The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-05-05
Religious Liberty

ate. members of the American Pro- |
tective Association and other re!i
cio,,s -cranks made furious assaults
upon the governor. Last Saturday,
R.v. DR.. !. y: hawthorne, leading
divine OF Atlanta, administered q
stern rebuke to these fanatics. The
reverend gentleman delivered an
sermon on the subject of
"Religious Liberty" which we re-
greet we cannot reproduce in full.
He said:
ssCivil las7s which establish one form of
worship, and forbid restrict other forms,
are based upon the iniquitous and mischiev-
Gus assumption that it is the function of the
state to determine what is the true faith.
That heresy is the mother of all the religious
prosecutions, in which the worlds best men
and women were sent to prison, to the pill
Tory, and to the stake. That heresy
appears today in an effort to put a recogni-
ticn of Christianity into the organic law Of
our republic, and in the avowed purpose of
a great secret combination to prevent men,
who holds to a certain religious creed, from
having any voice in the government under
blacklist treason against the rights of man.
1t is a devilsh conspiracy against the blood
bought freedom bequeathcd to by our
patriot sires. 1t is as 5fendish as the spirit
that kintlled the martyr fires Of Smthfcld,
and drenched the soil Of France with the
blood of liberty-lovinG and God-feaEng
Huguenots. Down with it, Load it witli
righteous indignation Brand it with the
Kissing ron of virtuous scorn. Brain it,
and dump it back into the place Of unclean
ness and outer darkness from which it
spranc.
.sThe functions of the state toward reli-
eion s-simply to protect it. The protection
which it extends to one sect, it must extend
to all Protestant, Babtist, Jew, Maiiamme-
dan, and Pagan. Every human being who
breathes the air of this planet has the
natural right to worship what he Pleases,
whether it be God, pope sum- or moon,
or star. or mountain, or tree; and is it the
solemn duty of the state protect him in
| the exercise of that right.
s'1t is humiliating and CALLING fact to
me, and to millions of other men, that there
still exists in the country, partial alliance
between religion and civil government.
There is everywhere growing sentiment
against it. pray God that may live to
see the last vestige of it obliterated, and
hear ascending from valley and hilltop,
and island and sea, the victorious shout
Liberty has triunaplied: Our country is
free!'
elm cxempting church property from
| taxation, the state patronizes religi 1t
gives to the church whose property it ex-
exempts, its just proportion of the sum
| needed to dcfray the expenses of the gov
| eminent. This is violation of the law OF
| religious liberty because it compels the Jew
| the atheist, and the dcist to contribute to the
support of a religion which they rcpudiate
If this city should exempt her barroom
| from taxation, she would thereby conpc
| every taxpayer to contribute to the supper
| of the barroonls. This would be out
| rage upon the conscience of who hat
| and abhor these crime brecdiug institutions
Is it any less violation of the rights 0
conscience to make churches bcneficiarie
of the city government, and thereby com
, pei men to support religion with which
they have no sympathy? The burden O
supporting any religion should fall onl.
upon those who believe in it, and desire t
see its principles and practices upheld an
promulgated.
ssIn making appropriations of money 70
Christian missions the state makes itself tn
patron of religion, and thereby violates tn
sacred rights of conscience. The govern
ment of the United States has done this fc
many years. 1t has granted large sums
money both to Catholics and Protestants
be used in the relig ious trainining of Anne
lean Indians. 1 am profoundly astonishe
at the congressman who have voted for sue
. appropriations, and I still mo
: astonished at the people for not protestir
against this unjust and unconstitution
use of their money. A large share of IL
money used for this purpose was take
from the pockets of Jews. and other no.
r believers in the Christian religion.
= thus compelling them to support Christian
ity they arc robbed of the liberty of CO
science. Every person that can req
ought to know that is violation of II
: constitution of the United States.
ought to know that every congressman wi
e votes for these appropriations violates h
=, oath of Office. But the wrong continue
:. The consensus of opinion in every state
the union is, that the federal governme
[ has no right to make any such use of t
r peoples money. But knowing this, t
;, representatives of the people for reaso
O. which they keep within the solitude
their own breasts, continue these unlaw'
appropriations.