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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
* ,
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.
_
.
,
,
,
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 .
.
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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 .