Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1926-03-18
RELIGION AND LIFE
BY Rev. A. H. Rapking

Autobiography" today ] came across
this very significant statement: Il
have always had horror of words
that are not translated into deeds,
of speech that does not result in
action in other words, believe in
realizable ideas and realising them.
in preaching what can be practiced
and then in practing it"
No doubt it was similar thought
that Christ had in mind when after
setting up the t-to-be-exceeded i
deals and principles in the Sermon
on the Mount, he closed the greatest
of sermons that has ever been preach
ed with the striking picture of the
man who built his house on the sand
and the man who built his house on
solid rock. We have been strong in
talking about religion and weak III
living religion.
Religion, too largely in the think
ing of the past, has been another
worldly affair. We have been saying
consciously and unconsciously that
religion is not practicable. There has
been tendency to be semi-pagan.
We have been laboring under diff
culties because of our way of divid
ing life into compartments, with
practically complete isulation between
the different aspects of life. On Sun
day and in the winter time we are in
clined to be very religious and TIE
rest Of the week and most of the sum-
mer, to say "Good-byel' to our re-
ligion. At lea& that was the tendency
in the community in Ohio in which |
lived until | was nineteen.
Expressions like this were very
common; "a man cannot be success
full as business man and be q
Christian" Religion was primarily a
matter Of reading the Bible, saying
ones prayers, attending Sunday
School and Church, and keeping the
minister from starving Religion was
considered good thing for old folks
for sick folks, for folks to die by
81 remember very vividly the dis
cussion about the fireside about min
lister who was brought up in New
York who when he put the saddle on
his horse, put it on wrong. This same
minister knew nothing about putting
harness on horse. Our everyday
life was foreign to him. He could not
sympathize with us and help us in
the problem of providing for the Soc
ial life of the community the problem
of securing good teachers, etc. These
were all worldly matters, and he was
not really expected to know much a.
bout them lest they interfere with his
spiritual leadership.
The tragic thing about the matter
was the fact that we were all uncon-
sciously influencing each other in
building up a flake" philosophy OF
life, a. philosophy that was based on
the idea that religion was not practi-
cable This attitude of mind is still
too much with us. The result is that
we talk great deal about religion
and only get very small percentage
Of our sermons and talks into action.
Men who claim to be very religious
may talk like the two men in the ho-
tel lobby in Clarksburg the other day
Right after dinner, one man pulled
out his plug of tobacco and while
taking a chew, said my tobacco costs
me. five cents day." The other man,
while lighting a cigarette, said, "Mine
costs me fifty cents a day" One man
pays $1.50 and other $1,000 month,
! have no way Of knowing how much
these men are contributing to the
church, but how much better it would
be if the money spent for Injuries
would be used for establishment Of
the Kingdom of God
Religion is the most practicable
thing | know anything about, if we
want the best. am more and more
coming to believe that nothing will
help to make religion as an aid in
the solution of all our real problems.
| believe that still better day far
my life, my home, my community, my
country, Dur nation, and the world,
will be achieved as we all help each
other build up philosophy Of life a.
round this central idea that the
Christian religion is a practical re-
ligion, and is the foundation for liv-
ing the best life that it is possible
for us to live here and hereafter.
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