The herald., 1894-12-25
AN AIHEISTIC AHACHRONISM.
The State Tax on Houses of
Public Worship.
A Meeting of Ministers Makes a
Memorial.
Is B'shop o. p. Fitzx raid Pr par Pa
pc Which WIN tn Basis
of q l. gislativ NJ IN orial.

The following paper was read by
Bishop O. P. Fitzgerald before the
Methodist preachers meeting, held ct
First Nj. E. church yesterday morning,
and which was indorsed by unani.
nous vote.
Bishop Fitzgerald and Rsv. Mr..
Damon were appointed as a committee
using the argument in the paper as O
basis for a request that all places OF
public worship Of whatever creed be
made exempt from taxation.
THE ATHEIsTIC TAX,
In these United States of America we
have no state religion. and we are all
glad that it is 30. When Constan-
ii ne. Roman politician who happened
to be emperor, made Christianity the
state religion. he gave it blow from
which it has not recovered to this day.
Ii Constantine wss truly converted, he
made the mistake which has 30 often
been made by Christians who had zeal
without wisdom, by adopting carnal
weapons in spiritual warfare, forgetting
that the gospel OF Christ stands not in
the wisdom OF men, but in the power Of
God. On the other hand, if Coustans
tine was not a genuine convert-and
the moro l study his life the
more l am led to doubt it
his was one OF innumerable
instances in which the livery OF rligious
zeal WAS stolen for the service OF political
ambition or other selfish ends. The
state religions are crumbling all over
tl,a of kLA,~ Il, L..
buried and others are nearly ready to
be put into their cofiins. This unuat.
ursl union OF church and state has uni-
formly corrupted both. The state
religions have been so mixed up with
intrigues and scandals and wrongs that
in breaking their chains it has usually
happened, az might have been expected,
that the reaction against the unholy
alliance has given the liberated people
an impulse in the direction of uubeliei
and irreliaion.
Look ct France; look at Italy look at
Denmark and Sweden. And but for the
conservative influence OF sturdy and
growing dissent, we might add look at
Great Britain and Germany. The signs
of the dissolution OF this union Of church
and etate are multiplying rapidly in our
day; and when the last state religion
ehall perish, from the church of Christ
will be lifted an incubus under whose
weight 1t has staggered during all the
centuries OF its life. This dellyersnce
must come. Wemust be patient little
longer. 1t may ba true, as John Bright
once said, that the British state church
has roots, but the came may be said OF
every other hoery abuee and evil that
has been or ought to be abolished. But
this evil must 20, and the time OF its
departure, let us hope, is at hand.
We want no union OF church and state
in this country, and will have none; we
are oil agreed in this.
But the reaction from theocratic ideas
of government has gone too far in Cali.
fornia. The remedy for politico-eccles
ssticism is not atheism. It is one thing
to have no state religion; 1t is another
thing to impose a tax on the Worship OF
God. That is practical atheism. 1t is
surprising that California ever put such
q provision into her organic law. Ii is
more surprising that it is allowed to re-
main. This state stands almost alone
ia this thing. l can see no rational
ground for it. And yet there must have
been some plausibie. if not logical and
equitab Bile consideration that induced the
heroic and generous, but not infallible
California pioneers to perpetrate and
perpetuate this egregious blunder.
What were these considerations?
1t has been eaid that this atheiatic
tax was originally imposed and 10 now
uphold by some religionists on the
ground that it would bear heavily upon
other religionists inimical to their preju-.
dcss. Such motive is not merely in
adequate; it is disgraceful A righteous
principle should be maintained, let its
benefits fall where they may. Protest
ant Christianity should not give iteelf
stab because the thrust may wound an
other body OF religionists.
1t may be that aome citz ems of Cali
fornia have been disposed to favor this
atheistic tax because they did not per.
ceive the difference between church
property used exclusively for the wor-
ship OF God and property owned by the
church and used for other purposes.
Church property used for secular pur-
poses should be placed on secular foot
ing. Schools, hospitals, reformatoriee,
asylums, and such like institutions, that
are sources of revenue are on secular
basis fnancislly, and should be dealt
with accordingly.
ALI denominations-Prot and
Catholics. Jews and Gentios, Trinitari.
ans and Unitariane, all citizens of all
shades of belief who worship God in
any form-shouid make common cause
against this atheistic anachronisn, this
tax on the worship OF God.
This atheistic tax has been supported
by some persons on the ground that the
state treasury needed the money de-
rived from it. This ia false and de-
lusive assumption. Morality cannot be
divorced from religion. When religion
dies, morality dies with it. The history
OF the world furnishes no exception to
the truth of this affi rmation. For every
dollar gained to the state treasnry by
taxing the worship OF God, $40 is lost to
it by the increase of pauperism and
crime and the cost of it's punish hment.
The straight road to bankruptcy both in
money and morale. is to put u represeive |
tax on religion. The state that taxes
alike the church and the whisky saloon
10 moving in the direction OF moral and
financial suicide.
This atheistic tax bears heaviest on |
those least able to bear it. 1t is a bur-
den hard to be borne by the largest and !
wealthiest city churches. Ga the strug-
Cling church enterprises in smaller
it falls with crushing ef- |
feet. The world, the flesh and the devil |
are enough for such congregations to |
fight against, without having the civil |
power arrayed against them.
This atheistic tax ought to be wiped |
So k.k ~al