Year: 1867

The Young Mems Christian Association
of Chicago have been playing Puritanical
bigotry till Common Sense is sickcned. A
move in favor of another sort of conduct
in the dissemination of Charities, is inau.
gurated there. Unitarians, Universalists,
and persons of no special religious faith,
are invited to come into the fold and work
for CHARITY. At Crosby's Opera House,
$500 people attended the organization;
speeches we're made by many very promi'
nent gentlemen, both lay and clerical
Opposed as we are to bigotry, we hail this
movement as the Victor Of KINDNESS over
Sectarianism. The published proceedings
gil six columns of the Chicago Times
We have space only for the splendid words
Of Writ DEXTER, Esq, the Pres't of the
"Union." There will be extracts from
other participant orators, in the inside of
this issue. Read the address and profit
your hearts gA RIG .sa aa.Ea1af a, 81


Mr.. Dexter said Eoi. sEagv g5
The union of which this is the first pub
lie meeting has it's origin in this truth -
That there ought to be no prescription on
| account OF differences OF religious belief !;
that pure life, aboundins in good works,
! is the only test of religion /; that such
life and such works are as purely Christ
ian in one church as in another, or in no
church at all. Hence this union has been
formed, wherein all, irrespective Of their
religious opinions. may work together
The representatives Of John Calvin and
Jonathan Edwards are welcome. Are you
Swedenborgian You won't crowd us.
Do you belong to the Jews2 Children of
persecution, there is room enough for you!


Are you man belonging to no sect not
certain that any is entirely right but yet
quite sure that in society there is great
earnest work to do, and you desire part
in it? Stand with US, and together we
will move on-not to disseminate our va
rious theologies, but to proclaim the prin-
ciple of universal toleration, and reclaim
and alleviate the lost and suffering in our
city. We ask not what are your views
on questions of doctrine but only this


Do you believe that God is your father,


and that man is your brother !? Is not this
a noble foundation May we have wis
dom to conduct this work in proper spir-
it, and bring - its highest fruition


Are we ri this platform? Or is it
true that pufe life, full of earnest work
for others. is of no avail, without accepting
also the dominant theology of the day !;
that life sweet in charity and good deeds
is barren waste unless it be studded with
an appropriate number of dogmas? There
are but two tests for determining the
soundness of these respective positions,-
the observation and experience Of all man
kind and the Scriptures. . .


In society we find that the largest varie-
ty of opinion on religious questions is not
incompatible with the truest life and best
citizenship that very bad, hard, miserly
men are often remarkable for their sound
faith that many Just and benevolent men
are quite as remarkable for the heresy of
their views. @ alE


In friendship, we find large-hearted
companion and give him our confidence,
nor is that confidence withheld or impair
ed when we learn that he is dssenter in
religion. In business, the orthodox mer-
chant inquiries as to the business habits,
man to whom he intrusts his goods il
right on these points, even if he be a Uni
versalist, Unitarian, Swedenborgian, or
even Spiritualist, he can obtain credit
these conditions being satisfactory. In
deed, in all the heavy transactions Of life,
involving ruin or prosperity, the question
as to religious belief is never asked. Let
any merchant in this city or elsewhere
adopt in his business the doctrinal cate
chism policy, and soon his shop will be
closed, and he may devote his entire time
to meditation upon the beauties Of doctrin-
al theology Thus it seems clear that our
orthodox friends have set up standard
which has no application to society; none
to the more intimate relations Of life OF. to
business in this world. We. understand
the application they make of it to us in the
world to come. wish they would point
out where it touches this lite or it's vast du-
tics-where it touches man in relation to
his fellow-man. The presumption is, that
a test so iraplicable to daily life can have
no authority in scripture. On this branch
of the subject shall not enlarge, being
nothing but q layman (the Doctors of Di-
yinity come after me), but will suage that
it is remarkable that the Only definition of
religion in the Testament omits the doc.
trinal tests deemed SO important at the
present day. "Pure religion and undetl-
ed before God and the Father is this -
"To visit the fatherless and the widows in
their affection, and keep himself funspotted
from the world" When Christ describes
those that are to inherit eternal life, it is
as follows " For was an hungered, and
ye gave me meat was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink was stranger, and ye
took me in; naked, and ye clothed me l
was sick, and ye visited me was in pris-
on, and ye came unto me-" sHow beauti-
full 3"9so Asiai'is'o9


Here is an accurate description Of per-
sons who shall certainly enjoy Heaven, but
no mention is made of belief in the dog,
mas of the church. The conditions enun-
ciated would seem to exclude all others
and teach this truth That, while many
other things may be found in the sacred
writings, belief in them is not, and was
not, intended to be essential to salvation,
and that, concerning them, we may all
have our own opinion. The orthodox think
that to these good acts some matters of
faith should be added CHRIsr omitted
them. 5iHii gss} .....5, itl },..-sac 30


When did any considerable portion of
the world agree on questions of theology ?
History informs US that Christians and Pa
gans alike have burned each other at the
stake with equal zeal. That bloody wars
have been continued, and empires divided
on nice points Of theology. But in what
age or country has there been divided
opinion about acts Of love or kindness?


There is another objection to mere doc
trinal plan of salvation. Under it, it is
easy to escape the practical duties of reli-
giOn. It costs some effort to visit man
in prison the sacrifice Of some money to
clothe and feed q man not much of either
one or the other to 6eliere good many
doctrines. ga