Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-03-17
from the nter- Ocean
CHURCH AND STATE.

from the nter- Ocean.
CHURCH AND STATE.
The expulsion OF the Quaker Thorn.
from the North Carolina Legislature
for not believing in the o-thudox con
ception OF God, 10 manifestation o
the same spirit n hich has Of late years
repeatedly found vent in meetings and
petitions to Congress TO secure Q re
iigivus amendment" 10 the Constit0
zion recognizing the Deity and the
Bible. Those who favor such = policy
are undoubtedly prompted by excel.
lent motives, and many Of them seem
to be mon Of the highest character fol
sincerity and earnestness. 1t 10 per-
haps not unnatural that Jealous men
of piety should seek to exalt the OBJ.
ject OF their worship, and TO imprint
the orthodox Christian belief upon the
organic law Of the nation. But very
little consideration will show that the
object aimed at, although proposed
with the moat worthy Intentions, il
really impolitic, II not positively nm.
just; full Of dangers, contrary to the
spirit Of the republic, and almost GER
tain to restlt In calamitias such as we,
Of all people, ought to shun. Would
1t not be strange example, II at the
very moment when the older and
long.despotic and priest-ridden ma
tions are making vigorous efforts to
separate the church from the state
an alliance which Macaulay has finely
characterized a. 50 double bondage
republican America should attempt to
coerce mems consciences and to erect
. political establishment? Austria,
Italy, Germany, even France, whose
sovereign has always been styled "The
Eldest Son Of the Church." and "The
Most Christian King" are one and all
busy in diejoining the union which,
made originally to secure the tyranny
of princes and subject the people to q
two-fold thralldom, has been constant
ly attended by religious wars, by
frightful prosecutions, by stake-burn-
ings and st. Bartholomew massaores,
BY the expatriation OF whole popula-
tione, and by the retention of nations
In ignorance for centuries. It requires
no profound acquaintance with the
world . history to zee that OF ell feuds,
religious feuds are the most relentless
and unappeasable that wars of sccts
arc exterminating; that the alliance
between church and state tends always
to restrict and smother liberty, throw
the power into the hands OF fanatics,
and to crush out ct all hazards inde-
pendence Of individual belief.
It is mot for the sake OF the atheist
or the ecoffer that every religious test
should be kept out Of the organic law
of the United States Il 10 for the sake
of that perfect liberty Of, conscience
which We profess to confer on all who
accept American citizenship. The
Bible is not wronged NOR stifled God
is not ignored nor denied, because
neither ofthem is expressly mentioned
In the Consultation. The gospel may
do its beneficent work Just O. we'll,
may be propsgsted just a. widely and
effectually, may be preached and In.
cuicated everywhere just - freely 90
II . constitutional article imposed It
90 the supreme law upon every house.
hold. The Deity is none the less the
Deity, TO any devout mind, because
there IL no direct recognition Of Him
In the Constitution neither can con-
be expected to make or uu-
mako religious faith. A Constitution
is avowedly and solely an instrument
OF political cOntfol; religion has q
sphere Of its own, outside Of political
arrangements. Those who aim at any
Of the proposed innovations should
also remember that, II once adopted,
and q church-and.state precedent be
tho time may come when
. test which they abhor may DO i'm.
posed upon the nation under constitu-
ti0nal sanction. Those at present In
the ascendant In the Christian world
may be outstripped in the race to &C.
cure the souls and the Allegiance of
the people and should one seot ~.
como strong enough 70 impose iteeli
upon the Constitution, and promulgate
its peculivr tenets, armed with politi.
cal power, the future will present the
weary prospect of the most melancholy
Of all histories repeated: the wars OF
sects and churches which have desc
lated Europe may be reproduced upon
. continent which was supposed to be
reserved for unrestricted liberty of
thought and conscience, and degrade
. people whose proud boast it 10 that
their commonwealth was founded on
the rock Of the broadest religious tol-
Grafton.