Show A missionary disagreement AT the centenary of missions conference in london held last month among the important questions discussed by the various ministers and missionaries of different denoel denominations na polygamy was brought forward and aroused great interest so says the special correspondent of the christian union he reports that the opinion expressed by chinese and indian missi missionaries missionary onari s was favorable to the baptism of polygamists while almost without exception the testimony from african and south sooth sea missionaries was against the wisdom of the practice perhaps locality and climate have something to do with the subject and what would be permissible under christian morality in india and china would be utterly objectionable in africa and the south seas come to think of it this little variation in christian ethics as applied in different places ir i not oft immediate modern origin many years ago polygamous natives were admitted to christian churches in the east while the following inci incident incidents dentIs Is credibly reported to have occurred about the same time in the south sea islands A chief presented himself for baptism to a christian minister who on catechising catechi sing him learned that the savage had six wives he was informed that be could not be admitted into the church until he be had but ose oae wife some time elapsed before he was seen again at religious services when he reappeared eapp eared and again applied for b baptism aal claiming that row now he be was a good christian as he had but bat one wife when asked what he bad done with the surplus five he replied me eat lem cm 11 it is not to be supposed that the christian missionaries in africa and aird the south seas desire to encourage cannibalism therefore they will have to invent some acceptable method of putting away that will com comport ort with ecclesiastical if not biblical biblical principles or let the many dived heathen go down to the doom which hosts of proselyte rs still claim is the eternal fate of all who do not in this life believe in jesus whether they ever heard of him or not A compendium of the various views of men professing to be sent of god to convert the heathen on important perhaps vital religious doctrines and questions would make one of the most remarkable messes of pious hodgepodge hodge podge that ever found its way into print it would seem that before Bt starting arting out to turn the heathen from their errors the missionaries of the various sects ought to agree among themselves what principles constitute the creed of christian truth which the converts must embrace in order to stand ona on firm foundation from which they will sever never need to be recon re con averted |