Sermons

The worship of the “great mystery” was silent, solitary, free from all self-seeking. It was silent, because all speech is of necessity feeble and imperfect; therefore the souls of my ancestors ascended to God in wordless adoration. It was solitary, because they believed that [God] is nearer to us in solitude, and there were no priests authorized to come between a [person] and [the] Maker. None might exhort or confess or in any way meddle with the religious experience of another. Among us all…were created [children] of God and stood erect, as conscious of their divinity. Our faith might not be formulated in creeds, nor forced upon any who were unwilling to receive it; hence there was no preaching, proselyting, nor persecutions, neither were there any scoffers or atheists. There were no temples or shrines among us save those of nature.” [Eastman, The Soul of the Indian. 4-5]

Pages: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14