Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-14
MODERN FREEDOM OF WORSHIP.

| VhODEhN EhLEDOn OF WOhSIlf I.
The debate in the Senate on the Ed
munds bill, full report of which appears
in the Congressional Record of January s.,
is very interesting. AS one reads it over
and recalls the history of the Christian
religion, the conclusion cannot be escaped
that there is more bigotry and intoler-
ance in the world to-day than the nine
teenth century is wont to admit. Among
Christian denominations the Mormon
church enjoys the unique distinction OF
being hated by both Catholics and
Protestants. Religionists of differ
ent denominations are disinclined to
admit that Mormonism is a religion
in any sense of the word. This is no
doubt the case with all except the Nor
mons, but to them their religion is as
much a religion as Catholicism is to the
Catholic, Methodism to the Methodist.
Whatever a man thinks is religion is to
that man religion. 1t is impossible to
have test as to religion. Every church
and denomination has its rules for deter
mining what is religion according to it's
tenets and beliefs, but these rules merely
determine what is and what is not reIg-
ion for a particular sect. Even
to-day Catholics speak of the
Reformation as an apostacy, and
Catholic writers in speaking Of that
movement always make a quotation of
the word. To a Protestant that seems
most strange. Catholics look upon
Professionalism as an emancipation of the
flesh. The Catholic church is a great
church and the most wonderful and per-
feet organization that the mind of man
ever created, and it was old, as Macaulay
says, when the oldest of the modern
dynasties of Europe was still unborn.
That church naturally looks upon Protes-
tantism as the chief source of all the evils
which affiict modern society. The Rt.
Rev. John Walsh only recently spoke OF
Catholicism and Professionalism in these
terms: Enough, however, has been
written to show that the Catholic church
is the mother of Christian civilization
and the friend and savior of society;
whereas, Professionalism, in its teachings
and influences, is principally the cause of
the terrible evils that afflict modern So
ciety and menace it with ruin. Other
evil agencies, such as Freemasonry and
kindred associations, have taken up the
destructive forces brought into life and
action by Protestant principles, and are
energetically carrying them out to their
sad and fatal consequences"
These words of DR.. Walsh in all prob
ability represent the general feeling of
Catholics towards Professionalism, but occa-
sionally a Catholic more bold and ardent
goes further still. The late DR.. Ward, in
January, 1876, went so far as to affirm
that ga Catholics freedom of conscience
is grievously impaired by the civil
tolerance of other religions" Such
a sentiment is not far removed from
the sixteenth century, and is in
full accord with the judgment OF Cardinal
Benno, who declared that if Charles V.
had ordered the death of Luther at the
Diet of Worms the whole mischief of the |
Reformation would have been prevented. |
Some of the Protestant religious journals |
of the East are fully as severe and big
oted in their denunciation of the Catholic
church. The fight in New York over the
'' Freedom of Worship bill' plainly |
shows the liberality OF Protestants to-
wards Catholics.
Such showings as these should make
Senators careful in saying what consti-
1tes religion and what does not When
the religion of the Mormons teaches
hat polygamy is right and its
practice proper and justifable, then
hat religion, to the extent that
t conflicts with the law of the
and, should be treated as anything
Use that is in conflict with the laws of
he land and be put down. 1t makes no
Inference whether practice conflicts
With and contravenes the law of the land
lnder the name of religion or under the
lame of something else, such practice
must be made to cease. But it is ill
ldvised for those who are dealing with
uch unlawful practices and framing and
nacting laws for their suppression to un-
lertake to say what is religion and what
5 not. 1t should never be forgotten by
,eople who discuss or deal with religious
uestions that Orthodoxy is my doxy
nd heterodoxy is your .doxy."