Religious Education

Religion, like everything else of value, must be taught. It is possible to get more religion in industry and business only through the development of religious education. With the forces of evil backed by men and money, systematically organized to destroy, we should back with men and money campaigns for religious education.

We are willing to give our property and even our lives when our country calls us in time of war. Yet the call of religious education is to-day of even greater importance than was ever the call of the army or navy. This is true because we may never live to see America attacked from without, but we may at any time see our best institutions attacked from within.

I am not offering religious education as a protector of property because nearly all of the great progressive and liberal movements of history have been born in the heart of religious educators. It however is a fact that the safety of our sons and daughters, as they go out on the streets this very night, is due to the influence of the priests, rabbis, and preachers rather than to the influence of the policemen, officials, and lawmakers. Yes, the safety of our nation, including all groups, depends on religious education. Furthermore, at no time in our history has it been more greatly needed.

We insure our homes and factories, our automobiles and our business establishments through mutual and stock insurance companies. But the same amount of money invested in religious education would give far greater results. Besides, religious education can insure what no corporation can insure; namely, prosperity. Statistics show that while the people of the United States are paying nearly $1,000,000,000 a year for life insurance, they are paying less than $400,000,000 a year for the total expenses of our churches, including all religious activities both at home and in foreign lands. Just think of it! We are willing to pay only 40 per cent. as much for soul insurance as we are for money insurance.

The Need Of The Hour

As the great life insurance companies are spending huge sums on doctors, scientific investigations, and district nurses to improve the health of the nation, so we business men should spend huge sums to develop those fundamental religious qualities of integrity, industry, faith, and service, which make for true prosperity. Surely the need of the hour is not more factories or materials, not more railroads or steamships, not more armies or navies - but rather more religious education!

This book has referred heretofore to the men or women who already have all the money they need. Don't think for a minute, however, that they are the only ones who should give. Few indeed are too poor to give something to what they believe is God's work. I have known a great many "tithers," but I have yet to find one who felt he had lost anything by dedicating a definite part of his income to God. To every one - rich and poor - the statement of the Wise Man regarding "bread on the waters" has a very real application in this matter.

Let's think for a moment what would happen if every church member in the United States should actually do as the Bible suggests and set aside one-tenth of his income for God. There are about 40,000,000 members in our Christian churches, with about $40,000,000,000 total annual income. Calculate the tremendous power summed up in one-tenth of that amount - $4,000,-000,000. Spent honestly and wisely such a sum would establish all the additional schools necessary to fit our young men and women for a religious life. It would operate all the hospitals and training schools needed to treat all those who must go through life with physical handicaps. It would furnish sufficient money in a few years' time to teach every living soul the principles of righteousness.

Spending $4,000,000,000 A Year

Would this money be spent wisely? - you may ask. No, it would not, if each church member simply sent his check or money order to some central committee and left it to a few people to spend. But if each giver took the same care in investing money for God that he takes in investing it for himself - then I say most of this money would he spent wisely. Surely it would accomplish more and more good every year as we investors became wiser.

After all, I am less interested in what could be done with this $4,000,000,000 than I am in the effect which giving one-tenth of his income would have upon each of us 40,000,000 givers. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Just shut your eyes and try to imagine what kind of a country this would be if our church members should really take the Bible seriously enough to follow it even in this one suggestion.

Now you and I know that we probably shall not live long enough to see all our good church people change their ways so radically. The point is, what are we going to do ourselves? Maybe it's 10 per cent. of our income we ought to invest for God - maybe much more - but surely we all ought to invest in this way more than we are now investing. We ought surely to use as much discretion and pains in making such investments as we do when we make our less enduring investments.

Perhaps the above suggestions sound impractical. The average business man who has won success and independence has done it only through the hardest work. The thought of turning around and dispensing with the further profits which his labors may bring at first seems ridiculous. What, however, is the prime purpose of life? "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" This is the problem which has beaten more men than adversity. Shall we escape the poison of lust and the mania of accumulation which has shriveled the souls of so many men before us?