The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1896-01-16
|DR. THOMPSON
And THE CHURCH.
Some Historic Facts Concerning
the Relation Of the Church
to Slavery
FREEDOM AND ITS MEANING

4
stai<msnts E,plainisg the Truth OF the
Famous Remark Thompson. Not the
Alliance. ke.ps nsibie-The Methods D,
which the Church Can Commaud tn.
Love and support of the Masses.
Number Five
AS 10 the matter of religious IN
| tolerance, IL would be no less un-
truthful than unkind il we should
| say that il is true as 10 Catholics
but untrue as 10 Protestants. In
tolerance is a defect of unregenerate
human nature, independent of
creed. The tenderest of our Lords
disciples once said: Master, We
saw one casting out devils in Thy
name, and he followe,h not us: and
we forbade him. because he follow
eth not us" This is the spirit of
both Catholic and Protestant. For
bid him not replied the Master, en-
answer full of freedom, such ss fac
tions have never exempliticd. 1T is
not yet generally appreciated" says
a prominent CniversalIst. what the
Reformation WAS. We are often
told that il was a battle for liberty
of thought. There is a little truth
in that, but so little as to leave the
general statement a grievous mis-
, take. 1t was rather a battle for in
! depend. mt action for few leaders.
For the common people there was
no independence of action and no
: liberty of thought. The people ex-
: changed a great master for snail
: one, but their slavery was not ale
7 waited. The people of Geneva and
= Scotland We're transferred from the
Catholic 10 the Calvinlst church. but
0 they had only gone from the tyranny
e The same implicit obedience was re.
!, quired of them. Any difference o'
opinion, any slightest expression OF
f dissent, was punished not less Sc
v verely. The new authority under
which they died and killed was no
whit less cruel and pitiless thar
(, the old. Reason was no more to b,
l. trusted by Calvinists than by Catho
It lies. The very first Protestant VIII,
g intimated that the mind of maj
" ought to be free to think out thes
v great religious problems for itsel
was burnt at the stake, and curse
.e as one worse than the Catholics b
l. his brother Protestants Servetu
l. was his name, and the slow fire O
D. green oak sticks with which brothe
ID Calvin scorched him for three hou,
W before burning the life out of hil
ID was the same kind of argument ths
9 brother Torquemada used to col
D. vince the thinkers of Spain tha
ly thinking was wicked"
m With the various branches {
at Professionalism came successiy
,h change of creed; but there came
,h none of its forms change Of spir
n that could Withstand the temptatio
il of power. A sad fact it is, that r,
d. formers do not learn to love the
enemies or to respect their equ;
rights. The more ardent their attacl
ment to creed, the more intense the
hatred. Hence denominations ha,
Ir. developed one after another, almo
without exception, the old spirit I
to tyranny, which lack of power alor
p could withhold from the attempt
he reduce Christendom each to its ow
os creed.
ns The less strength denominatic
er has in any place, the more tOleral
shelter under the wings of justic
lr. The strong love force. The Jew
OF for instance, once said, "we have
,nt law, and by our law we ought
az die.' To-day they are broken al
20. % scattered nation, and tolerant ever
st where. Even Catholicism is tole
ng ant and apparently democratic
lbs the United States, while it is intole
he ant in South America where it hol
nd the supremacy. Who doubts bat
icy would be the same here if it had t
an III power? But this is not due to a.
te1 popularity of belief. 1t is only t
oes expression of intense attachment
he a creed which is believed to form
sue late the only salvation. If Prote
on. ants were a unit and their attac
the ment as complete, would not th'
yer bigotry be as cruels Only recent
per the Greensboro Christian Advocs
declared that "the only way to
IN form Catholicism is to destroy i
oh Nv l take this to be an expression
the Protestant spirit. All Protests
hat denominations have dread of Ca
.ble olic ascendancy, not less lively tn
not the death-iBstinct in animals; f,
and so intense, that the desire of 81
our preservation against the proba
ioIe eneroachments Of a common ener
Ia while rendering them to q deg
mutually tolerant, would at q
to time more nearly from basis
ex- united action, than the press
orts need of saving souls, or the cry t
be comes for relief from the heart.
the oppressed, hungry and wretc
humanity-the neglected temples
,,o the living God, throughout the la
Now q few facts in proof.
have followers of Huss were soon divi
all into contending factions. Tt
road were so mutually intolerant, +,
urge only the necessity of united act
'lrlu or separate submission under
crusades of the Church their C
onsi mon enemy, could stop their war;
when between themselves. In their ST.
and giles against the Church. they '
II So brutally intolerant aad mercil
'duc- They did not fight humanely,
'allot cansa thev fou0ht ahont relic
!, but snd in tbe;r efforts IN forca :
mon' doctrines upon their country,
:, ut- left a record of 1,5OO villages
dica- $50 converts and monasteries br
nous 100 towns destroyed, priests bu
n the cred, and men and women slail
gh a tens of thousands. Under their
rum eyed leader, John Ziska, the fl
,rnn n,m ;, of Huss and Jerome, they sweI
opposition with fire and sword.
hoe The Lutherans, where they
Eng 9u.leI .ne Power, psIs1euteo
for the oppression of other Rel
ers as we'll. The followers of L,