| Show EASY CON conversion conversion in the true sense of the term means that complete change which a human being experiences when under the influence of the spirit of god be becomes a believer I 1 in i n christ and as a result thereof endeavors or to regulate all his life in accordance with the divine law it results in faith repentance onel and obedience it is the mental process by which a saul becomes paul the beginning of new life nothing better illustrates the distance between the christian religion as first taught and as aa commonly understood not to say misunderstood in the pros ent generation than the triviality with which this master snafter now is treated the dispatches have had bad much to say lately about the conversion of the PrIn princess ceAs allx alix of hesse darmstadt to the orthodox greek church and everything goes to show that in the world the matter of changing religions la Is hardly any by more serious than put dut ting away one pair of gloves rind and donnine another as occasion is supposed to ri require quire the story may be told in a few words nicholas Alexand is I 1 the heir to the russian throne he belongs to the greek church not through any fault or merit of his bis own bu because be was born in a russian palage palace A A great deal of bismouth bis ble youth he be a beautiful aitrens ac trens trems as an offit understand devotion with the full consent and knowledge of bin big imperial father and aird the holy synod of the church too he became madly infatuated with this actress and insisted upon marrying her for which reason be was sent on a tour around the be world when he returned his bis idol had been spirited away The next falls in love with princess alix and is after many negotiations allowed to offer her his heart fortune and religion the princess accepts ac thip the prince as be is and with him the necessary appendix his religion ligion it to is probable that until her arriage with the russian heir was talked of she never offered the greek church a serious thought in her protestant home but all at once she and all her friends discover the beauties of that faith and find it sate safe enough to be entrusted with the salvation of her soul I 1 the performance may be only a parody of conversion yet no severe criticism of 0 the charming princess to is called for how many protestants in hesse darm darmstadt i stadt or professed sed christians in all ail christendom are there who would refuse to change their religion in a moment were they induced too to do so by the offer of say my a million dollart dollars princess NI aias temp winn union was greater th than WA that yet she ibe merits bomio some oommen dation it to la the custom of the greek church on a certain yearly festival orthodox sunday pato to pronounce a curse against all heretics the hessian princess has baa so tar far refused to approve of this ridiculous lous ceremony and him baa even it seems obtained a promise by the holy synod exempting her from participation in the farce snowing allowing tua tha she may not be without some influence for good in the midst of bigotry the greek church was originally one with the he roman church but as the bishops of the italian capital assumed almost dictatorial powers the eastern prelates pr elates resented and claimed supremacy for constantinople divisions on doctrinal points ensued and the beginning of the schism dates as far back asin as in the fifth century later renewed efforts were made to effect a reconciliation and these led to a loose union which was ivas not wholly dissolved until in the eleventh century when roman legates legatee deposited on the great altar of the church of sophia at constantinople a sentence ot of excommunication muni cation against one of the leading patriarchs the greek church still believes in seven sacraments in the sacrifice of the mass in the virgin mary and other saints images and relics and in tradition so far as it agrees with the teachings ot of the first seven councils among its ito peculiar tenets are the following it disowns the authority of the pope and lay no DO claim to infallibility baptism is performed by immersion and the sacrament of the lords supper is administered in two kinds it in gevea to infants immediately after their immersion the existence of a purgatory Js is denied yet the efficacy of prayers for the lead dead to Is admitted it is far further liber claimed that the holy ghost does not proceed irom from the son but only from the father images in relief or embossed work are not allowed as a objects of worship while reverence ma may be paid to paintings and engravings the mariage of the he priests la ho acknowledged it if they had bad entered upon that state before ordination but no priest can marry a second time nor DO is in any member of the church oh u rob allowed to marry more than three times such in brief is the religion which princess alix adopts as an adjunct to her husband hus baad As a general rule it may be said the greek church represents the chris tian alan religion as it had bad developed at the time the final separation from rome took place since that period the 41 0 eastern division of the church has hall remained practically at a standstill while the he western division has continually addid added to its system no doubt the greek church has in the hands ot of providence had its mission to fulfil fulfill it if nothing else it has preserved that hat part of the original scrip tures without which protestantism and liberty in later years would have been impossible it stands today a monument of the progress of the christian religion when left without divine guidance and furnishes an incontro n controvertible proof that many of the modern doctrines doctrine for which christian origin and authority ate are claimed do not even reach as far back as ad the eleventh j coot century 0 r fil As such t that 4 at oh ch pich urea noi NO been without 1 1 atit a Ml mission oolda but its ita usefulness tie as a f chot in we artie RD Rn obling the world is welli nigh ended and it will always remain a secret how bow ay y person imbued with protestantism can embrace its ite doctrines and od still keep up a degree of self belf respect but the be mysteries of a human heart are not ally tally fathomed |
