The San Francisco call., 1896-02-08
Church AND THE LAW,
Relation of the American Con.
stitution to Religious
Bodies.
The Rev. DR.. Voorsanger Makes an
Eloquent Plea for Peace and
Equal Rights.

A large and appreciative auditory greeted
the Rev. DR.. Voorsanger last night at Tenn
pie Emanuel. The eloquent rabbi took
for the subject of his discourse "The
American Constitution Considered in Its
Relations With Religion"
1.-The fathers of our country" said the
reverend gentleman, sin framing the con-
stltution recognized God. The humility
and at the same time dignity with which
they asserted the new American manhood
are plainly evidenced in every line of the
unparalleled document which is the su-
preme. authority in these United States.
They displayed humility in acknowledge
ing that they were only voicing the sent:-
ment of a newborn nation, while their at
titude OF protest against oppression was
dignity itself.
'In this venerable document, which
every true American must regard as his
bill of rights we ind no mention of re-
ligious beliefs and systems. A new doc
trine, little understood at the time, is pro-
claimed to the world. but it is civil doc
trine-the doctrine that the power to gov
ern comes from the people and should be
exercised by the peoples representatives,
chosen by the people themselves. There
were religious controversies in those days,
but with them the constitution-may God
preserve it-had nothing to do. 1t was,
and was intended to be, merely binding
civil contract between the various States,
whereby the States secured to each other,
and to the residents within their borders,
certain civil rights and privileges.
religious friction existed then as now,
and for fear that it might develop into
something yet more serious, the first
amendment was added to our country s
constitution, to the effect that Congress
ShOnld mako no law for sfoh lioh-
ment of religion, nor impede the free.ex-
ercise Of religious belief and worship. 1t
must not be thought that the trainers of
this amendment intended to disregard
religion. They desired only to donation
allze 1T. "A national church is a religious
state to the exclusion of all other forms
OF religion Where national church is
by law established other churches are
merely tolerated.
"But toleration is mere courtesy. What
we want in this country is not religious toll
Grafton, but religious equality, and this is
what the first amendment to the constitu-
ton secures to us. Now no church or
ganization can invoke the aid of the state
in order TO assert its superiority over other
systems of religion. BY this amendment
Congress took the sting from any possible
future attempt at religious persecution.
To be sure the constitutional amendmen
cOulu not Dlnu the state governments, but
it did influence them, and little by little
religious tests were discontinued and abol-
ished. The last State to cling to relic of
religious intolerance was New Hampshire,
which in 1876 repealed its ancient statute,
excluding all but Protestants from State
offices.
1.-The constitution with all its faults, for
being made by man it is not perfect is the
greatest written instrument tins world has
ever seen. 1t has joined distant and vary
ing elements into one harmonious and
happy Nation. 1t holds all religious sys-
TENS in equal respect, and holds each one
of them equally responsible before the
law. 1t wonld seem as though the trainers
had had touch of prophetic spirit which
enabled them to make religious persecu-
ton in this country an impossibi.ity. Let
us ask God to ill US with the spirit of the
constitution. We are all equal before God
and the law. Why then should conten-
tions which are disgrace to religion and
to civilization be seen among brethren
If the spirit of the constitution were un-
derstood by US all as it should be under
stood, we could and would gladly beg the
Almighty to bless and build up everv in
stitution, howsoever named, which might
contribute to make our fellow-cit
happier and better"