Year: 1865

|
a century, are not yet prepared for negro suf-
frage, how can we require the Southern States
to grant it right away, which were relieved Of
slavery only yesterday


The Religious Teachings or the Tri-
bune-ssBlind Guides."


We hardly know sometimes whether to en-
ploy censure or indulge in ridicule when refer
ring to the teachings of the Tribune. 1t is read,
doubtless by numbers Of people, who look
upon it as sound in it's opinions, and venerate
the old white coat Of the editor as the Mussul-
men do the green breeches Of their prophet,
Mahomet. In politics, in political economy, in
philosophy, it takes delight in utterng the Wild
est opinions, and now and then complacently
treats us to little gratuitous skepticism, il not
inGdelty, which its readers are expected to
gulp down without change Of countenance, and
cry for more, as children do for candy In
that journal of few days ago we find an
extraordinary article of an editorial character,
being pretended review Of late number of
the Christian Examiner, and made up of startling
propositions, which we commend to the thought
full consideration of all rejecting and Christian
people.


| While it is we'll known that the HARALD is not
seciarian in its views, but is always liberal and
tolerant of opinion, yet it is always respecter
of conscientious morals and religious creeds.
Certainly, however, not even a latitudnarian
spirit can be very Indifferent to the broad,
barefaced and indecent avowals which
were made in the Tribune, much less those who
recognize and venerate the Holy Scriptures,
which were given for our learning. That we
do not color this view of those propositions
beyond their real hues, nor deal with them
unfairly, we make the following extracts


"The authority of the Bible as the ultimate
ground of our belief is absolutely destroyed for
modern thought, and another must be found, for
religion is indestructible." "The soul itself,
taken in its nature, history, develop
ment and prophetic latenci"s, is the only
possible basis of a rational theology" "When
in later times Christianity slipped its moorings
and anchored to the Church, the Bible, or to
| Jesus himself, it forgot its own inherited law,
and made fatal change Of base, which modern
theism is destined to reverse and rectfy." "ln
| taking the soul itself as the ultimate ground OF
religion and court Of appeal, theism but re-
| turns to the Christianity OF Jesus himself, and
of every other pure and devout theist; it but
reforms corruption of the historical Church.
On the soul alone can be reared theology
rational alike in its basis, its method and its
results. Mankind needs this rational theology,
which, like powerful engine, shall crush the
quartz Of history, and slit out from the debris
the gold of universal truth. We cannot quench
our Spiritual thirst with the dry sand OF facts.
The visions of the poet are thousand fold
truer than the uncertain chronicles of the his
toriaR, or the dreary figures of the statician."
"The soul itself, its nature, history, develop
ment, and it's latencies, is the only possible
basis of theology


This goes further than anything from the
school of inidels of which we have any ac-
the Christian world has for thousands Of years
acknowledged with devout submission, no mat
ter what its differences may have been on
minor points, we are now told that the soul itself
is "the only basis of theology" Whose soul we
should like to know? The soul of the pagan, of
the cannibal, of the officiating Hottentot, or Of
the man who even in civilized countries breaks
loose from all restraints and makes higher law
for himself! Or is it Grecley's soul that is to
become the chief stone in The new corner! We
should rather distrust this foundation, or even
that of Theodore Parker's laying, the cleverest
of The whole gang of theists or atheists. Who
is to be the Judge Of the correctness of this
wonderful souls new theology? Any religion
founded on the dogmatism Of such teacher
would be rather queer one. Its maxims
would everywhere be different; virtue and
vice, Of which there is yet some idea among
men, would be coniounded in thousand ways;
and the difference between the new authori-
iies-the souls which crush out the "quartz of
history" and repudiate "the dry sand of
iacts"--wOuld be doubtless content to adopt The
"Arabian Nights" or any other similar work Of
romance and exaggeration as its catechism.


Now we inquire whether the rotten, baseless
and immoral teachings OF the Tribune in this, II
not other matters, are to be accepted
in this community as truth? Whether IL is
willing to give up its regard and vencration
for the Bible, which has evidently reformed the
world as far as IL will be reformed, and adopt
this new theory to carry them safely through
this life and hopefully into the next? A journal
that can put forth such destructive doctrines
cannot possibly have even "a decent respect
for the opinions OF mankind" SO far from this
it must inevitably lead its followers into q dis
regard and contempt for history that has |
withstood the severest scrutiny Of scholars and |
profound thinkers, and which has been beacon |
light in all ages, towards which the poor
tcmpcst-tossed mariner of this life has always |
turned his hopeful eyes.


Aud are the American people, or even the
party which the Tribune affects to lead, ready
to embark with it in the whirlpool Of doubt, on |