Mr. World and Miss Church-Member: A Twentieth Century AllegoryHarris, W. S. (William Shuler)
Religion
Mr. World and Miss Church-Member: A Twentieth Century Allegory
Harris, W. S. (William Shuler)
Christian fiction
“Better by far! I can easily lead you to a church where great varieties
of truthful and yet comfortable doctrines are preached, pleasing to
the ear, and fascinating to the senses. No blunt fellow stands in its
pulpit, but rather a cultured and highly refined gentleman of modern
type who delights to keep apace with the customs of the age. If you
desire, I will gladly accompany you thither. It would be sad indeed
were you to be turned away from religion altogether just because your
own church is so unsuited to your advanced ideas.”
The face of Miss Church-Member brightened, and she quickly expressed
her desire to accompany him to such a church. Therefore Mr. World
improved the first opportunity and conducted her to a large and
beautiful edifice.
“Here,” he said, “is the kind of church to which I am inclined. I give
very liberally to the support of the Gospel as here preached. I like
the broad-mindedness and liberal spirit which is manifested within the
domain of this denomination.”
“In what else does this church differ from the one to which I belong?”
she asked. “In this denomination your conscience is not always pricked
and you can do many innocent things without being called a sinner. You
may also consult your personal feelings relative to church duties. One
is not bound down by a galling yoke of ecclesiastical tyranny. Best
of all, this is an up-to-date church. You can learn something about
science, philosophy, and civil government. In your church one must
listen to the thread-bare doctrines of the Bible, much to his personal
discomfort. Your minister exercises a censorship over the consciences
of his members from which I prefer to be excused. In fine, I can say
that nothing is developed there but a long face and a sanctimonious
soberness.”
They entered the church, and were conducted to a front pew.
The opening services were enrapturing to Miss Church-Member, and seemed
unlike anything she had ever heard. The operatic rendition of the
music, the ritualistic cast of the prayer and the soothing effect of
the rhetorical essay which took the place of a sermon, all exercised
a fascinating influence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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