Evening Star Newspaper, September 29, 1929, Page 104

- THE SUNDAY : STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SEPTEMBER 29, 1029, Believing Old Churches Out of Touch With - Modern Age, the Rev. Charles Francis Potter, Celebrated New York Preacher, Has Given Up His Pulpit to F'ound and Become Leader of the First Humanist Society, Introducing Many New Beliefs in Its Creed. BY A. A. PRECIADO. HE same block in West Pifiy-seventh street, New York City, in which is lo- cated Dr. John Roach Straton’s Fundamentalist church, will soon con- tain a newcomer ameng New York @ity religions. And a very modern newcomer it is to be. - As different from Dr. Straten’s established church as could possibly be imagined. Its founder is Dr. Charlss Francis Potter, 2 minister for the past 21 years and until re- cently minister of the Church of the Divine Paternity. Dr. Potter first came into national prominence when he debatad Fundamentalism with his new neighbor, Dr. Straton, and later: during the Scopes evolution trial in Tennessee when he served as Bible expert and librarian for the defense lawyers, headed by Clarence Darrow. As a conspicuous liberal Dr. Potter has long drawn the fire of i=- ligious ccnservatives. He says that the objections of some of his trustecs to his theology is one ot the reasons for launch- ing bhis new religiois project, whick he calis “Humanism.” “It is hard to tell my vision withcut seeming foolish or a little crazy on the question,” Dr. Potter says. “But I am confident that Human- ism, which is just com- ing to a consciousness throughout the world, is so large that one can hardly overestimate its importance. Humanism, as I visualize it, con- templates nothing less than a correlation of the agencies for human improvement, both so- ciad and individual, and the fusing of them in ‘the fire of religicus enthusiasm. . “William Ellery Channing said a century ago that man is an end and not a means. That was the statement of a great humanist, from whom modern Humanism may differ in detail, but with whom it agrees in spirit. As long as man is conceived of as simply existing for the glory of God, human progress is fettered. “Despite the theclogians, we have no evi- dence of the divine except in human life. Therefore, the development of what has been called ‘the spark of divinity’ in mankind should * be our chief concern. The recent survey which I have m~> of the history of al! great religinns When Dr. Potter first came into national prominence. has convinced me of the importance of re- ligion itself. “Speaking from a sci.ltiic poiat of view, the most significant thing which emerges from the study of comparative religion is the similarity ot religious experience, whether among the Christians, Jews, Buddhists or representatives of any other religion. This underlying, com- mon, human religious experience is the basis of the greater religion of the future which some of us are calling ‘Humanism.’ ,“[ AM not a preph<t, nor a high priest of a new cult” says Dr. Potter. *“I am simply indicating what from a close study of recent developments I think will be the line of progress in religicus thought in the next few decades. “Already most of the Unitarian Church from Chicago westward have become more or less humanistic and there is a humanist society in Hollywood a few months old. Dr. John Dietrich has been preaching humanism in Minneapolis for several years in she Unitarian Church there and Dr. Curtis Reese of Chicago is a humanist. “There are many humanists among the young people in the colleges. We have already heard of them in Japen and India. The Hu- manist Union will act as a clearing house for Humanist groups.” Ten main points of difference between Hu- manism and the established religions, aceording to Dr. Potter, are: OLD—The chief end of man is to glorify God. NEW-—The chief end of man is to improve himself, both as an individual and as a race. OLD—Religion has to do with the super- natural. NEW—Religion has to do with the natural. The so-called supernatural is only the not-yet- understood natural. OLD—Man is inherently evil and a worm of the dust. NEW-—Man is inherently good and of infi- nite possibilities. OLD—Man should submit to the will of God. NEW-—Men should not submit to injustice or suffering without protest and should en- deavor to remove its causes. OLD—The truth is to be found in one re- ligion only. our religion. NEW—There are truths in all religions and outside of religions. OLD—God created the world and man. NEW—The world and man evolved. OLD—The ideas of sin, salvation, redemption, prayer, worship are important. NEW-—Those ideas are unimportant in re- ligion. OLD—Salvation comes from outside of man. NEW—Improvement comes from within. No man or god can “save” another man. OLD—Hell is a place of eternal torment for the wicked. Humanist Dr. Charles Francis Potter. day,” NEW-—Suffering is the natural resull of brezking the laws of right living. CLD—Iicaven is a place where good people go when they die. NEW—Doing right brings its own satisfac- tions. “I_IL'MANISM will take several generations to become established,” says Dr. Potter, “b>cause the field of religion is held by strongly entrenched denominations. But the process will be accelerated by three facts. “First. Humanism will appeal to the great host of people who attend no church whatever and whose minds are more open than those of average churchgoers. There will be no attempt to proselyte or to appeal to those already at- tached to other religions, although such will be welcome to attend the meetings. “Second. It must be remembered that com- munication is many times more rapid today than when any of the existing religions were founded. It doesn't take so long for the ideals and principles of a new faith to be heralded abroad “Third. There is the same dissatisfaction with existing religions today as there was in the Roman empire when Christianity appeared. Today. as then. the entrenched religions are out of touch with the spirit of the ags and the ef- forts of defenders of the old-time religion to DR S Tne photograph shows him opening court with a prayer at the Scopes evolution trial in Tennessee, where he served as Bible expert for the defense attorneys under Clarence Darroiz. = S— Y, Prayers Nor Baptism in New Religion “We need a new religion for e new he says. warp and twist the classic ereeds to make them acceptable today only disgust thinking folk. “In fact, a sense of dissa isiaction with exist- ing religions, gréw.ng out of conscientious scruples at trving to twist tex's and creeds to fit modern needs, really siarted me on this new movement,” Dr. Potter admits. “Then came a recognition of the great f: s.nple human religion und irg all religions.” Althcugh the Humanis n probably will be for some time the only i 13iv2 unit larger than the separate local zocieties, Dr, Potter be- lieves that different d.s- tricts throughout the country will witness the founding of additicnal unions @&s the need arises. The high ecciesiasti- cal officers, in any event, wiil not be called bishops or priests, Dr. Potter insisis. “These names,"” says, “have rathe pleasant ccnnotali and seem to Humani to belong to a previous type of civilization, I doubt very much if there will be any hizh ecclesiastical officers at all. or even any cleigy in th= usual sense of (he — “Titere will be, in the local societies, leaders t' of various activities, leaders of music, of mediation, of stuldy classes, of child education, of advertising and propa- ganda, of correspondence, of social reform projects and so on. And, of course, the ieader of the public meeting who by his presentation of a well thougn® out address on some impor- tant Humanistic idea or ideal will be really the leader of thought. “In a small society all these leaders may be rson, but it will be more 1 for the various duties Lo ested, even if the leaders can only spare part-time for the As for the distriet and national and in- ternational officers, their oflfices will be largely supervisory and ad v. They will have no dictatorial powers. Each district will have a president and secretary of the annual conven- tion, and, with an advisory board, these will practically complete tkb ist of officers. “Each Humaz will probably develop its own order of se , but those orders of service will resemble each other in the impor=- tant elements and from the ordinar, ded among : of the First Hu- Society of New York City will be about an hour in length, from 11 until 12. Instead of a 20-minute -n, with 40 minutes of anthems, Bible re and prayers, there will be a 40-minute address, preceded for 20 minutes by a hymn, a readinz of an ispiring poem and a solo or duet of vocal or ‘nstrumental music of a very high ord> “It has been sa‘d thar New York people do not like to list ne=r than 20 or 25 minutes, but my experience has been that they do not like a long address after they have sat threugh an hour or so of ‘preliminaries’ They will listen to an hour lecture without impatience, be- ser Continued on Tincnly-firel Pone that there is a . i |