The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-02-17
Humanism in Action

The Community church is celebrating the twenty
fifth anniversary of the ministry of John Haynes
Holmes in New York City. Friends of the Com
munity church and of DR.. Holmes well may offer
their personal fluctuations. The occasion is how
ever, of deeper and more general significance.
The Community church is probably the most
striking example of the new secular religion in action
in the United States. It's experience is of high i'm
portance in estimating the prospects of humansm
or any other type of religion divorced from super
naturalism.
1t often is held that religion is doomed because
of the decline of belief supernaturalsm and other
worldliness upon which religion has rested in the
past. Some contend that religion based solely on
secular and human considerations is no religion at all
Others state that it can not command enough
emotional enthusiasm to give it popularity or perma-
nence DR.. Holmes has done much to challenge both
of these contentious
John Haynes Holmes was given an excellent in
tellectual preparation for intelligent ministry
through his education Harvard university and the
Harvard divinity school, where he had a brilliant
record for scholarship. He entered the Unitarian
ministry at Dorchester in 1904. In February, 1907
he went to New York as pastor of the Church of
the Messiah, in succession to the famous Unitarian
divine, DR.. Minot j. Savage.
During the World war; Dr. Holmes had the cour-
age of his convictions. and opposed our entry into
the conflict. He saw no reason for suspending his
intelligence and religious convictions in wartime The
resulting difficulties with Untarianism led to fur
ther shift to the left. In 1919 he reorganzed his
congregation as the Community church-an indie
pendent religious society.
With each succeeding year the Community church
has become a more decisive example of humanzed
secular religion It's activities devoted solely to
making mankind better here and now, with no in
terest in future salvation and expectation of divine
guidance in the earthly experiment.
1t is purely human and social enterprise The
word of God rarely is consulted or quoted The cere-
monial readings primarily from great secular
writer's.
The worship of God has been supplanted by what
amounts to animated and inspired adult education.
Here find forums for the free expression of opinion
vital subjects of current interest Mental hygiene
and other clinics established to straighten cut
personalities.
Psychiatry rather than prayer or confession, is
relied upon to produce results. There varied
classes for training in divers intellectual and
esthetc interests.
Not only is the institution humanistic; it also
lives up to it's name as community organization.
DR.. Holmes has endeavored to make it the center
from which there may issue movements in political
reform and the like that will help to make New
York City more decent place in which to live.
But the church is not provincial. DR.. Holmes is
as much interested in developments at Moscow,
Geneva or Jerusalem as he is in the dongs of Mayor
Walker at city hall. He has cut off all pretense to
being literally Christian and welcomes all literally
minded persons.
DR.. Holmes experiment seems to have worked.
The Community church has outgrown its earlier
rather spacious quarters and is engaged in con-
structing a mammoth institutional church. An able
assistant, DR.. Lon R. Gall, has been added. Prob
ably not every experiment of this sort would prove
so successful. Much has been due to the magnetic
personality and indefatigable industry of Dr. Holmes