The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-03-10
IMPRISONMENT FOR WORsHIPING
GOD.


The absurdity Of having an Establish
ed Church in a nation of people suppos-
ed to be civilized and free has had
striking illustration of late in England.
Some clergymen of the State Church, of
that class commonly known as Ritual
lists, have an idea that certain move
ments of the body, and certain fashions
Of clothing, are absolutely necessary
when they are engaged in Divine Serv-
ice; and they govern themselves accord.
ingly. On the other hand, there are per-
SONS, both clerical and lay, who are of
the opinion that these Ritualistic forms
and ceremonies and dresses are devices
Of the Devil, and not to be tolerated by
any Christian. Not content with hold.
ing these views themselves, and trying
to disseminate them by means of moral
suasion, they have invoked the strong
arm of the law to put down the practices
they condemn. The Ritualistic clergy
men have been brought before the
Courts, and found guilty Of an offence
against the rules otthe Church, and have
been sent to Jail 1t sounds preposter-
GUS, that in free, enlightened, Christ.
ian England, Christian men should be
imprisoned because of their views as to
the proper mode Of Worshiping God.
And yet that is just what is done in the
Mother Land in the year of grace one
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
Singularly ridiculous and unjust as this
may seem to all fair-minded, reasonable
people, it is after all only consistent and
proper, So long as the Church and State
are united; 80 long as the head of the
State is also the head of the Church so
long as the Parliament of the people is
required to legislate for the Church, and
the people are all taxed to support the
Church go long is the State bound to
enforce the law governing the Church.
A man is as justly punished in England
by the civil law for violating the Public
Worship Act, or any other ecclesiastical
Act, as for violating the Game Law. The
laws of the State should be enforced 30
long as they stand on the statute book.
1t ia not in furnishing ministers for
wearing dresses Of particular cut, or for
bowing before the Almighty in a partic-
ulsr style, that the unreasonableness of
English law and custom is shown, 80
much as it is in the state OF affairs which
makes this petty persecution for con.
science sake a legal necessity. So long
as the Episcopal Church in England is
established by law, and is made part of
the State, 30 long must the State exer.
else Control oyer its adherents, and en-.
force obedience to all its laws.
1t seems most ridiculous to us that an
atheist like Brsdlaugh, or a Jew like
RothsChild, or Quaker like Bright, or
any other of the numerous disbelievers
in the tenets and practices of the Angli.
can Church in the British Parliament,
should have right to legislate for that
Church. 1t seems horribly inconsistent
for men of liCentious CharaCter-snd
there are some such in Parliament-to
have voice in regulating the affairs of
Christian body, or to have power in
the appointment of ministers over
Christian congregation. But these are
necessary results Of the iniquitous union
Of Church and State, and are inseparable
from it.
We are not sorry that the Evangelical
section of the State Church in England
are enforcing the law against the Ritual
istic clergymen and sending them to
Jail. We only wish that the Ritualists
would retaliate, and invoke the law
against the Broad Church and Low
adherents, for violations of eCelesiast
iCal regulations. There is no doubt the
latter offend the letter of the law as we'll
as the former, though in the opposite
direction. If there is law on the stat
ute book that should not be there-thst
is oppressive or sbsurd-the proper way
to secure its speedy abolition is to en-
force it strictly, and thus make it's OBJ
noxiousness 30 apparent that it shall be
repealed and 80 imprisonment for wor-
Shipping God according to a mans own
ideas, will only hasten the time when
the union of Church and State in En-
gland shall be dissolved forever.-LOn
don 01nnd1l A1neTfiaer