Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1868-03-27

ion. This Gas / have before 'said) is4not the
case; and this will appear very clcar from the
very correct deiinitionrof thcword
2" Webstcrihas, perhaps, done more harm
in his elaborate comments on the meaning of
the ~-ld religion than any other author or
writer. But Webster even borrowed moro
than he originated or cvcn learned
Religion then is simply ono's conviction
of duty to him Or herself, his fellows and his
Creator. 1t has nothing to do with regards
ana pu"ie'''"nnts in some other world, but be-
longs entirely to ones sojoura on this Garth.
1t must bo evident therefore that tho man who
can believe that his owning and selling, and
buying, working and not educating human
being is quite different from the belief of an
other man who believes in his heart that his
duty is not to own, buy or sell, nor to work
without educating his fellows. Also, tits oh.
vious lhat tho system of Theology, which is
reconcllablo with the first, cannot form any
part Of tho religion of the second. Now, the
Book, called the Bible, is often quoted in sup
port of either side of the question and, it
is true it docs give evidence on both sides,
just as ones mind and ones heart inclino; but
one man forgcts that progressive mind is In
fact the life of ony religion, while the dead,
inert letter 9Aa'etA The Biblo of the
Southern people We of the North want moth.
ing to do with. We have our own viows and
sentiments; which with us arc tho Creators
views and desires as to us, and being the
stronger VIC announce our claim, by Gods
laws, to'all those men and things which conc
III our way. We, therefore, claim to own in
tee simple, every person and thing in all the
conquered South in anywisc appcrtaining to
the Southern people, whether white or black.
The blacks belong to usj just rs well as the
whites; and if it were our religion to buy,
sell and work them as slaves, then it would
be done unless stronger religion should in-
terferc to prevent us.
We therefore hold that the Southern pco-
pie (not only Mcthodists, but ALL have no
rcitStuu, anu ought not TO be allowed In nc
scmblc either in former churches or elsewhere.
and wc have no doubt the time is not far dis.
tant when such prohibition will be fully car.
ricd out, and that too by our religion grow
ing up among you.
g The period isvcry brief when any man,
much less an editor, can be permitted to as
scrt that Northern NIethodists "steal proper
ty, &c.," that belongs to Southern NIetho-
dsts." The fact is, all the Southern people
have fallen 50 far behind the progross of the
agetin evcrything--no only in rcligion-that
they arc really ignorant of the plaincst truths
as we'll as iii the religion of the present ago,
as in the discoveries in soicncc, and their daily
application to the various arts of life Re.
ligion being the essential clement of all polit.
ical progress, it must of necessity partakc of
all the notifications which the progressive
and educated minds discover to be in accor
dance with the clcarcst lights of tho present
ago. Orthodox" and " Hctcrodox" arc no
longer arraycd against each other Orthodox
does not, at the present day, among the truly
educated, presume, to denounce as heretica or
-hetcrodox; .those who differ with the former
on religion or politics., Three persons in ono
Cod is no moro nor less than figure of il
lustration; SO, a "ncvcr-cnding hell" taught
for hundreds of years by all Protestants, is
not for a'momcnt believed by the educated of
the present day. Tt is true many ignorant
people of the Mcthodists as we'll as some 9th.
CT religions, really do believe in endless tor
mont for the soul after death, but it is the
work of every we'll thinking mind to be en-
ploycd in removing such horrible notions. -
Doubtless the old English transalations of the
Bible had much todo with creating this hor.
rid, sad.and dreadful notion. But even the !
Roman Catholics have always discarded it
and substituted temporary punishment Ga
purgatory) from which a liberal payment of
money will lrcloase the victim. But the whole
masses of the South are stepped in the gros-
scst and darkest ignorance and worse than
hcathen superstition, Tho whole religion Of
the Southern people may be classcd as one
and the same, and that of the worst possible
tendencies. Nor is there much sign for hope
in the future. Better, indeed, if cvory house
and school house in. all the Southern States
were burned to tho ground, and every native
born there forever prohibited from teaching
or preaching as you call it. Tn this event
teachers from the North would alone give bent
toshc rising generation there, and in less than
half century thcro would be a religion worth