King's Business - 1917-09

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THE KING’S BUSINESS The Homiletic Review, in a recent editorial comment- ing on a statement of Judge John Rooney of the Court of Domestic Relations in Chicago, says some things that are well worth repeating, and which ought to set many parents to doing some hard and serious thinking.

The Influence of Church Attendance on Family Life.

This editorial reads in pa rt: “Judge John Rooney has been analyzing the causes of divorce and has arrived at the conclusion that three out of four domestic troubles that have come before him have been the result of neglect of either husband or wife or both to attend any church-service. It is probable, of course, that this con­ tributing cause is, in turn, the result of other more iundamental reasons; but of the intimate relation of the church to domestic happiness there can be no doubt. The judge says: T do not care what church one attends; but I do think any man or woman could spare an hour a week to pay reverence to the Omnip­ otent. Every day I have parents before me neither of whom attends church. How can they expect to have any influence on their children’s moral training if they themselves do not set the example of attending church?’ ”

There is a difference between religion and morality. Religion has' to do with a man’s duty towards God, morality with his duty towards man. And man may be a moral man and yet irreligious. He may be true

Religion and Morality.

in his duty towards his fellowman, but minus in his duty towards God. The Church of Christ should be careful also lest she lose sight of this great fact—that her sphere is religion, first of all. There is a danger in con­ fusing first things with secondary things in this day of social service. The church should insist on a spiritual morality, a morality that leads a man to a righteous life because he loves it and because God is righteous, not that kind of morality which a government compels like honesty of proof. There is a great tendency today to materialize the church, to make it a social and intel­ lectual, rather than spiritual factor; to put our duty to our fellowman before our duty towards God. The morality of the moral man governs actions, that of the religious man, motives. ■It was the morality of motives that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount and for this reason its principles are of universal application. There are many different standards for moral action in the world today, but only one motive for moral action. Christ dealt with principles, not rules. Consequently we will miss the great teaching of the Sermon on the Mount if we do not recog­ nize this great fact, if we try to force action and conduct, where motive is the main thing. For illustration: compare Christ’s teaching concerning murder and anger,' tooth for tooth, so it is with the religious duties of Chapter 6. Motive always has been and always will be the great fundamental force in life. It is that which may be directed, otherwise the outward act will be wrong. Although there may be and are different standards of the morality of actions among dif­ ferent countries and even individuals, yet there is but one morality of motive. So the first four of the ten commandments deal with religion, the last six with morality. The first with our duty towards God and the second with our duty towards our fellowman. So Christ’s two-fold commandment deals first with

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