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Show stress m IF OPEN m I Dr. Elmer I.. Goshen Gives Prelude to Thought Program Pro-gram Addresses. 1 "Better a reverent agnosticism than a cocksurenes about the things that it is ' not given us to know," declared toe KO. I Klmer I. Goshen yesterday in his prelude to a series of eight addresses on .i ; "Thought Program for the Thinking wan ' of Today," to be given Sunday mornlnga I at the First Congregational eiiurch. tho 1 ihenie of next Sunday's lecture IUJ "Nature," the speaker holding tnat inw ; Is tho book that the thinker must first open. t . .-. 1 In ills remarks yesterday morning ui . Goshen laid strong emphasis upon the raoj that llioso who came expecting to prom by the uddresses must come with open I minds. Ho plainly stated that UIOSC of narrow, fixed and prejudiced views who desired that their theological corns Be ! no; tramped on, had better stay at nome by their warm firesides. "In these studies stud-ies we shall seek," he said, "tor a common and broad ground upon whtaa every thinker can stand, a ground that recognises recog-nises the Infinite Spirit ut Love and knows no prejudice or "bigotry.' in explanation of the statement that there would be no place for the generally accepted Christian theology In the lhoug.it program which he planned to outline and discuss. Dr. Goshen said: "For the teachings of Jesus of Xazaret.i I have the most profound reverence, but for the system of so-called Christian ideology, ide-ology, of ecclesiastical priestcraft and big-j big-j otry that has been built upon and around w hat are supposed to be the teachings erf Jesus I have nothing but hatred and contempt. con-tempt. The ecclesiastical system of theology the-ology has filled the earth with wrong and drenched It with blood, the soli Is reddened red-dened with the crimson tide from the I hearts of its victims. "It has put a premium on immorality, for it teaches that the most debased and degraded wretch may repent, -believe, be baptized, be absolved of all the effects of his misdeeds and die singing: 'Jesus Paid it All.' When the young man went to Jesus and said: 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' he was not told to repent and be baptized. Jesus sa'd: 'Thou shalt love the Iord thy God. with all thy heart, and .with all thy soul and with all thy strength and thy neighbor as thysed." Conventional Christianity does not dare to stand today and preach so broad and plain a doctrine. Between the teachings of Jesus Je-sus and the teachings of ecclesiastical theology today there is a gulf as wide as the Hiast is from the West." Dr. Goshen's address was listened to by a large audience, a number in attendance being from outside cities and towns. |