Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-26
BAPTIZED BY FIRE.
A Religious Sect That Brands Con-
verts With a Hot Iron.

Chambersburg Pa. Cor. Philadelphia Record
Kansas missionaries of the queer sect
known as the Fire Baptized Association,
keep up their work in Franklin county, and
a furore in religious circles has been stirred
up by them in certain districts. These peo-
pie do not believe in the baptism by water,
but in the later method-by fire-as set
forth by st. Paul in the Acts of the Apos-
ties. This they regard as a personal priv
ilege granted only TO those who join their
associations.
They also believe that one man should not
have more of earthly possessions than an
other, but that all should share in COM
mon. In fact, they go little further than
this and take the thirty-second verse Of
the fourth chapter Of the Acts literally, and
say that their possessions are not their
own bur are given to them by a Divine
Being merely temporarily. They are seced-
ers from the River Brethren denomination,
and during the first few weeks of their stay
here the missionaries concentrated their at
! lacks almost entirely upon that church.
Recently, however, they have turned their
guns upon all religious sects, and declare
at their public meetings that their faith is
the only one which guarantees absolute
safety in the life to come.
The Fire Baptized have located N Leh-
mans Grove, about six miles from this
pace 1ney nOlQ TWO meetings a QGy-OnG
in the afternoon and another in the even
ing. On account of the novelty of the
affair. they attract large audiences.
but their converts have been very few. One
of these is Amos Musser, one of the most
prominent farmers in that section of the
county. The evaLgelists have been making
their home with him. There are now about
| dozen here from Kansas.
Musser was baptized last Sunday, red
hot iron being used to brand him on the
back. So earnest is he in his belief that
while attempting to fly from loft in his
barn he fell to the floor, sustaining how
ever. but slight injuries. He has also dis
posed of a large herd of hogs believing the
assertion of the evangelist that hcgs are
Unclean. a few days ago he was willed a
| farm, but he declined to accept it on &C
count of neither said any of them that
auSht of that which he possessed was his
own" MusSer, however has not given an
! equal share in the magnificent farm upon
which he resides TO his brother evangelists.
The evangeliSts profess to be able to cure
disease, ard tell their hearers that anything
can be accomplished by faith, but this doc
trine was given terrific shock a few even
ings ago, when one of the number, to
demonstrate their power, prayed that a
neighbor would bring them a supply of but
termilk at once. which did not come All
sorts OF attempts are made to prove their
omnipotence, but. like the buttermilk, the
, things asked for have failed to materialize.
As the camp is established in Close prox-
| unity to the Air Hill Brethren Church
| their opposition to that particular Genomi-
| nation is made more apparent. The con-
| Verts so far obtained are former members
| OF the River Brethren Church. That the
| latter body is determined TO present a hos
| tile front TO the seceders is shown by the
| expulsion of a number of The members OF
| the mother church who greeted the seced-
| ers with the holy kiss There Is a tacit
| understanding that the members of the old
! denomination are to have nothing to dc
| with the new sect. For this offense several
! members of Bishop Martin w. Overholtzer's
| church were deprived of their membership
Were not the River Brethren an exceed
| lnSly Iaw-abiding people II is questionable
| II the seceders would progress very far
! with their work Should they continue their
| TRADES against other denominations trouble
| Will likely follow, for already there is talk
| Of driving them from the community in
| which they are located