. That
Is only a question of definition,
II We love God, IL we believe
and accept and try to act upon
the practical teachings of Jesus,
IL in worshiping God we think
that IL Is those teachings which
have made what is worth while
In advancing civilization. I
think we are followers of Christ,
whatever else you may call us or
refuse to call us. Now, you did
not come here to listen to me. You
came to hear great writer, a
great preacher, and leader in our
Church. He comes at the In
stance Of our Laymen's League
to tell us why we are Unitari-
ans: i am proud to introduce