Consolations

Alfred W. Martin

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adjust our beliefs to whatever the Spirit of Truth shall disclose. But strangely enough the vast majority of Christians do not agree with Jesus on this point; ney, they hold the every opposite view. They say that if you want comfort you must beware of investigation, because it is liable to destroy your source of comfort. But the Jesus of the Fourth Gospel holds that no belief can genuinely comfort you until you have answered that primary question: Is it true?

And so it is that when we, devotees of Ethical Religion, are plunged into the depth of grief by some tragic loss and find ourselves like voyagers on a stormy sea with the sky black, the fierce winds howling upon every side, the stars gone out of sight--at such a time our comfort is our compass, the Spirit of Truth, because it will save us from putting into harbors of consolation that have been discredited by the best ethical thinking of the modern world.

[Discussion Questions]

This document is part of a larger document, "Understanding Ethical Religion," edited by Howard B. Radest.