What the Secular Press will do?

The answer to this question is much more clear than the preceding one, inasmuch as the secular press, to a great extent, is free from the embarrassments that restrain the religious press.

It has become so manifest that the great body of the people are determined to enjoy perfect liberty of [pg 363] conscience, and to defend the right of free discussion in religion and morals, as well as in politics, that it is clearly for the interests of editors, not committed to sectarianism, to uphold these rights.

The distinguished popularity and success of that Daily which now boasts the largest circulation in the nation, is a most significant fact. Its career began long before the religious world had its distinctive tenets rudely assailed by any but ecclesiastical hands, and long before the secular press ventured to bring its common-sense maxims to bear on religious topics.

Single-handed, it fearlessly opened its columns to discussions on Fourierism, women's rights, intemperance, slavery, religious doctrines, and all other matters that concerned the public weal, giving every party a fair chance to speak for itself. The religious world took the lead in the outcry and alarm against this course. But the people, and even a large proportion of the religious people, sustained this attempt at fair and free discussion, so honestly and fearlessly pursued, until the battle was fairly won. And now it is probable that the larger proportion of the most candid and intelligent editors of the secular press perceive that their pecuniary interests, in regard to free religious discussion, are in the same direction as their reason and conscience.

This being so, it is probable that the most powerful, fair and effective discussions of the grand question of life hereafter, will be found more in the secular than in the religious press, at least for a considerable period of time.

Should this be so, there would probably be an [pg 364] improvement in modes of discussion in several respects.

Among these may be anticipated an advance in a spirit of Christian humility, charity and of gentlemanly courtesy in dealing with the character and motives of those whose opinions, either in religion or morals, are discussed. The true spirit of Christian charity demands that we endeavor to present the best rather than the worst construction of our opponent's character, motives and arguments.

A true humility implies such a self-distrust, and such a sense of our need of aid in discovering truth, not only from God but from our fellow-men, as will be indicated in a modest and unimpassioned exhibition of opinions and arguments, and a courteous reception of all criticisms and counter arguments. With this spirit the weakness or mistakes, or sophistries of an opponent would be exhibited more in sorrow than in triumph or scorn.

A true gentlemanly courtesy would enforce the same rules of delicacy and good breeding in public encounters as are regarded by well-bred persons in the drawing room. This would necessarily banish all allusion to personal or family failings, and all invidious or disrespectful modes of address or language.

No one who is familiar with the controversies on doctrine and morals, as conducted in the religious papers, can doubt that there is room for improvement in all these particulars.

Such improvement is to be anticipated, not on account of any mental or moral superiority of the conductors of the secular press, but rather from the fact that they are free from many of the embarrassments [pg 365] and exciting influences already pointed out as surrounding those who conduct the religious periodicals.

Another improvement to be anticipated is the withdrawal of the great questions in debate from the mists of metaphysical and theological technics to the clear, popular language of common life.

In the preceding pages it is shown that the most important questions of religious truth and duty can be discussed in the language of common life, so as to be made intelligible to all persons of ordinary education, who are sufficiently interested to give their attention to matters which demand intellectual exertion. Men will find that they must “labor to enter into the strait gate,” intellectually as well as morally, and that they are to “work out their own salvation with fear and trembling,” while thus they will learn to understand the nature of the encouraging assurance that “it is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his own good pleasure.”

When, therefore, the secular press and the popular lyceum take up these great questions they will insist that the discussions shall be carried on in popular language, so that the labor demanded shall not be increased by the unknown tongue of theological and metaphysical science.

Again, there will be an improvement in the mode of conducting such discussions, by the banishment of all adventitious topics and the firm grasping of the one great fundamental point in debate. It will be insisted that the question is not at all whether Arminians or Universalists, or Unitarians hold this or that opinion, nor whether advocating such and such views would injure the cause of this or that institution, or [pg 366] sect or individual; nor whether this or that person has certain faults, or is a proper advocate of some innovations; nor whether undesirable results would follow from expressing certain views, but simply what is the truth, so far as it can be discovered by honest statements and fair discussion.

The grand question in debate is not whether men are depraved in character and action as they appear in the history of the world. All parties agree in the fact of such dreadful depravity. The question is in regard to the philosophy of this fact, that is to say, What is the cause or reason of this depravity?

Here it will be found that two classes exist in all the great Protestant sects, viz.:

Those who hold that the cause is a depraved nature, [signifying what men mean when in common life they use the terms, nature, organization, construction or constitution,] and those who deny that any such depraved nature exists. These two opposite opinions, ever since the third century, have been expressed by the terms, Augustinian and Pelagian.

The case is now so fairly and clearly before the people, that every theologian who has capacity and training sufficient to understand an argument must knowingly do one of these things:

1. Deny depravity of nature and allow that he is a Pelagian; or

2. Affirm such depravity, take rank as an Augustinian and then meet the argument which, on this assumption, destroys all evidence of the benevolence of God, and renders a reliable revelation from him impossible.

3. Withdraw from all discussion either by entire [pg 367] silence, or by hiding in the fogs of metaphysical and theological technics, or by the disgraceful arts of debate practiced to alarm and delude the ignorant.

Heretofore the editors of secular papers have practically conceded that the religious disputes and conflicts that agitated the churches were matters out of their province and to be turned over to the clergy and religious editors. And inasmuch as most of these contentions have related to matters of rites and forms, or to abstract doctrinal points having little practical bearings on the daily life, such abstinence seemed appropriate. But the progress of the age has at last fairly brought the organized church front to front with the unregenerate world on the greatest of all practical questions-a question with which every editor of every secular paper has as deep a personal and family interest as has any religious editor, or any doctor of theology, or any parochial pastor.

Is it a fact, or is it not, that every man at birth is so depraved in nature that every one of his moral acts is sin, and sin only, until a change in this nature is wrought by the creative power of God, and must all young children be educated on this assumption?

The training of the family, our institutions of education, the church organizations of the great religious sects, all depend on this question. The answer to it must be yes or no, for no third supposition is possible. Every intelligent man then must speak out in the affirmative, or in the negative, or else hide in silence or in the mists of deceit.

In this view of the case, it is believed that the educated class of powerful and cultivated minds, who [pg 368] are, by their position and talents, the leaders of the secular press, will not turn this matter over to their theological contributors, but will take the case into their own hands, and fearlessly and earnestly meet their high responsibilities.

Thus they may prove not only the most effective leaders in the intellectual and moral advance of humanity, but the protectors of many suffering, struggling minds, who unaided would sink in the conflict before them.

In this exhibition of the position of the religious world, the attitude of this work is very remarkable. It is in open and direct antagonism with all the religious organizations of the Christian world, and that too in regard to the very fundamentals on which each of these organizations depends for its existence. All the Augustinian sects are against the position of this work, that the mind of man is perfect in nature, and should they adopt the Pelagian ground consistently, every one of them would either come to an end, or change the very basis of its organization.

The only sect that openly and consistently avows the Pelagian view, is the Unitarian; but this organization is founded on the distinctive tenet of such a unity in God as forbids the idea of a plurality of eternal, self-existent Persons, having the highest attributes of God. This is contrary to the system of common sense, as exhibited in this work, page 100. The Universalist organization is based on the doctrine that none of the human race will continue sinful for ever, and thus insure the natural consequences of sin. This also is shown to be contrary to the system [pg 369] of common sense, as presented in this work, page 177.

The great body of persons, as yet unorganized, who agree in resisting the claims of the Bible as containing reliable revelations from the Creator, and thus authoritative rules of faith and practice, will be arrayed against such claims maintained in this work, as one of the inevitable results of the application of the principles of common sense.

Consequently, the whole religious organizations of the world, who rest their faith on the Bible, are antagonistic to this work, while those who repudiate the authority of the Bible are equally so.

Still more remarkable is the fact exhibited in this volume, that the writer, in a family circle embracing so many theologians and pastors, appears before the public as antagonistic to most, and supported openly by not one of them.

What then is the foundation of that confiding and cheerful equanimity with which all this imposing array of organizations and individual talents, learning and influence is regarded? It is, first, confidence in truth and the God of truth, and next, the intimate knowledge gained by the writer, of the characters and the mental experiences of some of the most powerful minds that are leaders of this host, and at the same time a similar knowledge of some of the noblest minds, who are most effectively influencing that great portion of the popular mind which is not embraced in these organizations. Whatever may be the opinions of these powerful classes, who may in form and position appear antagonistic, they will never be leaders in any attempt to crush perfect freedom of thought [pg 370] and expression, or to restrain that free and earnest discussion which is impending.

Nay more, if the distinctive feature of a follower of Christ is to be humble and teachable in spirit, “meek and lowly of heart,” and if that highest form of human development is dawning, when moral magnanimity shall take precedence of intellectual power in human estimation, then the world will soon behold what as yet has been deemed impossible, great and learned men, even doctors in theology, nay more, even men that have written books, resigning the claim of infallibility, and confessing that they have made mistakes.

The hope of this, moreover, is sustained by the character and position of some, who not only stand high in the theological world, but are among the most revered and beloved in that family circle, where the golden chain of perfect love has never for a moment been sundered by the widest diversities of opinion or the freest discussion of differences. What has transpired in one Christian family, it is believed, may be but the emblem of what is yet to prevail among the true children of Him, “of whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named.”22