Home Missions in ActionAllen, Edith H. (Edith Hedden)
History
Home Missions in Action
Allen, Edith H. (Edith Hedden)
Home missions
Home Missions, too, must be watchful and efficient in its attitude
toward the student body and recent graduates, that it may offer
the special presentation of its scope and appeal, and the concrete
objects of interest to which the students may contribute service
best fitted to meet their peculiar requirements.
With the superficial dominance of the materialistic in our
civilization has come also a marked relaxation of standards in
social and religious life.
Into both have crept a lenience toward tendencies that are
vicious and destructive. In social life certain dances, amusements,
styles of dressing, have been tolerated even by Christian women,
that savor only of the lowest and most vulgar practices and places.
As we desire the triumph of what Home Missions stands for, our
influence as Christian women should be exerted powerfully to maintain
standards in these matters that will be helpful rather than hurtful
to the ideals and Christian development of our young people. We can
not escape a heavy responsibility along these lines.
The relaxation of standards in religious matters invites the
growth among people of Christian up-bringing of the many modern
forms of ancient non-Christian faiths which are gaining wide
acceptance in our land. Mormonism, Theosophy, Bahaism, New Thought
and other cults because of their apparent intellectuality,
mysticism and spirituality appeal to hundreds and thousands of
women who do not think deeply, and who are carried away by the
seeming depth and power of the appeal of these new faiths.
If devotees declined to accept the literature furnished by these
organizations for their delusion and would go to the libraries and
ascertain for themselves the origin, beliefs and accomplishments
of these religions and their ancient prototypes as they flourished
in India, Persia, Arabia, they would learn the facts as to the
faith to which they are giving their allegiance.
A sample of the destructive teaching to which many indifferent,
thoughtless and curious people are exposed was furnished to the
writer at a crowded Theosophist meeting in New York City where one
of their lecturers spoke on the theme of sin.
With many variations and much eloquence he said in brief, "There
is no such thing as sin. The doctrine of vicarious atonement is
ridiculous. There was nothing sublime in Calvary. Many an unknown
miner has done all that Calvary suggests in giving life to save
others. Those whom we term sinful, sensual or criminal are simply
_young_ souls which have not evoluted far enough. When they have
passed through the seven or more incarnations they will have
attained beauty and perfection of character."
Some of the leaflets and literature distributed were dangerous in
their suggestiveness. This was one meeting only, and hundreds of
the same order were held throughout our land that day. What of the
need of the pure standards and ideals of which Home Missions is
the exponent!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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