Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-05-20

Religion and Politics;
OR, THE OLD GENERAL FOR PRESIDENT.

OR, TIE l. FOR 3
We often meet the remark from the political aspi-
rant; "Never conect religion with politics" and hear
this adage enforced by illusions to the horrors of the
lnquisltlon and the fires of persecution; while at the
same time, such men are ready to applaud military
I~nquisitiOn and Battlefield Martyrdom, with all its
multiplied horrors. Why is this? Not from any hope
or desire to discard religion and Danish it from soci-
ETY.. On the contrary, the devoted politician, aware
that a sense of religious obligation is inwrought in the
very constitution of man, and is consequently inseper-
able from society, has rather sought to make it sub
servient to his designs. Nor is it because the war
system, his favorite instrument of renown, claims no
connection with religion. So far from it, a system
which makes such free disposition of human life,
claims, as might be expected, sanction from the great
Creator and disposer of all. And ever has. From the
day when "Alfred the Great regulated revenge by law,
and gave it the sanction of religion" through all the
variety of ordeal by battles between individuals, be-
tween petty tribes Or clans, between kings, emperors
and nations, war has been regarded and treated as an
appeal to some invisible deity and SO connected with
religious service. Nor yet, is it from any disparity
between the christian religion and our liberty-loving
constitution. For they harmonic in the same liberal
doctrine: "The natural rights of all are equal."-
"Whatsoever, therefore, ye would that men should do
to you, do ye even so to them" Why then hold reli-
gion aloof from politics? For if a man have a right
10 be a politician at all, that right does not supercede
the claims of God on him even for a moment. Is not
the reason plainly this: That the ambitious politician
is unwilling to see "the ~weightier matters of law, JUS
tice, mercy and faith" Fidelity brought within the
arena of political strife? And must the christian while
acting in his political sphere yield to such a wish? 1t
must be obvious to all, that for twenty years sue
cess in the political contests has depended very much
on military fame. And what has been the effect?-
Our public functionarles, of both parties obsequious
to popular fame, have, with few exception, p~roffered
their inauence-voted men and money to carry on the
present war, while at the same time many of them
have denounced the war ITSELF as unconstitutional and
unjust. Yes, and many of our most eminent and dis
tinguished young men, allured by the currency that we
have given to martial glory, as political capital, have
offered their personal services and their lives for the
prosecution of the wal, Right or Wrong." And now,
as might be expected, from the past, the proposition is
being brought before the nation to prefer one of the
military chieftains of this war, Taylor or Scott, as can
didatc for the next Presidency! Yes, to prefer a man
to the highest honors in the gift of the nation, as a
reward for deeds of blood.
And is it not the i%mperious duty of christians, re-
penting of the past, to forestall the subject, and give
their decided and uncompromising protest against pre-
fering military men? Our religion is a religion of
peace. Peace is among its peculiar and distinctive
elements-and may not be abandoned. But it will be
said, we know, that these gentlemen are men of char
acter, talent &c, and though brought to public notice
by their military ACHIEVEMENTS, may safely be trusted as
statesmen, while their martial deeds will do much with
; the populace to secure their election. They are pat
: riots and men of energy; and though their deeds are
deeds of blood, they as military men, acting under the
sovereign order are not in a moral sense responsible!
And is it indeed true that they are not as Individuals
morally responsible for taking human life under the
order of a superior officer? Are we not responsible
for giving celebrity to such a course? Such polyLhe-
ism will not do for the christian. The first command
ment is, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me-"
Reject this, and care not where you begin your NOR
al code. But do not views like these break in upon
our long established political maxims, and interrupt
that reconciliation between the system of war and civ
il poity, and between war and christianity which have
become venerable by age? Too true. And yet it
should be known that these patched up rcconcIliations
have cost both the church and the state, more of blood
t and treasure, more of principle and moral character,
and more of vital energy than all external foes CON-
u bined. Venerable indeed, for age they may be reck-
9 oned as having their origin in those reconciliations
: which existed between anarchy and despotism, and
between %pagahism and christianity during the dark
ages, and ought long since to have been thrown aside
i, with the rubbish of those times. And shall we be
asked still to give our suffrage in support of military
S fame? The devotee of Mars, the devotce of Bacchus
and the devotees of a mutulated christianity called
y Romanism, are all true to their religion at the polls;
and the politician, aware of this, shapes his course
t accordingly. And sis it because there is no God ID
Israeli that the christian is ca lied upon to offer his
heaven granted privilege of franchise at the shrine of
: Mars: Our community is nominally christian. The
religion of Vermont is christian. And it may be fairly
calculated, reckoning from the East, that as the leading
rellgionlsts of the state, the expounders and the ex-
~emplifers of our religion, vote, so the state will co.
And so to a considerable extent with New England
And so the vote will be recorded for the politicians
future use. We shall not stop to inquire whether this
concert OF action be the effect of the control which
the clergy and leading christians have over the public
mind or the control the popular mind has over them,
Either way they are equally responsible to the Prince
of Peace. His commission and charge run thus
SHEAR the words of my mouth and give them warn
ing from mo" And is it not time to take a stand on
this subject? B.
Castletor, May 10, 1847.
u
The Christian .4Hidnce,-The result of the proceed
ings of the Alliance, is a refusal to take any farther
nntinn- IN cln,nrr ALnn ILL.,. aAluAo aa.-l i