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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. SATURDAY. JUNE 1, .1907. : "THE BASIS OF RELIGIOUS FAITH’ By REV. EVERETT DEAN ELLENWOOD, Pastor Universalist Church T HE above caption Is very , grate fully appropriated from an Inter esting editorial appearing Jn The Atlanta Constitution of May 27. Inas much as the writer of tills editorial •umallv falls to discover for ills readers the ••basis of religious faith," but de votes himself to a discussion of the ne cessity of creed maintenance and tho defense of ‘'simple, straightforward or thodoxy,” it would appear that some virtue may still remain hidden in the verv suggestive title with which he heads his article He sweeps off for us, once more, the rapidly accumulating dust of forgetful ness from the recently famous Crapsey heresy trial, and then quotes a certain bishop as having classed together, mor al defection and intellectual dissent, by having this bishop include in a single sweeping arraignment a prophet of pure mind, unquestioned morality and tested ethics, who had dissented from the theories of ills predecessors and his contemporaries, and a moral pervert, masking under tho guise of a man of God. whoso theology was probably without flaw, but whose religion was so entirely wanting that lie could desert his own family to wander in amorous fields,'•new and more alluring. It would appear that the bishop here mentioned is himself somewhat hazy as to the actual basis of religious faitli when he could thus convey the Impression that these two men are equally offensive and dangerous to the cause of true religion and the progress of society. It Is Indeed remarkable that the men and women who occupy positions of ed itorial opportunity In the pages of the public press should continue to read the records of humanity's upward struggle from savagery to civilization In so shal low and inefficient a fashion os to so frequently betray them into the confu sion of cause with effect and the mis taking of tho foundation for the super structure. From tile frantic manner with which multitudes of earnest souls rush to the heroic defense of the church, the creed and the Bible, the en tirely unprejudiced observer might well form the impressiun that Ood is pain fully limited as to His means of com munication with His children,,and that with the loss or weakening of Uhy of the products of human thought and speculation, the voice of Jehovah could no longer reach the soul of man. Tho very evident hypothesis of the writer of tho editorial referred to ts that the church and its creed form the basis of religious faith: that the soul's entire knowledge of God, the Instinct for worship and the aspirations after righteousness, represent the product of the church and Its credal statements. If human history means anything more than merely the characters by which it may be written, then the very opposite hypothesis is the correct one. Let me here quote an illuminating paragraph from the vigorous statement in which the bishop anathematizes all heresy heretofore attempted and utter ly puts to rout all possible attempts for the future: “If the facts mf the church's creeds can be disproved, then the church’s mission Is over, and It will be all In vain by means of music and • architecture nnd poetry and rhetoric and money to keep alive a church whose creed Is based on action.” So here we have the question plainly stated, the Issue definitely raised. Here is tile sometimes disconcerting situa tion which faces the young preacher, flesh from the seminary. I say. ‘‘some times disconcerting,” because it occa sionally happens that among those who answer, from time to time, the cull of God to go forth and speak for right eousness in the walks and In the homes of men, there arises an individual so hutural, so really original, that he con ceives his mission to be that of an apostle of truth, in whatever new and atirnctlvo form sho may present .herself to his constantly unfolding mind and heart. To such a theological abnormal ity ttie church, rich in traditions, though not always honorable In history, powerful In accumulated Influence, Im pressive and Inspiring in ritual and ceremonial, and sacred to the tfiemory of many a hard-won battle for right eousness, present herself merely os the most available and therefore the beet medium of service whereby he may give himself unreservedly to humanity. The church's creed, that composite product of the study, the meditation, the speculation of many minds in many ages, is to such n man merely a con venient expression of the hopes and longings and aspirations of humanity, to be used as a convenience, not to be served and worshipped, and, moreover, to be capable of alteration to meet the changing demands of changing condi tions of human thought and enlighten ment, So goes forth many a true son of God Into tho warfare with poverty, disease and sin, filled with high hopes nnd a yearning desire to reveal the Fa ther unto Ilis Ignorant and suffering children, and valiantly determined to adapt and to use his church and its creed In this offensive and defensive warfare. And right at the very outset ho finds himself seriously handicapped. Ho who has fondly believed himself n prophet of truth and righteousness makes the humiliating and discourag ing discovery that he is merely a hired ‘nan. He has been employed by the church to defend her creed and her REV. E. D. ELLENWOOD. traditions. The metal in these weap ons which he had hoped to use so suc cessfully In his Master’s conflicts la he is warned, quite fragile and uncertain in its temper, and liable to complete destruction from vigorous handling. “If the facts of the church's creeds can be disproved, then the church’s mission is over,” he is tolil. Since the life and usefulness of the church are absolute ly dependent upon the maintenance of Its creed, inflexible and Inviolate In Its original statement and interpretation, then, very naturally, the creed must be defended at all hazarda even though the continual crying of God’s children for spiritual food is not silenced by the ready proffer of the old. tried and test ed stones of dogma Since the church exists mainly as a strategic battle ground upon which the creed must for ever be defended, then, of course. It must follow that "God’s good men," who earnestly desire to become sa viors of humanity, must cease from their foolish and profitless study of social science and political economy, and municipal sanitation, and prison reform, and must fit themselves to be come Invincible theologians and dia lecticians, that they may. on every occasion which presents Itself, suc cessfully cross swords with any hated heretic who may assume to find a vul nerable point In the logic and consist ency of the church's formal statement of belief. 80 much for the very common and quite erroneous hypothesis regarding “the basis of religious faith." The ac tual facts of the situation as they cer tainly appear to be established by hu man history are directly opposed to tills theory. Religious faith is not the product, hut rather the producer of the church. The church is a human Insti tution, with a divine mission, and it was the divine mission that brought about the establishment of the human agency. The creed was not the begin ning. but is rather tile outgrowth of tho soul’s Instinctive belief in Jehovah. And this Is to say that the religious Instinct is a part of man's original en dowment. and is but another way of in terpreting the opening ar.d intensely prophetic statement of our sacred writ ings, "In the beginning, God." To the occasional Individual who finds himself no longer contented to be a theological hired man, with a comfortable living and an established position in society us his wages, hut demands that tils soul shall be left ab solutely free In order that he may exercise the function of a prophet, the frenzied anxiety and Indefatigable ac tivity of the multitudes of creed de fenders and church worshipers would probably he only amusing were it not so intensely pathetic. The pathOB of the situation presents Itself In tho rev elation that, for the most part, His children, who. in accordance with cus tom. assemble themselves at staled times and places nnd call upon God. are so very prone to forget Us Author In the fervor and Intensity of their worship, and to mistake religion for tho forms by which It sometimes seeks expression. Too many of our religionists seem prone to forget that “God dwelielh not in temples made with hands,” but that His sanctuary is the human soul, there fore. we need have no fear that Ood shall be loet. even though the church should cease to be. He who led the chorus of the morning stars when they sang together for very Joy. has so molded humanity In His spiritual like,, ness that wo need have no fear that we shall ever be able to forget Him, even though we may so revise our theologi- cal vocabulary aa to place upon tho ob solete Hat very many of the term* and phrases now rolled aa precious moreels under many a prophetic tongue. The creed. If It be rightly conceived and rightly used, is nothing more nor lees than the spiritual telescope through which we have accustomed ourselves to look upon the face of the Father. Bure ly then we need notfear thatweshall lose our blessing and our benediction If we apply ourselves frequently to the removal of the dust’and cobwebs of bygone theological ages from the object riaza of that Instrument, and constantly readjust the eyepiece to meet the changing requirements of individual neeqp. The creed must be, in its final an alysis. absolutely ah Individual ^natter, if men and women are fo be allowed to be intellectually and spiritually honest, and are not to be forced to become piti ful ecclesiastical parrots. God has not made any two blades of grass exactly alike, nor has He fash ioned after an Identical pattern any twi) forest leaves: neither does * He mold in the same matrix any two hu man souls. Correctly speaking, there fore, there must be as many creeds aa there are men and women with enougli of actual divinity within them to know what they mean when they say, “I be lieve. We have no more moral right to declare as false or Insufficient the theological statement of any sincere child of the One Father than we have to criticise the color of his skin or the lineaments of his countenance. After ail, I suspect the bishop U right, and, as he says, “It will be all In vain, iby means of music and architec ture 'and poetry and rhetoric and money, to keep alive a church whoso creed Is based on fiction.” Yes. If it shall be discovered that the church's creed Is based on fiction, it must then undoubtedly go the way of all things that are unable to bear the glaring searchlight of truth.. Time has a way of winnowing truth from error, and not all the fervor and hysteria of tho most zealous devotees of any system .may finally avail against this inevitable de cree. But let the bishop and all the earnest nnd anxious defenders of the "faith onoo delivered to tho saints,” calm their perturbed spirits and rest their troubled hearts back upon the everlast ing God. whose power to make Himself known to His children has never known the pitiful limitations of any human creed. God lives, whether churches rise or fall, whether creeds live or perisli. And we may be reassured by the knowledge that tho church's creed Is not based on fiction, even though it be gins to appear that the persistent ac tivity of many of tho would-be believ ers may discover that some elements of fiction have crept in and mingled them selves with the truth which forms the basis of every statement of belief That fundamental fact of the creed, in what ever form It may be worded and how ever grotesquely It may he distorted, la tho fact of the existence of God, and of the dependence of the human soul upon Him, Therefore, let us havo no fear that religious worship shall ever cease or that faith in God shall no longer have a place in the heart of man, even though it should come to pass that tho institu tion which we now call the church may go the way of all tho earth; to give place to an institution which may more practically minister.to the pertinent de mands of coming generations, for, though our creeds, us we have written them in the childhood days of spiritual knowledge, while still we "Ignorantly worshipped tho unknown God," may gradually cease to voice the enlarging faith of our hearts, yet we shall never outgrow the creed which I* Indelibly graven upon the soul by the finger of tho Living God. SOCIOLOGICAL STATE SOCIETY President -Dnpont Guerry, Macon, Go. Pint V.-P.-Dr. A. R. Iloldertiy, Atlanta. 8econd V.*P.—Dr. E. C. I’eete, Macon. Sec.-Treat.—Dr. W. T. Joneg, Atlanta. Annual Meeting la May, 1907* at Mtcoa. ATLANTA SOCIETY President D. Mnrvln Underwood Vice Pret ...Dr. Tbeo. Tocpel Sccietary Miss llnttlu K. Martin Treasurer C. B. Folsom Regular meeting second Thursday night of each month at the Carnegie Library. Rev. C. B. Wilmer, J, EDITORIAL COMMITTEE, D. Cleaton, E. Marvin Underwood, Dr. R. R. Kime. EXPERT TESTIMONY IN CRIMINAL CASES By J. D. CLEATON. Lost month The Altruist published, by special permission, an able and strong'edltorlal from the Journal of the American Medical Association, upon the custom, already so prevalent, of employing expert testimony in the trial of criminal cases in the courts. In the same issue The Altruist had the following to say, by way of com ment, upon the editorial referred to: “A Note of Warning.” From The Journal of the American Medical Association, wo reproduce a most striking and able editorial upon the question of expert testimony In crlmlnat proceedings, which sounds, in view of tlie widespread employment of such testimony, a note of warning, which Is, undoubtedly, timely. "Human life has become too cheap. Too easily may the murderer escape, and too many are the loopholes pro vided. Justice delayed, is a fatal de fect of our laws. ‘In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,' the deed, which sends a soul Into eternity, is commit ted. There is no delay, when the slay er starts out to kill; no forethought and nq consideration of consequences. Why? One reason, beyond question. Is, that the public mind (shall we say the criminal mind?) has, because of long continued customs of courts, come to regard that retribution, Justly due, as a very remote possibility. Time is a great healer; a wonderful pana cea; it Is also an obstructionist, in va rious ways, when long periods of delay thwart the ends of Justice. ‘There seems to bo but one rational mode of procedure, when law has been violated, by the taking of a human life, and that is luid down in the law Itself. If there are pleas of extraneous Influ ence, such us 'the unwritten law,' In sanity or sudden impulse In the heat of passion, which tend to mitigate the of fense or entirely absolve tho offender from Inability to punishment, he is, under all rules of Justice, entitled to an opportunity to establish it, but, aa plainly laid down In the editorial re ferred to. this is too often abused. Too often the claim Is a trumped up one, and the efforts are to circumvent the vindication of the law, and, while we can not see the way clear to quarrel with the accused; and while we ac knowledge his right to employ any method that tho court may allow, we Insist that great fault lies at the door of the court; for certainly when prac tice Is resorted to that is so plainly designed to thwart Justice In the in terest of the criminal that the ordinary lay mind can discover It, surely a Judge of law can see It. and be should be empowered to protect hla court. "It is difficult to reconcile the course of eminent physicians, many times, In their connection with criminal trials. We can not understand how scientific men, whose modes of Investigation are identical, reach such widely contrary conclusions regarding the same sub jects. How, and by what manner of reasoning docs It occur that an alien ist, called by a defendant (or his fam ily, for form's sake) to formulate an expert opinion regarding defendant's sanity, always adjudges him crazy? Not only that, but crazy at the tlmo he ought to. have been so, and perfectly sane at such times as his interest de manded? Then, let us change the ques tion: HOw is it that equally eminent alienists called by tho prosecution to sustain Its claim. Invariably do so? These are some things we arc dense on, and want light. Wo do not believe In this convenient type of insanity. It Is true, wo bellevo that a person, cool, well poised and 'at himself’ never commits murder. There Is no murder In the heart of such a person. Such person never kills another, except un der extreme pressure, and he has Just cause. Every person who Is angered, excited and reekless. Is, for the time, unbalanced. He is just so crazy as hu is thrown off his mental equlpose, but does It excuse, or even mitigate, the crime of deliberately taking life? t'er. tainly not; yet upon such condition is often based a plea of Insanity. Tho Journal's editorial lays down a safe rule in ail such cases, namely: ‘Men, however, put themselves in the con dition in which they know that impair, ment may take place, and are conse quently responsible for their acts, though these may not bo done with entire deliberate free will at the mo ment.’ ” .BELL phone 520. We Clean Clean and Dye Prompt and satisfactory service—«>na trial make* you a regular customer. Franklin Cleaning and Dyeing Company. 166 Whitehall Street. “BETTER BE SAFE THAN SORRY" HAVE BURNETT HANG YOUR WALL PAPER 12 E. Hunter. Bell 3535, At. 3534.