The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-12-10
A People Without Religion.

hgious views or preferenceR. 1t has been
unfortunately too common to hnd men of
mature years Who had renounced all reli-
gioD, but even these men bad in their youth
been imbued with religious feeling, and
while Inhdelity was impudent and aggres-
sive in the street and on the marts of bus-
ness, it dared not rear it's head amid the
scholsstic shades where youth was educa-
ted.
Even in this country, where the most ex-
aggerated notions of individual choice in
religious matters, even for children, has
always prevailed, total Indifference on
such subjects has been almost unknown
among young persons up to within few
years. But a small proportion, indeed, of
the American youth actually belonged"
as 1t is termed, to any "Church." 1t was
generally hoped that at some later day,
after mature reflection and pray yerful search,
they would be able to decide among the rival
claims of Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian
and Episcopalian orthodoxy, but in the
meantime they were not "members.". Still,
scarcely youth could be found in school
or out of school who would not declare his
general belief in Christianity and his pecu-
liar preference for some one sect, generally
that with which his mother affiliated.
This is all changed now. Young America
is oftentimes as irreligious as mature
America. This ia we'll known, and the
following extract from the New York Sun
gives but one instance ont of thousands
where statistics would show tina same me-
lancholy condition. The Sun says:
In the history of the class which was gradn-
ated at Harvard College this year, it is sng
gestive and somewhat startling to find that
those members who reported as to their reli.
gious views that they had none whatever"
equalled in number the highest total of any
one religious denomination. These nottInRa-
riaus were nineteen, while six-students were
still undecided to their religious opinions,
and one could say no more of his belief than
that "Christianity only expresses IT," 1t is un.
ouestionably fact that q very considerable
share of our literally educated young men are
outside of the churches, and in q state of mind
1egardipg religion which s is removed e1ht from
velops the minds of many of our brightest and
best trained youth.
Here were some twenty five or six
yonng men, out of one class in college of
about seven hundred students, NJ oct of W HON
had "no religious views whatever" and the
too, in the pet institution of New England
and of American Professionalism generally.
The cause of this change is doubtless to be
found in the fact that the mothers as we'll
as the fathers of these young men have
themselves " no religious views whatever"
But whatever the cause may be, the con-
sequences Of such a state of things present
of irop oSi ofo fH ha
public. A people without religion would
be an experiment in the history of the
world. Society has never existed perma-
pently without the religious element in its
composition. Civilized, barbarous and
savage nations, all have religious convic-
tions by which they are powerfully inf1u-
enced. To the extent that these religions
are erroneous, as, save one, they all are
more or less, to that extent they are inju-
rioue in their influence. But the general
idea of deity and of human responsibility to
that deity for evil done is one which is at
the foundation of every religion, true or
false, and which wie!ds by far the wide
ard strongest influence on the human race.
Can society exist without being con-
trolled by that idea7
The question will never have practical
solution. Long before any society Can be
reduced to the condition Of religious ami
hilatiOn, where the experiment of Atheism
could be tried, it will lapse into anarchy.
That is: Not only is it impossible for a
nation of Atheists to exist, but it is not even
possible for a nation to exist wherein
Atheism forms an important element.
Force is the law of slaves, conscience that
of freemen. Society cannot be without
law, and intelligent men will laugh at Law
which has no hold on their conscience
Without deity there is no authority there
is nothing but consent If the passions o
men lead them to revolt against the law
what strength will it find in the mere powe
of the State 1t would be laughed to scOrn
} But if man knows himself to be responsibl
to a supreme being for the violation of jas