--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Talmage, James Edward collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 19 number: 1 published: 1915-11 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Talmage, James E., "A Notable Feature of the World’s Congress of Religious Philosophies," *Improvement Era* 19, no. 1 (November 1915): 3–6.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1901unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1901unse start_page: 3 end_page: 6 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1915-11) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1901unse publication_year: 1915 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1915, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # A Notable Feature of the World’s Congress of Religious Philosophies Improvement Era Vol. XIX , NOVEMBER, 1915 No. 1. A Notable Feature of the World's Congress of Religious Philosophies BY JAMES E. TALMAGE, OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE In connection with the great Panama-Pacific International Exposition, for which the year of our Lord 1915 will be ever memorable in history, a Congress of Religious Philosophies as- sembled in San Francisco on July 29, 30, and 31. Three sessions were held daily. The program had been prearranged and officially published; and the proceedings appointed for each of the three days were distinctive. In the printed announcements the first day was designated Christian Day, the second, Hindu Day, and the third, Oriental Day. The cosmopolitan character of the gathering and the impelling purpose of the movement leading up to the calling of the Congress are indicated in the following inscription, which appeared on the title-page of the official program: "The cause of equity, tolerance and peace is better^ served by bringing together in an amicable spirit those differing^ in thought, than by aggregating those differing merely in nationality." The liberal intent of the organizers, in inviting to the platform the representatives of any religious system claiming to possess a distinctive philosophical foundation, is demonstrated by the fol- lowing extracts from the program: Oriental Day: Mohammedanism Philosophically Considered; Sufi Philosophy; The Underlying Principles of the Bahai Faith; Taoist Philosophy; Confucian Philosophy; The Philosophy of Shinto; The Fundamentals of Buddhist Philosophy; Modern Psychical Research and its Inferences; Theosophy as a Religion. Hindu Day: The Philosophy of the Vedas; The Universality of Hinduism; The Vedic Conception of the Soul; The Philosophy of the Brahmo-Somaj; The Philosophy of Zoroastrianism; The Philosophy of Yoga; Philosophical Aspects of the Sikh Religion. 4 IMPROVEMENT ERA Christian Day: Catholicism as understood by the Orthodox Eastern Church; "Mormonism" and its Underlying Philosophy; The Philosophy of Roman Catholicism; and The Philosophy of Protestant Christianity. It will be readily observed that in contrast with the many and diverse religious systems of the Orient, to each of which a hearing was granted, the churches recognized as having a right to be heard on Christian Day are significantly few. Indeed, on the program for that day but two of the sessions were devoted to addresses dealing with the philosophies of Christian churches proper; the evening meeting was given over to non-Christian and anti- Christian speakers as witness these topics : The Philosophy of Judaism; and, (save the mark!) The Philosophy of Atheism! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was invited to send a delegate to the Congress, and the present writer was honored in being appointed as such by the presiding authorities of the Church. He was received and treated throughout with the greatest possible courtesy and respectful consideration, both in the open sessions of the Congress, and in personal association with officials and fellow delegates at all times. His address was pub- lished in the September Era under the caption, "The Philosophical Basis of 'Mormonism' ". All the addresses are to be published in a volume of Transactions of the Congress. The narrow limitations of the program for the morning and afternoon sessions of Christian Day will find ready explanation in the minds of all unbiased and capable students of Christianity as a system of religion expressed or embodied in churchly organiza- tions. Be it remembered that the assembly in San Francisco was convened as a Congress of Religious Philosophies, not as a conven- tion of churches, nor a parliament of religions. The treatment ex- pected in each address was the philosophical foundation upon which the respective system is grounded. The cardinal doctrines of the several religions were to be explained and justified on the basis of reason and consistency, by lecture, nor advocated and preached by sermon. It is a notable fact, though, as stated, one not difficult to explain, that in preparing the program for this the latest and in many respects the most important of all cosmopolitan assemblies of representative religionists, only three religious organizations or churches had place in the officially appointed proceedings on Chris- tian Day, and these three were the churches embodying Catholic- ism, Protestantism, and "Mormonism". True, both the Roman and the Greek churches were recog- nized as exponents of Catholicism, and this because of the fact that the schism by which the Church of Rome was sundered and the Greek Catholic Church established is dignified by age, dating back to the fourth centurv ; and each of the rival churches has WORLD'S CONGRESS OF RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHIES 5 persisted in its averment of sound, philosophical, and scriptural reasons for its segregated status. Disappointment was evident in the assembly when announcement was made that the Vicar-Gen- eral of New York, who had been accredited to the Congress as the representative of the Roman Catholic church, was not present ; but the hope was expressed that his paper on "The Philosophy of Roman Catholicism" will appear in the forthcoming volume, Translations of the Congress of Religious Philosophies. The paper presented by the representative of Greek Catholi- cism, who was announced as an Archimandrite of the Orthodox Eastern Church, was a cause of surprize. Instead of asserting a positive basis in support of his church, the speaker undertook to demonstrate the essential unity of Greek and Roman Catholicism, and advocated the return of the Greek faction to the Roman fold with the Pope as shepherd of the reunited flock. The address on "The Philosophy of Protestant Christianity" was devoid of any averment of philosophical support for Protestant churches, as being severally or all together the Church established by Jesus Christ, or as possessing through succesion or otherwise the authority and power of the Holy Priesthood ; and comprized a discussion of the desirability of church unity, and the demolish- ing of the barriers which divide the many Christian sects of the day. "Mormonism", so-called, was the only religious system that affirmed a positive, unequivocal, and independent philosophical basis for its doctrines. In making this statement, the writer has in mind the subject and not his presentation thereof; he therefore disavows even the most shadowy conception of personal distinc- tion. Any program calling for a presentation of Christian philos- ophy today would be wofully incomplete were "Mormonism" ex- cluded therefrom. To this fact the organizers of the recent Con- gress were duly attentive. But, should one ask, why, in such a gathering of representa- tives of Christian churches, no' place was provided for Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregationalist, Lutheran, or other representation of organized societies professing Christian adherence, the answer would be that all these organizations, however worthy their pur- pose, however devoted their ministers and members, are, by their own acknowledgement as supported by the history of their re- spective origin and growth, sects rather than churches, not one of which affirms possession of the Holy Priesthood, without which there can be no Church of Jesus Christ. Possession of authority, through divine bestowal, to minister in the name of God, is the essential and indispensable character- istic of the Church of Christ. Churchly organizations that venture not even a semblance of claim to this bestowal, are without rational basis of profession as The Church of Jesus Christ. 6 [MPROVEMEN1 ERA Judged by this standard of claim alone, entirely apart from the question of evidence or proof as to the validity of the claim, and restricting the designation "church" to such organizations as assert possession of such divine authority, there are on the earth today but two churches — the Roman Catholic Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Speak, Lord, for Thy Servant Heareth Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth, And heareth but to obey — Be this the prayer that shall rule my life Till I rest for the judgment day. Lord, speak through thy chosen prophet The message I wait to hear, Or speak by thy Spirit's prompting And make thy purpose clear. Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth, And dark though the way may be, And all unknown the journey Thy wisdom has planned for mc ; Though often my feet grow weary, Though sometimes my* strength be spent. Yet speak to me, gracious Master, Unfolding thy wise intent. Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth, And of my earthly store Would render to thee thy measure Pressed full and running o'er ; Whatever of mine, kind Master, May be thy kingdom's need, It is thine if thou speak, for surely Should my faith have outgrown my greed. Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth, And what thou would have me do If it need the power of my busy brain, Or the labors my hands pursue ; I le my calling the work of a lifetime. Or the task of a passing day. Yet speak, for thy servant heareth. And heareth but to obey. provo, utah Annie D. Palmes