Repository: UIHistories Project: Dedication - Wesley Foundation Social Center (1921) [PAGE 5]

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not h a v e (he benefits

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of religious

InHtrucI

m

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that the Importance of religious In tructlon B | rl of th n < rj training of youth i not full) n gnJ I, lnd< fully / • v. << x \ by tli tan of publicly supported m litutions as hy those of the ailed denominational InstItul Ions. There la i implote edu ition without religious ti Ding The most Important phi ol education Is the development of char; i Character cannot he develop I In the b i\ ense v thout belief in, < ith in, Qod, ) > 1 do not agree with thoi p >ple who, under ti r u> presentation of alleged scientific facte in anthropology and arch riogy, allege that our morals are wholly the re nil of habits es tablished by the influence of our environment. I believe that there

9 in t h e h e a r ! of m e n a p r i m o r d i a l i n s t i n c t i v e belief in a Deity; t h a t that belief is t h e b a s i s Of s t a n d a r d s of c o n d u c t ; that t h o s e s t a n d a r d s

of

induct determine in large measure, at least, the relation of th*

individual not only to the God in whom he believes, but to his fellowmen, c h i l d r e n of the s a m e God. I know that this is an old-fa.-hi1 point of view. I k n o w that m a n y e n t h u s i a s t i c y o u n g s t u d e n t s of an thropology, psychology and sociology, t h i n k they h a v e found in th*

study of tht

cien

3 truths that will enable them to do without G 1

be ause, forsooth, t h e s e facts m a y he used in such a way as to explain way line p a r t i c u l a r c o n c e p t i o n of the Deity which they may h a v e had. T h e r e f o r e , s o m e of t h e m tell us t h a t our God, y o u r God and mine, is t h e cr ition of our i m a g i n a t i o n , t h e r e s u l t of h a b i t s a d o p t e d long ago by our f o r e f a t h e r s and p e r p e t u a t e d and s t r e n g t h e n e d t h r o u g h e n v i r o n m e n t and t h e h e r e d i t a r y influences of s u c c e e d i n g g e n e r a t i o n s

They undertake to explain the wonders of the uni\ • as merely ; ychologi ii or physical or chemical phenomena, and, therefore, ar< to paral morals and standards of morals from the idea of God. 1 do

not myself 1 believe. It is, indeed, possible to d e s c r i b e God and tlo

univ< se, if you please, In the terms of any one of the different lence ; but descriptions of that kind are not explanations of tin nd, therefore, do not do away with the necessity [or a great original luse. Admitting the existence of a great original cause, we must necessarily admit, it seems to me, that our conduct, that is, our

m o r a l s , our idea of duty not only to God but to one a n o t h e r , m u s t b b; ed largely, if not wholly, upon our c o n c e p t i o n s of what God 1

and what he requirei of us. From my point of view, therefore morals depend largely upon religion. Since education, up io a certain point at any rate, is primarily the development of character, and in< character is, after all, the training in moral standards, and sin< o train Ing in moral standard depends upon religious belief, it follow that religious training 1 a nec.e ary part of a complete edu ition,

'Die religion difficulties of college bo\.; and girls usually a n from t h e n a t u r a l t e n d e n c y tO laxity that Coinos from Midden 1 le. 0

from parental authority, and also, In part, from the false

ff m which Ihey gel in their- in.,! i n c l u s i o n s into now

oust! of

tie Id 8 of

thought, it is a curious phenomenon of human nature that when a fo-w Held of Inquiry or study Is discovered it dovoi a usually < *