The Seminary Guard
Studio Fallente Laborum.
VOL. I.] UNION SEMINARY, NEW BERLIN, PA., OCT., 1879. [N0.2.
Religion.—I.
This word is derived from the Latin "religio," which has for its root "relegere," meaning to gather, to collect, or to read over again, or, is more
likely derived from the root "religare," meaning to bind anew, to bind back or to bind fast.
At this age of the world, we are unable to judge how far we can trust the original meaning of this term, what idea led to the coining of this word;
whether the theologians then considered man as broken loose from God and needed to be rebound, or whether they considered him morally so stupid and dull,
that he had to read over his moral lessons so often, that the general idea of moral exercise had to be that of re-reading. Taking either view, the word
religion is an appropriate term to express the idea of man's moral nature or relation to his God. Perhaps man was at any time in nothing more bewildered
than on the subject of religion; for we find his belief to range from Atheism, that is, the denial of the existence of God, to the worshiping of millions
of gods ; yea, to Pantheism, that everything is God. In form of worship the difference is perhaps equally great, and in spirit even more so. We generally
speak of four prevailing religions in the world, viz : Pagan, Mohammedan, Jewish and Christian. The two former we consider false, and the latter true.
Each of these four is almost innumerable in its subdivisions. The lowest of all the superstitions that may be called religious, is the enchantment, or
feticism of the various African tribes. The basis of this superstitious religion is, that something opposes man's purposes which nevertheless ought not
to be; hence a religion of desire. This religion will recognize its god in anything attractive, mysterious, strange or wonderful.
Buddhism is another spurious religion which
we find among the Mongols, Burmans and Chinese. This superstition teaches that all has proceeded from nothing and all will again return to nothing; hence
the highest virtues among these religionists are silence, resignation and obedience. A somewhat higher religion is that of Brahmaism which teaches that
the whole world is Brahma, grew forth from Brahma consists in Brahma finally be absorbed by Brahma ; hence all is divine and a part of deity-every flower,
every star, every leaf and twig. This is a wold production of the imagination, without being bridled by reason. We might still further mention the dualism
of the Persian Religion, the Religion of enigma of the Egyptians, the Religion of beauty which was that of the ancient Greeks, and the Religion of the
understanding, being that of the ancient Romans. Each of the above named religions no doubt partook of the circumstance of its surroundings, among which
that of climate played a prominent part. We feel at least like giving man the benefit of the cloak of charity in regard to his religious aberrations, and
hope to have something better to say on this subject in our next paper.
I. C. Y.
The Past, the Present, and the Future.
The present bursts upon us as a spark, and as a spark vanishes and leaves the future in darkness and doubt; but the past is our secure and embodied
treasure, on every piece of which time has stamped an ineffaceable imprint. The events, characters, opinions, discoveries, and improvements in arts and
sciences, are the grains of gold, or the precious stones picked from the sands along that stream, whose source and discharge are in the recesses of past
and future eternity. Literature is the cabinet in which those precious remains have been deposited, arranged and preserved. When we seek to consult destiny
on our own, or the fate of
