The Danger of Politics in Religion
The Danger of Politics in Religion.—The religious unrest of India is evidenced by the new movement called the Arya Samaj. Its followers give up idolatry and return to the Vedas, the sacred writings of their ancestors. These writings are full of incantations, charms, and ritual, and set forth a crude nature worship, which their modern believers endeavor to spiritualize into the belief of one God. They allegorize the worship of the elements, borrowing largely from Christianity in the process. Rev. C. F. Andrews, of Delhi, writing to the Church Missionary Intelligencer, says: "One of the most startling facts I have heard in this country of surprises is that in Lahore, the center of the Arya Samaj in the north, 200 native ladies meet every week, under the presidency of a very able and distinguished native lady, for prayer to the one god. If only the movement took always this religious character, one might have the highest anticipations that it would lead on to Christ, the Way to the Father. The great danger ahead is that it may become almost wholly political and secular. The more politics enters into the movement, the more it becomes violently anti-Christian." And this is just as true of the Christian religion in the "Christian" countries. Its greatest danger just now is the tendency of its devotees to seek political aid and to wield political power. It is just as true of the Christian religion as of any other, that "the more politics enters into the movement, the more it becomes violently anti-Christian." Beware of any religious movement that looks to political influence for its motive power.