Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1890-09-18
FREEDOM OF RELIGION.
LIMITATIONS or THE GUARANTY
GIVEN BY THE CONSTITUTION
1t Was Not Intended to Protect a school
or Sect Which Under the Guise OF Re
ngion Counsels Practices Contrary to
Good Morals.

HrOTeCt school
or Sect which Under the Guise OF Re
ugion Counsels Practices Contrary to
Good Morals.
The supreme court Of the United
States has decided that territorial stat
ute which exacts from every person as a
prerequisite to registration as a voter sn
oath that he is not a bigamist or polyga-
mist, and does not belong to any order
which teaches, advises, counsels or en-
courages bigamy or polygamy, is consti-
tutional
Bigamy and polygamy are crimes by
the laws of all civilized and Christian
countries. They tend to destroy the
purity Of the marriage relation, to dis
turb the peace Of families, to degrade
woman and to debase man. To extend
exemption from punishment for such
crimes would be TO shock the moral
Judgment Of the community To call
their advocacy tenet Of religion is to
offend the common sense Of mankind If
they are crimes, then to teach, advise
and counsel their practice is to aid in
their commission, and such teaching and
counseling are themselves criminal and
proper subjects of punishment, as aiding
and abetting crime are in all other cases.
The term religion. has reference to
ones views Of his relations to his Creator,
and to the obligations they impose of
reverence for his being and character,
and Of obedience to his whI. II is often
confounded with the form Of worship OF
q particular sect, but is distinguishable
from the latter. The first amendment
to the constitution, in declaring that
congress shall make no law respecting the
establishment Of religion. or forbidding
the free exercise thereof, was intended
to allow every one under the jurisdiction
of the United States to entertain such
notions respecting his relations I'd his
Maker and the duties they impose az
may be approved by his Judgment and
conscience, and to exhibit his sentiments
in such form Of worship as he may think
proper, not injurious to the equal rights
Of others, and to prohibit legislation for
the support Of any religious tenets. or
the modes Of worship Of any sect.
1t was never intended or supposed that
the amendment could be invoked az a
protection against legislation for the
punishment Of acts inimical to the peace,
good order and morals Of society. With
mans relations to his Maker and the
obligations he may think they impose,
and the manner in which an expression
shall be made by him Of his belief on
those subjects, no interference can be
permitted, provided always the laws of
society, designed to secure its peace and
prosperity and the morals of its people,
are not interfered with. However free
the exercise Of religion may be, it must
be subordinate to the criminal laws Of
the country, passed with reference TO
actions regarded by general consent az
properly the subjects of punitive legis-
lation.
There have been sects which denied az
part Of their religious tenets that there
should be any marriage tie, and advo-
Gated promiscuous intercourse of the sexes
as prompted by the passions Of its mem
bers. And history discloses the fact that
the necessity Of human sacrifices, on spe-
cial occasions, has been tenet Of many
sects. Should sect of either of these
kinds ever find its way into this country,
swift punishment would follow the car
rying into effect Of its doctrines, and no
heed would Be given to the pretense that,
as religious beliefs, their supporters could
be protected in their exercise by the cor
stitution Of the United States.-Opinion
Of Mr.. Justice Field.