Boros György (szerk.): Értesítő a Nemzetközi Unitárius Conferencziáról (Kolozsvár, 1897)

A Nemzetközi Unitárius Konferenczián tartott beszédek és felolvasások - Beszédek és felolvasások

few words upon another, which is perhaps of greater interest to many of us.

I was requested on coming to Buda-Pest to say a few words respecting the progress of religious thought and Biblical knowledge in England. This subject, however is one of such extent and complexity that it is hardly possible to treat of it in any adequate way, on such an occasion as this. Indeed I shrink from the attempt to place it at any length before you, as I am very sure I should not be equaljto the task, nor would you have patience to hear me if I were-One or two facts howerer I may he permitted briefly to notice. The English people (those of them I mean, who are comprised within the various churches usually considered orthodox) are in respect of their religious beliefs for the most part a highly conservative people. They do not easily lay aside their ancient ideas on religious doctrine, or rather they do not readily change or revise the doctrinal formulas in which those ideas are embodied. Our Creeds and other such documents stand therefore very firm, and bind, or ought to bind, and are supposed to bind, the ministers of Churches to the time-honoured Theological ideas of long-past Centuries. Those documents must not even be discussed in any important negative sense, much less neglected or put aside. Many of the clergy do nevertheless make light of these ancient and established standards: but it is at their peril that they do so; and how they can reconcile this non-belief with their own sincerity, I do not understand.

At any rate they have no legitimate right to deviate from the great standards of their church orthodoxy, and must not do so, if they wish to retain their positions in the established and other communions.

Hence it necessarily comes to pass that, as I have said, the great majority of religions people in our country are strongly conservative. Unitarians therefore (among