The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1868-04-18
G)RNINe4, -APRIL~lS, 1868;

The Mcthodists of the rNprtl, constitute the
great directing power Of religion IN america;
all the other denominations called l',btGs4t;aint
though differing in form, III ritual and other
minor points, yct follow in snbstaude the re-
ligious course marked out by the great ruling
power, the Northern NIethodists. Il You may MS
wclf say That an army has, no right to the arms
aud supplies which it wins ON the rd.tougl.t
field of battle us to say that the Northcrn
Methodist Church has no fight to every church,
school house, and every acre of land formerly
held by the Southern Mcthudiss. Not only
so, but it is, just as Wrong and porniyious for
Northern Mcthodists to permit Southern tMctllo-
dists to meet and worship at all, as it would be
to permit Lee or johnson to call together and
drill their disbanled men under arms. ir
'.Mcthodsm in the South was conquered and
|subjugatcl, and hcmcelorth has no cl;iiiins oh
anything used or belonging to its former self.
Even their Bibles, books ar.l printing cstqb-
lislimcnts become the property of tn: yietors,
and ought to be used. Did Si.aiiii all;'w McXxi-
co TO continue its religious exercises after Cor
tcz conquered it! Certainly not Neither
did any nation or people ever cuncc,lc such
privilege to the one thcysad to snLjugatc. No
more then ought the North corcc,c such to
the So:ith. but You may say That the Soutli-
crn Ncthodists and The Northern Alctholists
are and the same in rcligioii This (as |
have before sal) is not the case, and this will
appear very clear from the very correct dclni-
ton of the word
Webster Inns, perhaps, done more harm il
his elaborate comments on the meaning Of the
word religion than ANY other author Or writer.
originated or even learned
| Religion, then, is simply cnc's conviction of
Fduty to him o. herself, his c1i6ws and his
Creator. 1t has nothing to do with rewards
"nd punishhcnts i'll some other world. but be-
longs entirely to ones soiourn "f this earth II,
lhust be evident therefore th;it ls,c ni:,n' Win
can believe that his owning and selling. and
buying, working and not educating Il human
being is quite different from the belief Of
another nr'n VII" believes in i, lt.,art shut hi<,
duty is not 10 avn, buy or sell, nor tn work
without educating. his fellows. IlSo i, is OBJ
vl"ns tnai Inc system Il! yl,coorv. which Is re:
c"ncllablc with the first, cannot form amy part
Of The religion pi' the second Now tie Book
called the Bible, is often quoted il. Suji,ort Of
either side Of the question; and it is true i,
dues ave cvidcncc on both sides. just rs ones
heart Incline; bat v,,lc man inr"ctS that pro
grcSsivc mind is i'll fact the life q" any reli
sion while the dead inert letter HtWM." The
bible of the Southern people We Of the North
war.o nothing to do with. we have Dur own
views and sentiments which with lis are the Gre
aturs views and desires us to us ::ld bcin.- the
stranger we announce our claim, hy Gods laws
TO all those men and things which come in our
! way. We, therefore, claim To own is. lee SIM
pie. cvrryp person and thing in all lst conquered
South III anywisc nppcrtaining TO the S uthcrn
people, whether white or black The blacks
belong to us Just as well as the whites; and if
it were our religion to buy, sell and work them
rs slaves then it would be done unless a strong
or religion should interfere to prevent us
I'VE therefore hold that the Southern pco-
pie (not only Mcthodiss. but all, have m re-
! ligion and ought not to be allowed to assemble
oitICi I'LL lOi cnuTtICS pf clSpNlltlc.
we have no doubt the time is not tnr distant
when such prohibition will lc fully carried
out and that tooby our religion growing up
among YOU.
"Thc period is very brief when any man
much less an editor, can be permitted to assert
that Northcfn Methodist steal property &C.
that 'bel"ngs to Southern Mcthodists' The
i;.v; is, all the Southern people have fallen 81
far behind the prugrcss of the age in every
thing g-not onl, in rcligion--tl,at they are
really ignorant OF the painost truths as we'll in
the religion OF the present age. as in the dis
covcrics i'll science, and their daily application
to the various arts Of life Religion bcin. the
essential element Of all political PROCESS, it
must of necessity part;,kc Of al! the molra-
tons which the progressive and educated
minds discover to be in accordance with tile
clcarcst lights Of the present age. "OrtholoA,
and 'llctcrodox' are no longer arrayctl against
each other. Orthodox does not at the present
day, among the truly educated, presume to dc
nouncc as hcrctcal or hctcrox those who