The most serious thought of the world has been given to religion. The greatest geniuses of all nations have bestowed their best efforts on it. From the time of Jesus Christ to the present day, the literature of the world has given first place to religious topics.
At the very outset I have mentioned Jesus Christ. Do not infer, however, that I take for granted anything about Him. I shall later consider His personality. In fact, Christ is the basis of the Christian religion and everything depends on who and what He is. In these preliminary remarks, I speak in the traditional way, putting the subject before you as millions view it.
You, too, no matter how busy you are, nor how great or little you may be, should give religion consideration. Not to do so is to reject what has most concerned humanity all the ages. If at present there is a wave of indifference abroad, do not be caught in it. Be concerned about what Jesus Christ came from heaven to bring us, what millions of the best men and women have died for, what hundreds of millions are living for, what holds up to mortal men immortality, what places before mankind ideals which are heaven-born and whose adoption will make you a dweller forever in heaven. Be not indifferent to such a boon.
If a worldly prospect promises much or its rejection threatens disaster, men are not indifferent to it. Religion promises eternity of happiness to those who live by it, and threatens eternity of misery to those who reject it. Can you afford to take a chance when so much is at stake?
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From God and Myself, An Inquiry into the True Religion (©1917), Ch 2
by Martin J Scott, S.J.
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