The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-04-17

BILL ARP'S PHILOSOPHY.
Atlanta Constellation.
What do ne believe

Atlanta Constellation.
What do ne believe?
Easter Sunday is at hand, and twenty
millions of Christians in this republic
profess to believe chat this day is the
anniversary of the resurrection-the ris-
ing of wonderful man or God from the
dead. Twenty millions, six hundred and
ffy-seven thousand commuuicants of
Christian churches! This vast number
was made up from the records of the
Churches last August. Verify, this is
Christian Country, and the faith of all
these people centers upon Easter. Itisa
moro notable day-a more vital day than
Christmas, or any other day. A man can
be born and man can be put to death,
but who can rise from the dead i?
The world has hard old time in set
tliDg down upon dates and names and
creeds. 1t is not known yet whether the
word Easter came from Ostera, the god.
deas of Spring, or oster, the old Saxon
word for rising. 1t is not known what
day is really the anniversary of the resur-
rection. For near 800 years the oldtime
fathers Of the Church disputed over this,
and it was at last settled by force in the
year 325, at the great council of Nice.
Constantine and 31S bishops settled it,
and the Christian world had to conform.
This notable council was called together
to settle some other controversies, the
chief of which was whether Jesus Christ
existed In heaven before he was born on
the earth or not. This was called the
Arian heresy, and Arius was exccmmu-
nicated and banished. Force and power
settled everything then. For centuries
the learned men quarreled over such
questions, as the Trinity, and original
sin, and falling from grace, and election,
and traus.substantiation, and purgatory
and the worship of images and the Yir-
gin Mary, and these things are still hn-
settled among Christians. So late as the
seventeenth century a mau IVES not
allowed to believe what he believed.
The fires of Smithfield were lighted and
many good men were burned at the stake
for denying the full divinity of Christ.
Unitariauism was planted in the persecu.
tion.
What a change has come over the
world. What intolerance and persecution
scandalized and disgraced the ages. Only
few centuries have passed since those
who called themselves Christians made it
part of the Easter festival to beat the
Jews wherever they could find them.
The boys turned out with whips and
sticks and stones, and ran them to the
woods and caves, and the briar patches.
The dean of Paris made his chaplain
beat Jew to death on Easter Gay just to
amuse distinguished guest. They were
forced to eat hog meat and tansy pudding
as a humiliation, and the boys ran about
the streets singing.
"Christ is risen-Christ is risen,
And the Jews must go to prison."
What horrible creatures our forefathers
we're I thank the good Lord every day
that all this intolerance and inhumanity
has passed and that we live in an age of
true Christian civilization and can wor--
ship God according to conscience with
none TO molest or make US afraid. Faith
cannot be forced, nor can mans convic-
ton be changed by the arbitrary rules Of
courts or kings Not long ago I heard a
jury polled in court, and each man an.
swered upon oath that the verdict was
his verdict. But it was not, for itturned
out that four of the jury we're opposed to
it and felt that they were forced to swear
lie. They had agreed to leave it to
vote and to go with the majority. Why
will not our law makers change this un-
reasonable law and let a majority make
the verdict, instead of requiring that
every one of the twelve shall agree to it.
How can man agree against his honest
convictions? Even the judges of our
supreme court are allowed to dissent, but
the common juror. unlearned in the law,
is forced to agree or to stay there without
food until his internal suggestions force
him to surrender. 1t is appetite against
duty, and appetite generally whips the
fight.
What little concern our people have
nowadays about their religious faith
about creeds and doctrines and dogmas.
How many members of our Christian
churches know what is meant by Calvin.
ism, Arminitauism, old school and new
school election, original sin, total deprav.
ity, regeneration and free agency.
In the days of Calvin and Luther and
John Knox these things were discussed
in every household with as much vigor
and earnestness..as we discuss politics now.
Everybody had a faith and could defend
it-yes, die for it. But now we join
church because our fathers did. We like
the forms of fworship that We we're brought
up in. The faith is not the thing. A
Presbyterian man marries Methodist
girl and she quits her chnrch and goes to
his without the slightest sacrifice of faith
or conscience, and she does right. While
she was Methodist she was supposed to
believe in falling from grace. When she
became Presbyterian che was supposed
to believe the contrary. But the fact is
she didn't believe anything about it.
She cared nothing about it, but she did
care for and did helieye all that Was ne.