Note and Comment

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 3, 1908

Only One True Religion

It has become quite the fashion of late years to regard Christianity as the product of an evolutionary process, and to assume that all the other religions of the world have served their purpose in aiding to develop the Christian religion. This teaching necessarily denies that the truths of Christianity have been revealed, or that there is anything final in this system of truth, and concedes that there may be other and yet higher forms of religion still to come. In marked contrast with this modern denial of the exclusive character of the Christian religion is the view advocated by Dr. John Lord, the historian, in his lecture on Ancient Religions:—

I assume that there is no such thing as a progressive Christianity, except in so far as mankind grow in the realization of its lofty principles; that there has not been, and will not be, any improvement on the ethics and spiritual truths revealed by Jesus the Christ, but that they will remain forever the standard of faith and practise. I assume also that Christianity has elements which are not to be found in any other religion,—such as original teachings, divine revelations, and sublime truths. I know it is the fashion with many thinkers to maintain that improvements on the Christian system are both possible and probable, and that there is scarcely a truth which Christ and his apostles declared which can not be found in some other ancient religion, when divested of the errors there incorporated with it. This notion I repudiate. I believe that systems of religion are perfect or imperfect, true or false, just so far as they agree or disagree with Christianity; and that to the end of time all systems are to be measured by the Christian standard, and not Christianity by any other system.

There is no compromise with the ultra-fashionable claims of the latter-day theologians in these vigorous statements. Well would it be if they could be repeated from every pulpit in the land.