Reverence Versus the Irreverent Sneer in Religious Talk
By Rev. E. A. Washburn
UNBELIEF comes oftener from irreverent association than intellectual doubt. The sneer of a Voltaire has killed more than all his arguments. A jesting tone of talk on religious truths, a habit of reckless criticism on religious things, is to take the name of God in vain as truly as the vulgar oath; and when I hear him who calls himself a Christian or a gentleman indulging in burlesque of this sort, I at once recognize some moral defect in him. Intellect, without reverence, is the head of a man joined to a beast. There are many who think it a proof of wit; but it is the cheapest sort of wit, and shows as much lack of brains as of moral feeling. I would say with emphasis to each Christian who hears me, Never indulge in that habit, never allow sacred things to be jested without rebuke; but keep them, as you would the miniature of your mother, for no vulgar hands to touch. There is an anecdote of Boyle, that he never pronounced the name of God without an audible pause; and whatever you think, I recognize in it the dictate of a wise heart. We need this reverence in the air of our social life, and its neglect will palsy our piety.—Rev. E. A. Washburn.