«
VOL. 1.
O nly One Life.
S IL V E R T O N , O REGON . T H U R SD A Y , MAY
Christian system.
2 7 , iS 9 > .
NO. 30.
of God, since with us he is not onl\ corrupts bis soul.
Rev. Barrows says: “ The H indoo fath er> hut
husband, brother,
Suppose I should say th a t at the
’Tis not for m an to trifle; life is brief,
irit today is strangely
spirit
strangei; stirred and tnothe*, friend. H ad C hristianity centre of the earth th ere is a d ia
And sin is here.
O ur age is b u t th e falling of a leaf,
restless, and there never was a more ever to contend with a religion mond one hundred miles in d ia m
A dropping te a r.
We have no tim e to sp o rt aw ay th e hours ; favorable tim e for a large re- which h a d a sound philosophy for eter, and that I would give $10,000
'All m ust be e arn est in a w’orld like ours. enforcem ent of the various d e p a rt a basis? Can a religion resting on to any man who would believe my
historic foundation be as perm anent statem ent. Could such a prom ise
Not nnfny lives, b u t only one have we;
m ents of C hristian work.”
One, only one.
and satisfactory as a religion rest- be regarded as evidence?
How sacred should th a t one life ever be—
The reinforcem ent is needed at
,
j j . j,
T.
, *ng on ideas? Is there salvation
Day after day filled up w ith blessed toil, i
In tellig en t people would not ask
,
.
. ,
,
. t
H our after h o u r still bringing in new hom e, and needed badlv. . Belief for
those of us who have heard of for rew ards, but reasons.
Only
in th e su p e rn a tu ra l religion of L . . . . • n . ■ . , ,
.
sp o il!
,
.
..
•*
.
,
the
h
isto
n
e
C
hrist,
but
to
whom
he
hypocrites would ask for the
— Selected
C hristianity, in the m iracles, in the
is not so attra c tiv e as our own m oney.
fall of m an, in salvation by C h rist’s
and sages? W hv should we
Rev. B arro w s a n d th e H indoos. blood, in the superhum an character . saints
Yet, according to th e New T esta
. , , .. , .. ,
,
.
,
r
. I study the bible when we have not
m ent, C hrist offers a rew ard to
of C hrist, in a personal Devil, in
Rev. J. Barrows says: “ The fail
yet m astered our own scriptures?
those who would believe, and this
everlasting punishm ent, in the
ure of Hindooism to furnish peace
Does not the A lm ighty give to every
prom ised rew ard was to take the
divine inspiration and a u th o rity of
m an th a t religion which he sees
and m oral h ealing to the individual
place of evidence.
W hen C h rist
the Bible— belief in these is steadily
is best fitted for him .”
and regeneration to its m illions of
m ade th is promise he forgot, ig
declining in the church and outside
votaries is becoming a p p a re n t to
B. F. UNDERW OOD.
nored, or held in contem pt the rec
the church, in the p ulpit as well as
the H indoos
them selves.
The
titude of a brave, free and n atu ra l
in the pew. In such a condition,
The Church and Truth.
reforming sects are an em phatic a n
soul.
when great tracts in our cities are
nouncem ent of this social and
churchless, when church continues
To compel a man to desert the
The declaration th a t salv atio n is
religious failure.”
to exist, especially
—
w for the w ealthy •- I stan d ard of reason, the church does the reward for belief is inconsistent
The in d ividual am ong the H indoos
and fashionable classes, because of! not entirely rely on the th re a t of with m ental freedom , and could
has as much “ peace” and m oral
th eir social and esthetic.features, eternal pain to he endured in a n have been m ade by no man who
healing” as does the individual
and th eir exclusiveness, rath er than other world, hut holds out the re thought th a t evidence sustained
among Christians and as for general
because of an y interest in the ward of everlasting joy.
the slightest relation to belief.
“ regeneration” th ere are no nations
doctrines m entioned above, C h risti
To those who believe it promises
Every serm on in which men have
on earth more in need of it than
a n ity is in a fine condition to a t the endless ecstacies of heaven. If been told th a t they could save their
the Christian nations. In w hat
tem pt the work of converting India it cannot frighten it will bribe. It souls by believing has been an in
Pagan nation can be found more
whose heathen teachers are am ong refits on fear and hope.
ju ry . Such serm ons dull tne m oral
drunkenness, p ro stitution, ab n o rm
us try in g to show the superiority
A religion, to com m and the re sense, and subvert the true concep
al vice, cheating, bribing, stealing,
as well as the sufficiency of their spect of intelligent men, should tion of virtue and duty.
m urdering, m unicipal corruption,
faith!
rest on a foundation of established
The true m an, when asked to be
robbing the people by legislative
Rev. J. H. Barrows presents some facts. It should appeal, not to lieve, asks for evidence. The tru e
and judicial m ethods and destroying
hum an life in w ar th a n have for of the “ m ental differences” of the passion, not to hope and fear, but m an, who asks an o th er to believe,
It should ask offers evidence.
centuries disgraced the nations of H indoo m ind in th e form of the to the judgm ent.
Christendom. The fact th a t there follow'iug inquiries which, he says, th a t all the faculties of the m ind,
B ut this is not all.
are “ reform ing sect” in In d ia shows are those most frequently put in all the senses, should assem ble and
In spite of the th rea t of etern al
private
or
public:
take
counsel
together,
and
th
a
t
its
th a t th e m oral and progressive
p ain—of th e prom ise ot ev erlasting
claim
s
he
passed
upon
and
tested
spirit exists there and is allowed to
“ Is faith in the historic C hrist
joy, unbelievers increased, an d the
w
ithout
prejudice,
w
ithout
fear,
in
a-sert itself. In Christendom for h u n essential to salv atio n ? If so, what
churches took a n o th er step.
the
calm
of
perfect
candor.
dreds of years church and state became of those who lived before the
The churches said to the u n b e
combined to crush out every advent of C hrist or wrho have never
But the church cries:
“ Believe lievers, the heretics:
“ A lthough
“ reforming sect” th a t appeared and heard of him? How can the sacri on the Lord Jesu s C hrist and thou our God will punish you forever in
to suppress every m ovem ent for the fice of C h rist’s m ere body atone for shalt he saved.” W ithout th is be another w orld—in his prison—th e
• m ancipation of the people from the sins of the soul? Is not God lief there is no salvation.
S alva doors of which open only to receive,
civil and religious despotism , and om nipresent in stones and anim als, tion is th e reward for belief.
we, unless you believe, will torm ent
now reform is possible only w'h^re and if so w hat evil is there in so-
Belief is, and forever m ust be, you now »
the power of the church has been called idolatry? Is man an isolat the result of evidence. A promised
* ,
,
, ,
.
.
_
.
,
,
,
And
then
the
m
em
bers
of
these
limited and public opinion has ed creation at a p articu lar tim e rew ard is not evidence.
It sheds i .
.
. » .
been modified by the progress of and on this e a rth ? W hy should no intellectual light. It establishes churches, led by priests, popes, and
freethought and science, which there l>e only one Savior? W hy no fact, answ ers no objection, and clergym en, sought out their unbe
lieving neighbors—chained them in
everywhere go hand in hand.
should not m ancóm e to God direct dissipates no doubt.
dungeons, stretched them on racks,
Says Rev. J. H. Barrows: “ The ly, w ithout the intervention of a
Is it honest to offer a reward for
crushed their bones, cu t out th eir
claim th a t the C hristian religion is m ediator? Do you not believe in the belief?
tongues, extinguished th eir eyes,
essentially universal, was m eant to u ltim ate salvation of all souls? If
The man who gives monev to a
be so from the beginning and is not, is not your C h ristian ity in- judge or ju ro r for a decision or ver- flayed them alive, and consumed
sure to cover an d dom inate the ferior to H indooism , which provides diet is guilty of a crime. W hy ? their poor bodies in flames.
All this was done because these
earth is very d istu rb in g to the for the final salvation of all? Why Because he induces the judge, the
Hindoo pride, and arouses his dis should a religion which claim s to juror, to decide, not according to C hristian savages
° believed
---------- in
--- the
—-
sent much more violently th an the be uni versal have originated so late the law, to the facts, the right, bqt dogm a of eternal p ain — because
claim th a t C h ristia n ity is true. in history? W hat are th e character- according to the bribe.
they believed th a t heaven was the
rew ard for belief.
Hindoos believe th a t they can istic differences between Hindoos
So believing,
The bribe is not evidence.
absorb everything th a t is tru e and and A m ericans? W ill C hristian-
So the promise of C hrist to re they were th e enemies of free
remain loyal to H indooism !”
ity m ake progress against a religion ward those who will believe if» a th o u g h t and speech; they cared
Hindooism, th a t is philosophical so highly eclectic as Hindooism? bribe.
It is an attem p t to m ake a n o thing for conscience, nothing for
Hindooism, does not need to absorb Is not m aterial im provem ent an im- prom ise take the place of evidence, th e veracity of a soul—n o thing for
C hristianity for it has alread y all pedim ent to religious im provem ent? He who says th a t be believes, and ^he m an n er of a m an.
th at can be called tru th in the H ave we not the highest conception does this for the sake of reward,
R. G. I ngersoll .