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Show CATHOLICJEACHING Broad and Comprehensive Subject Postulates: (1) Existance of a Personal Person-al God; (2) Religion God's Will Made Known to Man; (3) God Alone Can Establish Es-tablish True Worship; (4) God's Obligation Ob-ligation Imposes a Carrelative Obligation. Obliga-tion. Some years ago the editor of the Era, a monthly :r.a::azin(? published in the interest of the Mormon church, wrote to the different ministers of the (hriia-.i churches asking their views as to the claims of t he churches they represented to the belief be-lief i f mankind. lit. Rev. Lawrence Seanlan, rep-rescnting rep-rescnting the oldest church of Christendom, contributed contri-buted 'lie first article in which he logically pointed zf claims of the Catholic church. The article created a favorable impression on all who read it at the time. It not only explains Catholic teaching kt it dves cogent reasons for Catholic belief. We will publis-h the entire article in a series of first jnco articles which we want all our readers to pre-sorvr. pre-sorvr. as they explain fully not only the grounds oi I'.iith but give the real test of Christianity and its claim to the belief of mankind. The arguments arc addressed to reason and good sense, not to passion pas-sion or sensibility; and it is difficult to understand W it i possible for any fairminded person to rad the article and not be convinced, although we r.i:i readily understand that some may read it and lm; acknowledge themselves convinced. The difficulty diffi-culty is that the great mass of non-Catholics have a -Treat repugnance to see intellectually the Catholic Catho-lic chtirc -h proved to be true, and the more logical urA o, inclusive the argument, the less legitimate and reasonable will they find it. With this short preface we submit Bishop Seanlan'6 ideas of re-liginn. re-liginn. 1 have been kindly invited by the management ;' the lira to laybefore its readers a statement i'i the dor-trine and organization, with the reasons or tiuthority therefor, of the Catholic church. As the subjects are of a broad and comprehensive iharai'ter. only a brief outline of them can be ex-p-ced within the space allowed me by this little marine. However, I will try to trace, with-some arrre-" of fullness, a few of the principal and most important doctrinal and organic features of the 'rureh 'and will begin, by way of introduction, with - m? noerssarv observations on religion in general. I will take as granted by the readers of the Era hose for whom it is intended certain primary -i::h or principles without which religion evi-'i'-r.tly could have no real basis, meaning or pur- 1. That there exists a personal God who is, h'refr.rp. capable of accepting religious homage f.nd of hrinor honored snG pleased by it; that he has fvr-Iv crested- all '-hlnpi visible and invisible out- - do hinis'-lf ; thft;. w' consequence of the fact of 'ration, there must exist between him and us, his "rior;a! creatures, certain necessary relations, such lii complete independence, his sovereign and ab- - luio dominion over us and his indisputable right '' e;;r submission, honor and love; in fact, to all h::t v..- have and are; that these relations consti-;;ro consti-;;ro represent God's rights over man; and ' .at re Htrion. which is only another name for jus-'!'". jus-'!'". cn:.;; in recognizing and maintaining these ':zh:. which man alone can and should do, because "e slot!'-, by reason of his rational nature, is en-'r-'l v.itii the faculties, powers and means of R,ov;-ior. .,, upholding them. 1 Trtit my readers will also grant that reli-non. reli-non. o'jcctively considered, is simply God's will y, -r '! j,i:d made known to maif. and consequent-:'c consequent-:'c :-: l.,o religion and is truly religious only and tr' :'..r ; - ho think, speaks and acts in conformity '.i -.:: will; that religion being God's will it j... inn,, for Cod cannot will or express error, j rr. h:r- no right to wrong; and being truth itself, j f'2" 1 honored, worshiped and pleased only hy j ;oj:); ;.,-,? religion being truth it must be (a) one, tr.muV,,. and universal, for such are the well itiOTv,, ..,,, universally recognized attributes of j o-:i'!: :rc) () nn essential, condition of true lib-'"'. lib-'"'. fo- inan is bound only to God or his order r:-d truly free only and so far as he is subject i i r: . ;.nd governed only by him, this is, by truth, r--'' ', justice. t am sure it will be furl her conceded that God Si r r. .f...aicp Orator and supreme legislator, has 'J'-r to rstablish n religion or found a church ;'.'r purpose- of teaching it. that is. to tell us j':s n''-!. to make known 1o us the real and full re-.-h p that exists between' him and us and the '":- arising, on our part, out of such relalion-ch:r: relalion-ch:r: end consequently that a man-made religion "r ' hiir- l;, ihat is, a religion or church that, with-! with-! rr,Ti, r .livine authorization, usurps the legis-iro legis-iro f,ffj,.p nf qoi an(j tius substitute or may y--ii-;io tlir. will of man for the will of God, and imp . r . as -wh on mauind, js worse than worth- "Finally, it will be granted that if man, the r-.u r re.-uure. can impose any obligation on his ''?r-r. it must be that, as he binds and must bind f- in io ,lo i,;s w;u f,nl must, in justice, punish him "nr rot rlnimr it "if thou wilt enter into life keep !;v mniaiidmc-nts" it follows that lie is bound, r,i in j'ictiep, to make known to him his will or 'n cnrlmrnts. and in a manner so certain that ( h have no reasonable doubt that what he be-!lrv' be-!lrv' and obrvs is infallibly -God's will and not J181'". Plan's insistence on God discharging this u'.v is both rational and proper and is his only (Continued on. page 5.) CHRISTIAN TEACHING. (Continued from page 1.) escape from the greatest conceivable slavery, that of obeying man instead of God. Agreed as I trust we are. on thee' primary and essential principles of religion, whether natural ov j supernatural we will now hasten on to examine the j Catholic, church, and. first of all. its foundation, its chief and most important part, as it is, indeed, of any structure, material or spiritual. It is the foundation that defines, supports and holds in unity an edifice and imparts to it stability, strength and durability. If there is anything weak, deficient or rotten in any institution it is generally traceable to, if not actually found in. the foundation. (To tfe continued.) |