Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1872-02-15
God in the Constitution.


ton. The objects of the Convention
viii be understood by reading the
following editorial from the Cincinnati
Gazette of the I'd inst:
The movement to put into the Con
stitution a declaration of spiritual au-
thority originates with a class of per-
sons who think that religious liberty
and the system of government which
separates Church and State, are fail
ures. It is not strange that they
should have this lack of faith, for the
system is an experiment which our
government alone of all the govern
ments in the world is trying. 1t is
not strange that many should think
that religious liberty is RIGHTEOUSNESS,
and that State without State relig-
ion, is a goddess State, and is virtu-
ally an expression of contempt for re
ligion for in all ages Of the world,
States, whether pagan or Christian,
have taken charge of the religion of
their citizens. ls ssaa se
In stating this as the conviction of
these movers, we give full considera
ton to their disclaimers and explana-
tions. In spite of all these, no plain
reason can be given for Inserting in
the Constitution an ackno wledgement
of spiritual authority in our govern
ment that does not mean a declaration
of religious duties on the part of the
State which make the State Church,
with the power and the duty to en-.
force religious observances, and to
disqualify and disfranchise those who
do not subscribe to what the State
lays down in purely spiritual matters.
The extent to which this amend
ment is designed to enter into the law
of the land is declared in the call for
the convention, which lays down
these:
1. A nation is the creature of God.
g It is clothed with authority de-
rived from Sod.
3. It owes allegiance to Jesus Christ,
the appointed ruler of nations.
4. 1t is subject to the authority of
the Bible, the special revelation of
moral law. .s....,.. r..
From these is drawn the following
conclusion:
In constituting and administering
its government, then, n nation is un
der obligations to acknowledge God
as the author of its existence and the
source of its authority, Jesus Christ
as its ruler, and the Bible as the fount-
ain of its laws and the supreme rule
of its conduct.
| These movers labor under the mis-
take of supposing that anything which
! they believe to be true is a proper
thing to put into the Constitution
When they affirm this source of exist
ence and authority, and this allegi,
ance, and this authority of the Bible
as rule of conduct, they find very
few to dispute. The proper applica-
ton of all this is that all men should
make Christian morality and Chris
tian duty the rule of their conduct in
public affairs, and thus should make
religion the higher law of political ac-
ton. But their conclusion is that be-
cause what they declare is truth, it
should be put into the Constitution,
and thereby be made coercive law.
Their religious zeal is greater than
their knowledge of constitutional law.
The Constitution is not a platform oi
abstract declarations, nor is it a creed
which people are to assent to, but to
make the law Of their conduct accord
ing as they can hold. 1t is a body Of
fundamental law for the government
F of the country. 1t is made to be car
ried into effect by the government, by
legislative, judicial, and executive ad
ministration. This declaration o
) spiritual authority is to be a mert
) mockery of God, or it is to have tn,
same force as all other parts of thi
fundamental law, and it is to be car
: ried into effect by the same instru
| mentalities.
7 God and religion are not abstrac
/ tions They have their written law
. the Bible. These declarations mean
if they have any meaning-that the
: Bible shall be the law Of the govern
e ment, by which all our laws are to b
: tested, and which our courts are bcun
n to administer. Now to say that th
Bible is a sufficient rule of faith an
> practice, and TO say that it shall b
e made a law of our government, are tw
/ widely different things. The first is
1t declaration that all Christians sui
! scribe to. The second is what ver
few of them will accepts Our laws al
to be administered by the ordinal
int1rm human agencies. Do we desil
to put the divine law into their hant
y to define and execute
l. Human nature will remain as it wa
n before. No miraculous change wi
a be wrought by this declaration. I'll
government will continue to be a,
ministered by men of ordinary pa
lie sions, such as are elected by the a
erage intelligence and virtue, and Il
t, average ignorance and corruption
10 the voting population. Viciousnes
ignorance and corruption, will CONT
i. ne to be powers in the body polit
lie the same as before, and these will co
I'd tinue to elect legislators, executive
er and judges of their own sort. T
- consummation will be that a spiritu
- authority viii be created to be admi
8 istered by low order of political
Id strumentalities, and men will find til
st they have foolishly parted with thu
s. freedom of conscience, and instead
% the law of God, have set up We
): bare human contrivance to rule oy
Al them, a-1
& Do Intelligent people think tt
~ what they have seen of the nature
popular government-a thing whi
can not rise higher than the ayera
intelligence and virtue of the voti
~ masses-is such thing as they woU
~ like to confer spiritual authority upo
or Do they really think religious libel
ar so poor thing that they would p
Mt with it so basely? Instead of elev
- ls.z.s-