Evening Round Up Part 22

If I live and act today in what I sincerely believe is in tune with G.o.d's purpose, I shall in my future estate benefit by those acts.

If I live and act today, disregarding all around me, selfishly catering to personal purpose, believing that eternity is everything and present is nothing, I am pa.s.sing definite opportunity to do good now, for a hope of personal reward in an eternity, the which is indefinite as to what it shall be.

I shall therefore strive to do, and to be, right; to be kind, helpful, cheery and smiling now, for the reward such acts bring now.

And I shall doubtless have as good a record and pa.s.sport to the future as the man who suffers now and lives only upon his selfish hope of the future.

His is fear thought, mine is faith thought, in the all wise, all powerful, all seeing, all right Ruler of the universe, who gave me my life, my brain, my reason, which I am trying to use, as nearly as my limitations will allow, to helping myself and helping others to smile, to be happy, to be serene, to be confident, to be competent, to be useful.

This is as I see it. I wouldn't do what I do, think what I think or act as I act unless I were sincere.

Below all this is charity, which means you have the unquestioned right to do and to be what your best thought and conscience tells you to do and to be.

Nevertheless it is well to reason with one another on the subject of the now and the tomorrow of our existence for it is a universal subject on which all men must make a decision.

SINCERITY

Do Not Accept Sincerity as Proof of Truth

"I believe in him because he is so sincere."

You've heard that, haven't you? I never could understand why a sensible person would use such logic.

Sincerity is no evidence of truth. The Hindu mother is sincere who throws her babe to the crocodiles, but her sincerity is no proof that by this sacrifice she is sure of her salvation.

The Christian Scientist is sincere in the belief that medicines do not cure diseases. The doctor is equally sincere that medicines will cure disease.

The Theosophist is sincere, the Atheist, the Agnostic, the Christian, the Pagan, the Mohammedan, the Buddhist, the Sun-wors.h.i.+pper, the Republican, the Democrat, the Progressive, the Prohibitionist, the Brewer, all these are sincere in their beliefs. And as these beliefs are different, it is common sense to say that no one creed, sect, belief, branch, dogma or system, is all truth.

It is true every channel or avenue we meet in life's travel has some truth, but it is not for you or me to a.s.sume that we are the sole possessors of wisdom and the real discoverers of all truth.

We must not take the conclusions we arrive at and expect to force the world to accept without protest our rules for conduct, our methods for living, our practices for morals, or our beliefs, for their guide.

Converts to new doctrines, new issues, new cults and to the old ones, too, are made largely because the amba.s.sadors or proselyters seem so fervid and sincere in expounding what they claim is the definite truth.

The believers in a cult or code of ethics are auto hypnotized, their visions are narrowed.

By focusing their thought on their special belief they bring together sophistry, arguments, examples and so-called proof that gives them facility in arguing the case or expounding their doctrine.

You can make no gain to try to argue with a Christian Scientist. You ask for concrete rules, definite answers and other proofs than their flat statements, and you are told you have not the understanding, that your att.i.tude is not in the right plane, and that the truth cannot be shown you.

You are told to have faith, belief, to eliminate antagonism, and to study "Science and Health" and you will receive the divine spirit and see the light.

The Scientist is sincere; he shows you "Science and Health" with a lot of testimonials in the back to prove that Christian Science cures disease. Every patent medicine, every science, every system of healing has testimonials by the hundreds.

Scientists say there is no disease, no material, that we are only spirit or soul, or thought; that we are not matter but mind. That health is truth and disease is error. They deny disease yet "Science and Health"

and the midweek experience meetings have testimonials of disease cured by Christian Science.

There is much truth in Christian Science. People are helped by it, people are sincere in their belief in it, but that Christian Science is all truth, all powerful, all right, all sufficient, cannot be proven.

What about the people who have gone hence before Christian Science was ever heard of?

The theological religion today, the practices and beliefs, differ from the vogue of fifty years ago.

If the Protestant religion be all truth what became of our religious ancestors who died before Martin Luther found the truth?

I have no quarrel with the Christian Scientist, the Protestant, the Roman Catholic, the Buddhist, or the Mohammedan. I must be generous and broad enough to say others have the right to think and be sincere. All sciences have truth, but no science, sect, cult, dogma, or creed is ALL truth.

Sincerity may be satisfaction and necessary for the possessors of that sincerity, but that your sincerity in your belief must be accepted by me as proof that I should believe as you do, is, I believe, the place where I have the undoubted right to say, "I reserve the right to my own conclusions and I am unjust to myself if I force myself to accept your viewpoint without full belief myself that you are right."

So, then, because a person is sincere in a belief that is contrary to your conscientious belief, do not be disturbed or swerved from common sense a.n.a.lysis or convinced against your better judgment.

No one possesses all the truth. It is for you and me to do our plain duty as we see it, to do the best we can each day in act and thought and word.

We can pretty much agree on the simple essential truths which are proven. That is, being honest, truthful, kind, lovable, sympathetic, cheerful, doing good, helping one another and doing things worth while.

If we agree on these things and do useful work and think helpful thoughts, we are doing our duty.

Theories, arguments and studying too deeply on bootless systems, codes, beliefs, cults, isms, or doctrines, is a waste of time.

When we can here and now derive definite benefits from doing the simple and helpful things and acting and thinking the simple practical cheer thoughts, it is not necessary or good for us to waste time on spiritualism or theoretical beliefs that cannot be proved to our own selves satisfactorily.

We are asked to believe these strange, impractical, unnatural beliefs, because of the sincerity of others. It's better to do, and to be the thing we can ourselves measure, understand and sincerely believe.

There are hundreds of strange beliefs and spiritual systems, each claiming to be all powerful, all right. If any one is all truth then all the others are all wrong.

The bigot who a.s.sumes he is the sole possessor of truth, the cult, sect, ism, or science that claims to possess all truth, and the exact rules for the world to obey, should be cla.s.sed with those other misguided men and religions which burned human beings who dared to doubt their right to the possession of all truth.

G.o.d never gave his approval to any one man-made religious sect.

G.o.d is the universal good power; man often tries to interpret G.o.d's idea to his own selfish narrow vision.

PILLS

The Man Who Has a Pill for Every Ill

How often we see the pill fiend. In his vest pocket he has a small apothecary shop, a collection of round paste-board boxes and little bottles.

Every little while he dopes himself. If his stomach is on a strike he pops in a pill. If his head aches he takes a tablet. If he sneezes he takes a cold cure pill.

When anyone around speaks of a pain or ache he hands the person a pill.