INFIDELITY AND THE CHILDREN

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, February 12, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 7

INFIDELITY AND THE CHILDREN.

It is a peculiarity of all false religions that they are one-sided and partial, and adapt themselves only to some special class of mankind. Thus the religion of Mohammed is a religion for men; and the heathen religions generally degrade women, and take no notice of children. They may be drowned, murdered, or made away with in any way. Human life is cheap, and no Divine behest protects the helpless from the destroyer’s hand. This peculiarity shows that all these religions are of human or devilish origin; they are founded in selfishness and narrowness, and have respect only to the personal interests of their inventors.

A Hindoo female said to a Christian lady, “Really, your Bible must have been written by a woman, it contains so many kind things about us. Our Shasters say nothing but what is hard and cruel of us.” The Bible is the product of an all-embracing, universal heart. It touches all the springs of human feeling and action, and meets the needs of the whole race.

No false religion does this; none but He who “knew what was in man” could originate a gospel that would fill alike the hearts of male and female, young and old, rude and polished, great and small. Infidelity cannot do this; it has never done it; it never will.

Says a woman writing in a Boston infidel paper: “Infidels are not all childless; but one might come to that conclusion, noting the lack of child element in infidel gatherings. Inquire, ‘Where are the children?’ and in many instances the answer would be, ‘Gone to the Methodist or Baptist Sunday-school, or somewhere else.’”

This candid admission tells the story. A religion or a faith that does not meet the wants of childhood, shows too plainly its lack of universality, and marks and condemns itself as the one-sided and defective product, not of a universal Father and loving God, but of poor, erring, narrow-minded man. We are glad to hear that children are scarce in infidel assemblies; for infidelity has nothing which can please and profit children. To these little ones the Sabbath-school opens wide its doors. The “sweet story of old” is music in their ears, and the wondrous deeds of the faithful of the Lord in all the ages past, charm the ears of childhood and please and enlighten the young. The Bible is full of interesting things for children. The histories of its grandest heroes begin in the cradle and are traced to the grave. Joseph with his coat of many colors; Moses in the bulrush ark; Samuel waiting to hear the voice of God in the tabernacle; David, the ruddy shepherd boy; Solomon praying for wisdom to guide the people aright; the Hebrew captives rejecting the luxuries of Babylon, and growing in wisdom and in grace; and, above all, Jesus, the babe of Bethlehem, over whose birth angels sung praises, and around whose manger-cradle shepherds worshiped and adored,—all show that the Bible

is emphatically the children’s book. And when He who is called the “Holy Child Jesus” had entered upon his ministry, how often children were noticed by him. A little child set in the midst was the “text from which he preached humility to his ambitious disciples; and, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of Heaven,” was not only an invitation to the little ones who were brought to receive his blessing then, but to universal childhood which hears his words of welcome, and gladly comes to nestle in his bosom, or sing hosannah in his triumphal path.

Thank God that infidelity has no hold on children. Let Christians labor while they may to sow the good seed in children’s hearts, lest the dark thorns and thistles of skepticism usurp its place.

“Sow in the morn thy seed, At eve hold not thine hand; To doubt and fear give thou no heed; Broadcast it o’er the land.” —The Armory.