Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-04-14
From the Vermont Chronicle.
Religion and Government.
BY REV. L. o. lRASTow

tnnr
oe hohe' one may say there ought to be, TO
the very sake OF authority. Withont Cod
tue supreme Authority-there is no lepiti
mate authority. Man, isolate from the Su
preme' Is no basis of right authority what
WI Government implies authority or
the one side, and subsection on the other. L
lmpiieS moral authority on the one side
ana moral responsibility on the other. /
II be not moral, it has no proper authority
ana responsibility at all. 1t at last implie.
supreme Authority that holds us in poll.
'iVh4 allegiance Government thus imple.
Supreme Authority on the one side. and a
responsible man on the other. And here
you strike the soil of religion. When
through the sense of obligation. we have
touched the Supreme. We have touched re-
llglon. For religion involves lust this re-
lation oi Supreme Authority and moral
responsibility. Law is not authority. Ii
Is the manifestation of authority. 1t is not
authority itself. Authority centers some
"heTe IN intelligence and will. There is no
supreme moral authority, without reason.
conscience and will; and political authori-
" must somehow be based in moral authori-
ty' or Its character as authority is fatally
compromised All legitimate authority
must be delegated authority.
Here, when We get to the bottom of it. is
]
ular relation. Here is the authority of the
parent over the child. Here the authority
Vi the government over the citizen. | have
not only the right OF necessity, and Of pow
er TO defend my own life, but the moral au-
thorlty 10 do 1t. Government has not only
the right Of necessity to protect itself by
taking criminal life; it has authority to
do lt-a delegated authOrity-els3 Il La.r,,,
tod prerogatlye. Ii is therefore natural
that the secularist, who finds no connection
| between government and supreme authori-
] " should deny that II has the right Ii IL
tod, not man, who creates government We
determine the forms and carry on the pro-
ctS-eS. but lie creates 1t. The pAnlti-.i,ss
ton OF wills cannot create authority The
authority of government Is representative
personal intelligence and will. holding
| relation with the masses of men, Is the basis
Of authority. This has been the doctrine,
not only Of HebraIsm and Christianity, but
OF all religions, and, in fact, Of almost all
! people OF which We know anything. |
know that, both savage and civilized, man
/ has perverted the doctrine Of a conn ecti on
between government and higher power.
/ lhe " divine right of rulers, and the di-
vlne voice OF the people" are caricatures.
/ they ialsiiy the doctrine. But here. as
! everywhere. the false implies the true. Carl
catnre implies basis Of the genuine. 1t
/ does not dlsproye the position that govern
mcut perverts itself as men pervert them
selves Man represents and reveals God,
/ however perverted he may be. Conscience
I Is ' God voice, however false sometimes
lts utterance. Government has its root in
/ God authority. however it may misuse
/ power and prerogatiye
/ But again. if government has something
n rnUH. kava Nrn-
have theoretically a mole than secular aim.
! How Is it possible to treat man. in a thou
| sand unconscious and necessary ways, as
| other than a religious being? We are sub
/ iects Of government because We have the
higher, responsible nature. and We do not
/ estimate or treat political government as II
/ 1t were only voluntary business contrly-
ance for only material and secular ends,
into which only the business faculties enter.
/ We treat it a. # il touched our higher man
hood. We know that We are born into gov
ernment a We are born INTO families, and
are reborn into the church, and We esti-
mate the state as a social polity, with
root "a deep and "a object as hlgn as the
family.
Now let q, admit that in any theory it Is
wise tor the state 10 regulate moral and re-
lIgious education, 50 lar as practicable, to
family and the church. Ii Is especially 50
in government like ours and for the
reason that 1t Is better done thus. More
over, 1t l. pretty clear that, whatever cur
theory or conviction, the public school will
I be thoroughly secularlzed. The Bible, all
religions instruction and service, all posi-
tive religious lnculcati0n and influence.
viii be excluded. Whether We will or no,
We are ID process now involving that issue.
And there are some reasons why We may
acquiesce in it-With good hope Of iavora-
bic results, although there are other
pectS OF the case not so hopeful. 1t may
possibly result IN a more responsible domes-
tic and ecclesiastical education and nurture.
Ii may save Us from sectar ian dispute and
wranglng-pOsslblY sectarian violence. 1t
may save the Bible from the dlshOnOr of be-
coming a sort Of football in partisan con-
tests. Ii may save It from the doubtful
honor, not TO say dishOnOr. Of superficial
artificial and somewhat patrOnizing recOg
milton OF it. 1t may deliver US from the
embarrassment Of very restrained and
>layishlY cautious recognition of God. In
the present state Of feeling and opinion, II
will be impossible to introduce such recOg-
milton Of religion as will much honor 1t or
Iauch benefit the schools. Ii may possibly
remove q hindrance and give US better hope
Of saving our school system for the adyan-
tage of all classes Of our citizens alike. 1t
Is Of first importance to save the schools,
even if We are Obliged completely 10 secu-
laTize them. And vet 10 prudential con-
sideratiOn ought to be strong enough to
push US from a solid theoretic basis. 1t may
be that education involves division Of
labor" 1t may be better, on economic and
prudential grounds. to Telegate moral and
religious education to the family and the
church. They can DO this work, in which
the state is so vitality interested, more sue
cessiully. But We still Insist, not only that
the state has vocation to interest itself IN
tins matter, but also that 1t has no light |
utterly to Ignore responsibility with respect |
10 it.
It Is conceivable that cases may arise, as
they sometimes do, IN which the family and |
church fail TO secure moral and religious
instruction There are cases in which child |
rem revert directly to the care of the State. |
l. 1t an usurpation Of prerogatve Tor 1t to |
hold Itself responsible Tor their moral and |
religious Instruction. | claim, not only |
that it Is its privilege, but its duty, to as
sumo this responsibility. In fact, does not /
the State assume this responsibility when |
ever ii makes any provision, IN any way |
whatsoever, for such instruction and edu-
cation, whether directly or indirectly?
We have considered the theory Of the case.
lie
is a fact that our government IN certain 1
official way recognizes the existence OF God, |
and the citizens belief in Him. 1t Is
against the historic fact that this govern !
ment is as really atheis;ic or polytheistlc as
thelstic IL is tolerant of all religion. But |
no state document talks of Jupiter or Brah-
ma as sometimes of God. Whatever the
founders theory of the relation OF the state |
with any particular religion or sect, they |
maniiestly did not intend 10 push 1t 10 the |
extreme Of the reputation or non-recognl- |
ton OF the primitive facts OF religion.
- Such an attempt" Mr.. Justice Story ssys, |
- would have been met with universal DIS
appro patton and Indignation.
Ii Is a's1 fact that tho government. |
state and national, in many ways gives
Christianity certain practical recognition.
| do not claim that there Is 50 close con- 1
nection between the government and Chris /
tianity that We may call II strictly Chrls- I
tian government. Ii in strlctest sense 1t /
were a Christian government, We should be /
Obliged to support Christianity by positive I
LEGAL enactments and discriminate against .
other religions 1t would be legally ldenti- |
fed with the government. In other words,
we should have an organized state religion. /
But 1t i a fact that Christianity often gets /
such Official recognition, either by positive !
acts OF ny shutrdhce' a. l" %'O ~ - 90
preceience and advantage over other reIlg- ]
ions. la fact, how is it possible to legs
late successfully without IN some way re
cosnizing favorably the dominant religion?
Il 30 pervades all departments OF life that 1t
j. about as impossible to escape 1t as to es-
cane the atmosphere. In word. 50 long |
a. we have Christian citizenship, 50 long |
we shall have in effect a Christian govern I
ment 1t was this Tact. probably, which |
Mr. Webster had in mind when he said that
Christianity Is part OF the law OF the |
land. He did not mean that We have
state religion in the strict sense. lie meant |
that Christian citizenship necessltates ChNs-
tian legislation that Christian nation
will have in effect Christian government;
do NOT claim that our legal and oihcial |