The one thing I try to show them is that God was not, as I used to
think, the property, so to speak, of the Jews; but that He is
behind and above every race and nation, slowly leading them to the
light. The two things I will not allow them to think of are the
Doctrines of the Fall and the Atonement; the doctrine of the Fall
is contrary to all true knowledge, the doctrine of the Atonement is
inconsistent with every idea of justice. But it is a difficult
matter. They will hear sermons, and Alec, at school, may have
dogmatic instruction given him; but I shall prepare him for
Confirmation here, and have him confirmed at home, and thus the
main difficulty will be avoided; neither do I conceal from them
that good people think very differently on these points. It is
curious to remember that, brought up as I was on strict Evangelical
lines, I was early inculcated into the sin of schism, with the
result that I hurried with my Puritan nurse swiftly and violently
by a Roman Catholic chapel and a Wesleyan meeting-house which we
used to pass in our walks, with a sense of horror and wickedness in
the air. Indeed, I remember once asking my mother why God did not
rain down fire and brimstone on these two places of worship, and
received a very unsatisfactory answer.
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