11. RELIGIOUS CONSOLIDATIONS

so easily handled as industrial concerns; but precisely for that reason the wide-spread activity of the principle of confederation among religious societies is the more significant.

One evidence of the active and effective operation in the religious field of the principle of consolidation is found in the frequency with which one encounters newspaper items like the following:—

"Church Union in Canada.—It is now pretty certain that every obstacle to the organic union of Congregational, Presbyterian, and Methodist bodies in Canada has been removed," etc.

Dr. Broda comments with evident satisfaction upon the fourth biennial session of the "International Council of the Unitarians and other Liberal Thinkers and Workers" lately held at Boston. Of it he says:—

"This Council must be ranked among the great undertakings of our day that aim at broadening the outlook of nations and that tend to bring about a new fellowship of nations. At this Boston session were assembled representatives of Judaism, Christianity, Mohammedanism, and the Brahma-Somaj; representatives also of sixteen different nationalities and members of thirty-three different denominations, besides fifty-seven distinct religious associations other than individual Churches, while nearly sixteen hundred persons enrolled themselves as members of this Boston Conference."

But not only is there at the present time incessant agitation for the merging of various religious organizations or sects: a more surprising thing is in progress, namely, the "Union between Free-thinkers and Liberal Christians," commented upon by Dr. Broda, and which his correspondent regards as one of the "first evolutionary stages of a great religion of love and progress in which all nations will unite." This clearly portends the union of all religious forces opposed to true Christianity.

The reconciliation of such extremes as religion and "free-thought" is spoken of by other students of current events. Thus Mr. Paul Sabatier, in his recent lectures on Modernism (The "Jowett Lectures, 1908"), says:—

"Having reconciled science and faith, Modernism is now not far from coming to terms with Free-thought."

Mr. Sabatier says he does not mean this as an admission of the identity of Modernism with unbelief, but quite the contrary; and that he is speaking of "free-thought in which there is at once thought and freedom, and not of men or groups of men who confound free-thought with anti-religious dogmatism."

Speaking of "free-thought" in this sense, he goes on to show the extraordinary phenomenon of an

RELIGIOUS FREE-THINKERS awakening of religious sentiments and emotions among free-thinkers. In this connection he says:—

"Both in Italy and in France some of the most influential leaders of free-thought have publicly repudiated all connection with anti-religious propaganda. . . . These pre-occupations have even given rise to a new title—'religious free-thought.' The movement is no longer a mere pious wish. It has become a reality, and all through this winter gatherings have been held in Paris at which free-thinkers as representative as Buisson, Pecaut, and Seailles, and Christians as well known as Père Hyacinthe Loyson, Charles Wagner, and Wilfred Monod, have met together and spoken in succession."

Thus the tendency of the great religious activity of our times is declared by sympathetic onlookers to be the making of such modifications in "religion" as to render it thoroughly acceptable to representative "free-thinkers."

These instances will afford sufficient indications, for preliminary purposes, of the extent to which the principle of Consolidation is working in both the economic and the religious departments of human affairs.

2. A Common Basis—Faith in the Powers of Man.

The faith of the world is based on Man, the fundamental principle of that faith being that Man possesses the inherent power to lift himself out of all evil conditions, and to overcome all existing hindrances to his progress. On the other hand, a fundamental proposition of Christian doctrine is that man is impotent and untrustworthy. "Put not your trust in princes" (Ps. exlvi. 3). "Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm" (Jer. xvii. 5). It is impossible to conceive of a religious system more opposed to Christianity than one whose main teaching is that man may and must put his trust in his own inherent power and goodness. It is, however, a settled article in the creed of the world, and of the world's religions of whatever name, that Man is now in process of developing and of putting into exercise his own inherent powers (which have in large part been latent hitherto), and is, by means thereof, progressing rapidly towards ideal social conditions.

Hence the idea that stands out prominently upon the surface of the thought of to-day is confidence in Man. This is not individual self-confidence, which is quite a different thing. It is a collective self-confidence. The masses are being diligently schooled by a variety of teachers, and for widely varying purposes, to think of Humanity as an entity. In discussing questions of the hour, much is made of the interests, prospects, welfare, and progress of "Society" rather than of individuals, of mankind

THE "SOLIDARITY OF MAN"

rather than of men and women. This, of course, is the natural outgrowth of the idea or principle of Federation, which has already been mentioned. But what we wish, at this point, specially to notice is that people are looking to Man himself, to his own achievements, his ingenuity and inventive abilities, his industry and daring, and whatever other powers he is supposed to possess, whether developed or undeveloped, for the accomplishment of all the good that is in view for collective humanity.

This confidence in Man, generated in the stirring activities of the industrial field, has now been rapturously embraced by the leaders of religious thought, and has, in fact, become the basic principle of all the current religious movements, as well as of the lesser religious novelties of the hour. As recently expressed by a New York clergyman—

"We begin to realize as never before the great fact of the Solidarity of Man. . . . To be alive now and witness this mighty movement of Men, which must eventuate in a sense of real abiding Brotherhood, is a blessing for which to be profoundly grateful."

The notion that the individual man can elevate himself by tugging at his boot-straps has long been thoroughly discredited in the realm of physics. It has, however, passed over to the domain of religion, and is to be found at the core of the religious and ethical novelties of the day, and in all the popular schemes for the betterment and “uplift” of humanity. Man is now throwing tremendous energies into the absorbing but futile endeavour to elevate himself above the plane of evil and misery, and is doing it with immense enthusiasm and unwavering faith in the ultimate success of the attempt.

The propagation of the idea of the “Solidarity of Man,” or the essential identity of the interests of all mankind, has two consequences which should be noted. First, it tends to obliterate the important teaching of Scripture that instead of one united humanity having a common destiny, there are two great sections of humanity, one composed of those who have life through faith in the Son of God, and the other of those who have not life;—one embracing the children of God and the other the children of wrath.

Second, it tends to obscure or wholly cover up the absolute necessity of individual salvation. This it does by creating the impression that salvation is a collective or social affair, to be accomplished not for each individual man, but for the entire human race as an entity.

From these considerations it is easy to see that the current doctrines of the brotherhood of man are traceable to the “spirit of error,” and to see also the deadly consequences of the propagation of such doctrines.

3. A Common Religious Principle—Worship of Man.

This is, practically, a re-statement of the fact that

"THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY"

there exists at the present time a wide-spread faith in collective Man. But it is important to have distinctly before our minds the fact that it is the inevitable tendency of this trust in Man to take a religious form, leading on eventually to "Humanism," or the worship of Man, which, as prophecy foretells, is the ultimate form which false religion is to assume. Few are aware of the immense progress that has already been made towards the establishment of Humanism as a distinctive religious system. It calls for an exercise of "wisdom" and for much spiritual "understanding," to count the number of the beast; but whenever the count is properly made the number of his name is found to be "the number of Man."

In many quarters where the name and forms of Christianity are still retained, the substance of true Christianity ("the doctrine of Christ") has been already displaced by the principles of Humanism; while in the great socialistic movement of the day, which is menacing the existing economic order of society, Humanism is distinctly avowed as the coming universal religion of mankind.¹

¹ The phrase "the Religion of Humanity" seems to have been first used by Thomas Paine, who perceived and vigorously proclaimed the religious bearing of the doctrine of Locke that the people are the sole source of power, the true masters, and that no one may make any law "except by their consent, or by authority derived from

Many earnest persons who are to-day advocating more or less of the industrial principles of Socialism are at the same time holding on (nominally at least) to the main doctrines of Christianity. But it will be readily seen that these persons as Christians are apathetic, while as Socialists they are full of propagating zeal. The converts they make are converts to Socialism, not to Christ; and the places of these propagandists, when vacant, will be acceptably filled, and all they are now doing will be just as well done, by others who make no profession at all of Christianity. It is quite compatible with much of what is taught in the churches to-day, to do homage to Man himself as his own deliverer.

Dr. Broda has stated the logical outcome of the religious drift of the day in predicting that it will result in "a single world-federation of religion, the CHURCH OF MAN." But the Apostle John recorded the same prediction eighteen centuries ago.

We will speak hereafter, and in some detail, of the amazing progress which the idea of the divinity of humanity has already made in modern thought, and particularly in religious bodies once regarded as thoroughly orthodox and evangelical.

them." Compte afterwards adopted the expression and gave it wide currency. Since his day it has been steadily coming into prominence and public favour. (See "The Greatest of Pamphleteers," London Times, June 8, 1909.)