The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-05-24
THE RELIGIOUS AMENDMENT.

THE RELIGIOUS AMENDMEN1. ga.
The Evangelical Press Association
sends US copies Of its circulars and doc
uments from which we are informed
that the National Reform Association
is ''organized to maintain existing fea-
tnres in the American Government,
and to secure a suitable religious
amendment to the Constitution Of the
United States" We are also Informed
that
During the present year this Society
has greatly enlarged its operations
-Four District Secretaries are deyoting
their whole time to- the work, holding
conventions, addressing churches and
public meetings, circulating petitions,
and extending the membership Of the
organization. Within six months four
teen conventions, and more than two
hundred public meetings have been
held in behalf of this cause. The men,
bers of the Association enrolled during
the current year and contributing to its
funds, are more than two thousand,
and its list of officers includes many
pro,r inent and influential men.
AS TO the objects Of the association,
they say: 49,. T.
Among the features of the govern
ment which, this associatisn aims to
conserve are our Sabbath Laws, the
use of the Bible in Public Schools.
Prayer ir the National and State Legis-
latures, and the Christian Law Of Mar
riage in opposition to the lax divorce
legislation now so common. Some
suitable change III the constitution is
deemed by this society to he indispens-
ably necessary. since that instrument,
in its present form, is extensively re-
garded us an expression Of the secular
theory of government, and is constantly
employed rs an argument against all
that is Christian in the usage and ad-
ministration of our government.
They desire the cooperation of the
ADVANCE in this effort to unite Church
and State, and place the government in
the position of 4 police force to execute
the bchests Of sectayianism and bigotry.
Certainly, sirs, certainly, the ADVANCE
will cooperate. We have frequently in
formed our readers of your designs.
But there are certain conditions upon
which the co operation Of the ADVANCE
can he secured and these must De COM
piled with before we can throw the
'immense weight of our country
newspaper into the scales. The first
condition is that you must declare this
government to be not only Protestant
ard Evangelical. but also Catholic,
Unitarian, Jewish, Infjdel. Material
istic and Sriritualistic. These latter
classes, taken together, cutnumber the
so called Evangtlicals by rousing ma
jo:ity. The ADVANCE believes in tie
fullest religions liberty and to make
tie government a Protestant Or an
Evangelical machine to the exclusion
of the others wo"ll be unjust, not to
say unconstitutional" Tie consti-
tutinn itself would become uncOnstitu-
tiona!, that is, at variance with the
genius of fl. e institutions, il your linz
tied amendment should prevail.
A second condition is that you must
declare this government ~ be Nolam-
,nedan and Buddhistic. Oar whole
political system is built UP on the
granite rock foundation wall of rclig
ious rs we'll rs political liberty and of
no religious tests" and we cannot ut
this late day j,in in an effort to take
down the superstructure, tear up the
foundation and put down an Evangel-
ical basement wall just to please Il few
Protestant priests and "fanatical zeal
OTIS"
If your efforts are succeeding ut the
rate claimed, it is high time for the
Amer lean people to organize and put
their massive foot ulsen you. All ad-
!crcnts OF other religions and all who
haye no religious affiliations, should
take the alarm and checkmate you in
this wicked scheme to deprive them of
religious liberty.