Not to Be Found There by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 23, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 50.

Not to Be Found There.

By Editor

In speaking of a young man, found guilty of murder, whose lawyers have exhausted every means of escape, his father is reported to have said: "— has made up his mind in religious matters. He has studied Catholicism, Theosophy, Mohammedanism, and Protestantism, and has taken the good out of all of them." We do not quote this to refer to this criminal case or any other, but to point out a very prevalent misconception regarding religion. The fact is that there is no concrete good in any ism; there is no essence or sweetness which one can extract. There are conceptions or theories of good, but theories will help no one. Mere abstract theories of good do not nor can they build character. "The demons believe," but they do not do. "Christianity" is regarded by many as an ism which has better theories and more beauty than any other ism; but that is not genuine Christianity. True Christianity is a life, a regenerating power. That life centers in Christ Jesus, and if obtained at all is obtained in him. Truly a man's case could hardly be called hopeful which depended upon the good to be gotten out of Catholicism, Theosophism, Mohammedanism, or Protestantism. Not isms but Christ, not creeds, but the Word of Life.