Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1896-03-24
Bible Reading in. Public
Schools. :

Should the Bible have Il place in the
curriculum of our public SCHOOLS? Mr..
y. j. ROllevsOn having taken the al
trmatlve. | take the negative of the
proposition. Two wrongs do not
make a right. 1t would be first neces-
sary to prove that it is perfectly right
ana proper to incorporate portions of
the Bible into the readers.
Mr.. X. admits that sectarianism as
no place in the public school. Sec
tarlanlsm Is nothing more nor less
than the teaching OF truths or doctrines
taught or supposed to be taught in
the Bible. by that portion OF the
Christian church. If the teaching of
these Bible doctrines would be wrong
because interfering with the rights OF
conscelce OF the different sects tor the
same reason the reading of the Bible
in the public school threatens the
right OF conscience of the unbellever,
any other position is wholly illogical.
The idea that christians have rights
OF conscience that the inhuel is bound
to respect, while the intidel has no
rights that the christian is bound to
respects the idea of fanaticism and the
Intolerance of blyOts. No man would
take such position unless he felt that
he was with the majority.
Certainly the teacher is expected to
teach morality. But what is morality:
Simply the general principles of right
and wrong as regards Our~relatiOns
with our fellowmen: principles on
which there is no controversy between
right minded persons whether they be
christians. agnostics or inidels. The
h lio ;y,;1
its functions are civil. To- teach re-
ligion is the province of the church
and the state has no business to en-
crOach upon her dOminions. Just as
sure as she does, interference with the
rights Of conscience will inevitably
follow The trouble with France was
that she had no regard to the
Bible, but banished and insulted it.
The state has no right to Interfere one
way or the other with the Bible, but to
leave the the people free to make their
own choice.
There is no better rulo by which
christians can settle this matter than
that given by the great teacher in the
following precepts: ''All things what
soever We would that men should do
unto you, do yc ever so unto them, ("
and 'Render unto Caesar the thin s
that arc Cl:sar, and to God the
things that arc God's.''
think it perfectly proper for a
teacher when in a district where every
patron believes in the Bible, to read a
portion OF if he so desires, but if there
are those WHO object one thing is GER
tain it will interfere with the harmon
iOus working Of the SCHOOL: and even
If the law sustain him, if he heeds the
spirit OF the teachings of tho Bible he
will forego III the interests of peace,
harmony and religion. 1t is this sci.
fish disregard for the rights of others
on the parts Of prOtessed christians
that makes persecution possible today
in this land Of boosted liberty of con-
science. There are men today in some
of these United States suffering the
pains and penalties of law which is, as
| all prosecutions have been legalized
persecution. These christians, be-
cause they believe the Bible and live
out it's literal teachings are prosecuted
at the instigation, not of intidels, but
IN each and every case by professed
christians who like Mr.. Rollevson fail
to see that those who differ with the
majority have any rights r.of con-
science which the majority are bound
to respect. ~
Infdels will pot persecute; chris
tians cannot only when Church and
state are united. ~
| C., s, CHANNfNi,.