, 1870-02-27
CHURCH AND BrATK,

The Toledo (Ohio> Commereial is some-
what embarrassed by the recent decision in |
Cincinnati on the question OF the en-
forced reading Of the Bible in the public
schools, and, with Tiew Of meeting the
question sanasely, it states TINT tho only
safe and consistent position for the friends
of the perfuuctory reading Of the Scrip
tures is 'sthat the State Is Christian, and
that the religion ahould be acknowledged tn
the government anu in the institutions f
the State" To take ary other position, il
Bays, is to abandon the whole question, be-
cause "the Bible is not book making
such revelation Of the Deity as all Een
who admit Creator are agreed upon" It
reaches this conclusion:
"Ihese L, tae1:fe1e, no ssfe and oons'stens
Chs.sdan, and that 1t il tho ChHsstan1 cd Which
TIE. Wish 70 have acknowledged u the schools:
Il taeJ canuot teht II ont on thl& line they had
better abandon tho conteEt''
II it is in the power Of any State TO es-
tablish Stale religion, the power Ii not
confined to the establishment OF any par
ticula1 religion One State mar require =
te.t ossh excluding all but Christians from
Office; another State mag exclude all Chris-
t:nus. The Athanasian OF the A1ian Greed
may be declared the religion Of the State,
OF, il q majority so determine, the He
brew, or The Mormon, or the Chinese
Church may be installed. Once begin in
the matter Of establishing State religions,
md who cen tell whero it will end7 The
Toledo paper starts of with the proposition
to declare the Christian rslieion the religion
OF tbs State; but viii That prove satisfac-
tory? 1t is not the Christian religion
which it proposes, nor the Protestant
form OF it, hut the religion Of portion Of
tho Christian people. To be consistent,
the recognition Of ''Christ, and Of sAlya.
tiou through Him alone" must be estah-
lished by some other process than the inert
reading Of the Bible in the schoola- i
must bo incorporated in the Constitution
of the State, where.o nil citizens Of tn
St,te must submit, and all public officer
be required to swear
This question brings up another which i
i1separAble from State Church, and ths
is, the night to taz one portion Of tho PEG
pie to sustain religion, or form Of 20,
ship, which they reject. Shall the non
Christians Of Ohio, or Of any 6tate, b
taxed to support a religious establishment
whose teschinga they repudiase7 Once d.
clare that the public schools are to teae
the children Christian theology, or Pfose
tant theology, and then comes the inc
table necessity Of taxing tho wholn peop
for the support Of the religion Of only
portion. :.
II there were any enc thing which Il
american. peopls hare theoretioally q
nractical1y repudiated N the past it b
been the union ut Church and State; an
owing Ia the absence Of that a!liancet
fruitInl cause Of 80 many ages OF hun,
suffering and degradation, this country
become the Asylum of The oppressed o.
lands. Freedom Of conscience has oe
the Proud boast of Americans, and IN
remotest parts Of the earth :here Is
feature o: American liberty so universs
acceptable ~ that which Leaves religion
achieve It's OWE Victories without tho aid
government !.
There is no use in splitting hairs nj
this subject The power to establish
Chr:stian religion a. The religion Of a 81
admits The power to establish any Of
rslig1on; and to clain thai sae Athanai
preed nay be the Law Of the State +
sdnit thst tbs msiodty uAy. deoaar1
kriauiun o. MormonizEa Is tho tt