The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1868-11-25

Slral1eQ 10 NSdCu MS -N6uclS, Iue
general evangelical orthodox truthsof chTis-
tianity. What makes the tenets of any sect
"peculiar, y The holding of separate points
apart from all other sects as truths. These
separate points are held essential, or they
could not be permitted to divide the peculiar
sect from others. Would you, then, omit
essential truths of teaching because they are
your own peculiar views But omit them
because peculiar; we just enquirs what are
',eYangelicaln "orthodox" truths. There is
the bridge of sighs I What is orthodox a.
What evangelical Hooker says-ssH two
men take scripture for their guide, and pro-
Tossing to have no other guide, come o-op-
.posite conclusions, it is quite clear that
neither has a right to decide that the other
is not orthodox2 Worcester says-'1OrthO-
dox signifies sound in doctrine, evangelical,
agreeable to the Gospel In Roman Catho-
lie countries Roman Catholics only are es-
teemed orthodox. In the established church
of England, High Churchmen who are gen
orally anti-C Calvanistic, are commonly styled
orthodox, and Low Churchmen evangelical
In the United States it is customary to style
CalYinists both orthodox and evangelical"
Eden says Evangelical is now often used
as SYNONYMOUS with Calvinist. Thus, at
every step we are clogged by "sectRrian'
terms and ideas in attempting to give reE-
gious instruction from the peculiar doctrines
of some one or more congregations or
churches of christians. Religion is spiri-
tual faith and doctrine. Had it not better
be left to the churches themselves2 To
Pastors and not TO teachers of public
schools?
The Providence of God and the policy of
Providence would seem so to haye decided
by making it impossible to have or appre-
hend or teach any religion without defining
some spiritual faith and works. But you
say some religion must be had, and appre-
hended and taught So say the Board. But
| by whoml BY Gods churches; by parents
and guardians, and ministers, and evangels
of the Gospel, or by mere laymen in public
schools, where the attempt atreligious teach-
ing must be the sowing of taresl That is
the question for the Board to decide. They
| have decided to leave il where it belongs
| to parents; under the guidance and spiritual
| discipline of the churches of God. And
! here the Board would humbly submit that
| the burthen of "religious instruction. sho'd
never be imposed upon the public schools,
lest it be taken off the more responsible
shoulders of fathers and mothers, and guar
dians, and spiritual advisers OF the churches.
And to impose upon public school teachers
the mere generalities of religious instruction
without its penetrating point of practical be-
| lief and faith and form as taught by sects. is
to change the vital warmth of religion for
the cold corpse of a-senseless creed, and TO
cause those who should be the teachers of
religious truths of youth to shift their duties
to improper hands, and to neglect their faith
full discharge To prevent religious instruc-
ton, except to leave 1t free to all in their
own approved mode of seeking it, in the
public schools, is necessarily to prevent Sec
tarianism, peculiar creeds and systems of re-
ligion to enter in, and to invite and author
ize particular congregations and their pastors
to exercise dominion over the religious.
| faith and practice of the pupils, the teachers,
the superintendent and the boards of direc-
ton of the public schools And there was
more wisdom in the saying of the school
master in Athens than unthinking observers
imagine, when he claimed that teachers gov
erned the city, because they governed the
schools. He was no "Scholastikus u
He said wisely, and his saying is warn
ing to the friends of civil and religious free
dom, the teachers governed the pupils the
pupils in time made the people, and the peo-
pie ruled Athens So here; is there not
some danger of Hierarchy, if pastors may
rule the schools, and the schools the State
This little speck of prayer, to be allowed to
read the Lords Prayer and some passages
of scripture, and to give religious instFuc-
ton, only general and evangelical and ortho-
doX in the public schools, though apparent
ly no larger than a mans hand, is a portsnt
of a cloud black with troubles which, has
risen and burst over the earth, old world
and new, many times before these times
What is it but the beginning again of estab-
lished church and of conformity with all
their eoncomitants of wrath poured from
the Yials of controversial Divinity What
, is it but the beginning of a union of Church
! and State Z And what more than that, as
all protestants have protested for centuries,
| haes Iaff1 1od ys4b -
christianity The public schools are the
State. Schools and the churches in no form
directly or indirectly should ever, for chris
tianitY's sake, or the States sake, be united
with them. The moment the church seeks
temporal power and control by union with
State, it becomes corrupt and loses its spiri-
tuality, and the moment a State or its insti-
tutiOns become controlled by a corrupt and
: ambitious hierarchy, it ceases, both ciYilly
and religiously, to be free The worst of
all goals in all history has ever been that the
hierarchies. 1t is not so strange as it is sig
niicant, that in this pious pretence, of pray
er and scripture reading, there should be
latent if not patent danger of reVerting back
to church establishment, to conformity and
to eXcommunication. Have we not seen
too much of these in Italy, in Spain, in
England, Scotland, Ireland, and in the colo
nies of North America, now to take the first
step back towards former tyranny.
But, gentlemen, where is this to stop -
There are too many, we know, who are
ready 10 take up the cry of Cronlwellian
revolution, and exclslm: 'gThe earth is
the Inheritance of the saints, and we are the
saints" They claim that the saints Shall
rule when the saints have power to rule, and
they are, seeking power by every device of
sanity art IF the majority here in this city
are of right to dictate their evangelical or
: thodoxy to any and all of minority who
differ from them, thsn this must be the rule
for other majorities of different religion,
of opposing religion in other cities. There
is one universal christian rule which all ac-
cede to: ''To do unto others as you would
have them do unto you, T" If majority of
this community were Mahometans would
you have them read and teach the Koran
If Jews, would you haye them deny Christ
in the public schools2 If you may institute
the religion of the protestant pastors, of the
city in the public schools here, are you VIII
ing for the Catholics to institute their reIi-
gion in the public schools of any locality
where they have a majority If not, why
not All are taxed. Ifso, what a. motley
teaching of creeds, what a chequered theol-
ogy we would have all over the State, In
| confusion worse confounded of all ideas of
the harmony of Heavens laws and of HeaY-
EMS love, instead of one grand, eomprehen-
sive, normal and tolerant system Of humans
ties and science supporting religion. its love,
its charity and its eternal 1ifei willis
England has emancipated Catholics in Ire
land, and the world, Jews everywhere, and
even Italy and Spain are turning to the toll
4 erance of civilization for christiauity's sake,
let not the institutions of North American
republios turn back TO the; barbafisn Of
brutal tyranny of bigotei intoleraneet -a.di-
u But the danger don't stop at the localities
4 of the State of Ohio. 1t threatens other
4 StatesG-onei particularly bound blythe
I. chains oflerror as CALLING TO christianity as
anyl chains binding victims Central Afii-
! ecaHthe State Of Utah led Utahlt isia heaven
4 of Isaintsl The saints are a majority there,
Iiandth saints have their Inheritance and
full dominion over it ! and . Brigham Y onng