34 The Rice Institute Pamphlet
cannot by himself fulfull his own destiny. In particular, he
does not have the resources to achieve his own last end in
life everlasting. Rather, human persons are believed to be
dependent on a transcendent good for their ultimate hope;
the complete integration of the self on lesser, finite goods or
communities is regarded as drastically inadequate. Of course,
acceptance of such a view of the self is of fundamental im-
portance for religious education.
The claim of the theistic religions that the fullness of self-
hood and community is possible only from divine grace re-
quires careful examination. Their universalism is not simply
philosophical in motivation or exclusively an expression of
human goodness. Rather, these religions teach a concern for
all mankind which derives from the active love of God. Serv-
ice of the neighbor is believed to have its basis in God’s self-
giving activity which is directed unceasingly toward all
men.13 Active dedication of life to God’s service ideally over-
comes racial, national and social barriers as well as the dis-
tinction between friend and enemy. God’s providence toward
all men makes possible a universal positive response toward
all his children.
Theism regards with drastic seriousness all factors which
destroy human personality, even as acknowledging the deep-
seated persistence of evil in the lives of individuals and
groups. Religious education cannot ignore the fact that the
first half of the twentieth century has been a time in which
perspectives of depth, narrow but intense, have often cap-
tured men’s allegiance. Fascism and Communism have both
had strong motivating power against democracy and com-
mon sense, in part because of their “religious” appeal. Hu-
manitarianism sometimes has more comprehensive loyalties
without a comparable intensity of dedication. The religions