The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-12-09
SCIENCE AND RELIGION
BY N. ID. Cochran

Because of the powerful influence Of both on the
NE Oh the human family read practically everything
can about science and religion. Politics is interesting
mainly because of how it is influenced by either or
both Of the two more powerful influences
The fact that practically half the people of this
country are not ariiated with any church doesn't
mean that they are not religious that they not
interested In religion, in the churches One
may be religious and yet belong to no church One
may be a good Christian and yet be not a church
member. 1t Is fact that man truly religious people
belong to no church simply they have found
no church that gives satisfactory expression of their
religion.
Most of us believe in the Golden Rule All churches
profess to believe in it, But none Of them actually
practices it. Very few, If any, Christians live it.
don't believe will live until they find that it
PAYS Many would like to live it. but they can't
They would wind up in the poor house or the insane
asylum. Some of us can't live it until all of us are
ready to live It, In other words it's beautiful theory
but it doesn't work out in practice
The Golden Rule is a oneday theory II ts q pood
deal like good Methodists Sunday clothes He nuts
them on when he goes to church Sunday morning or
evening and when he goes home he hangs them up
IN the closet to take six days res-along with the
Golden Rule and his Christianity That is the Golden
Rule and the Christian philosophy, are all right on
sunday when the stores, shops factories, banks and
offices closed Six days for business and one for
relglon-and there's darned little room for religion in
business.
l never go to church, but every Monday morning
read fuil page OF newspaper reports what was
said In the various pulpits Sunday Recently Rev
Dr. Caleb B. Stetson, Episcopalian deplored the lack
Of religion in American schools and said: One of the
saddest chapters in the history church is the loss
OF our church colleges. Fifty years ago we had sew
eral but gradually they have become nonsectarian We
car not say, the most of u.s. that we have made God
and the church our chief interest in life"
On the same Sunday Rev. Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin
Presbyterian sad "A great many people are gravelv
concerned over the religious declinaton of this age
College students are rebelling from compulsory re.
ligious attendance. This is an irreligious age:
it is spiritually wstful generation It has awakened
hunger in man for vital religion"
Notwithstanding all Of the whining of clerical fail.
ures about the lack of attendance at and interest In
the churches, think DR.. Coffin has a much clearer
understanding of the public mind 1t is spiritually
wistfu generation but it is intelligent genera
ton that can't be bunked by eighteenth century
evangelism. Anyhow, falling off in church attend.
ance doesn't mean decline of relgion-it may mean
only decline in churches that are not on to their
spiritual job.
My own opinion is that many of the preachers
nave been devotng much of their time energy and
such ability they have to politics and trying to
make people good with policemans club that they
have neglected their proper spiritual business
need more preachers who know their Christianity and
fewer of the kind that little about religion and
less about science.