Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-29
CHURCH AND STATE.

be, Ween Chufcn ava Nidlc IL 10 W
front at the present time. It Is as olt
MS authentic history. and It viii prob
ably not be disposed Of IN a perfectly
satisfactory manner until He comes
whose right 1t is to rule.
The ancient Greek lawmakers placed
the state under the protection Of the
gods. They considered religion as the
best foundation for morality, although
they did not provide for religious in
struction. but on.y took notice OF the
outward forms Of worship, Every citi.
zen was perfectly free to believe what
ever seemed right TO him as long as he
did not show dsrespect for the gods,
BY any act Of which the law took cog
nizance.
According to Greek ideas, the gods
were offended By the destruction or
Dissertation, or abduction OF any sa-
cred object Those guilty OF such
crime were often put TO death and de-
MED burial In the state. Another Of
Tense consisted IN dohllng any sacred
place. II. for instance, persons not per-
mittcd to enter sacred precincts did so,
or performed ritualIstlc acts without
proper authority. the place was deiied.
To deyiate from the established forms
of worship was another serious offense,
and, since the gods could expect to be
honored In the state only as long as
"a Ia thprp n "A
very serious oftense to attack the popu-
larly accepted faith. The state did not
care for the actual belief OF the clti-
gems as long as this belief did not re-
suit In the violation of the laws that
had been framed for the protection OF
the gods.
That religious liberty, where such
principles were carried out In practice,
became mockery is proved by the
religious prosecutions OF those times
Protagoras was banlshed from Athens
because he had declared that II was
impossible to know whether the gods
had real existence His writings were
publicly consigned to the flames. Dia-
goras who preached atheism was COM
PEELED to fee from Athens, and a prize
was put on his head. Anaxagoras was
accused OF having taught that the sun
Is glowing mass OF rock, thereby
showing disrespect TO the sun god.
Socrates, as everybody knows, was put
to death because he denied the gods of
the state and sought to make other
gods known TO the people.
All this Is the more remarkable be-
cause extreme tolerance was shown
to the stage. The authors Of comedies
were permitted to represent the gods
In the most ridiculous attitudes and sit
nations, without molestation. Thus
Aristophanes represented the rulers OF
the Olympus as besleged In city butt
by the birds In the air, and as they
were cut OF from communication with
the earth and could not receive any
sacrifices, they suffered famine. In this
extremity they sent ambassadors to
Il eat with the birds. In another come
dy one OF the divinities is slave and
is treated as such. The officers who
killed philosophers for skeptlclsm, per-
mitted the stage to commit what must
be regarded as blasphemy, from the
standpoint OF pious worshlper OF
that age.
There was no correct conception of
the relation Of the church to the state
during the reign Of paganism AS
humane principles prelominated' re-
spect for strange gods, not considered
dangerous TO the state was inculcated,
and In Rome all kinds OF gods and
religious ceremonies we're piled to-
gether. but this was done as matter
OF policy and the STATE maintained
it's claim to sovereignty over both
gods and worshipers The erroneous
view prevailed that religion was only
a means whereby to mako good eiu-
zens The idea 81 salvation was
foreign 20 that benighted age IF 1t
were possible says one OF the great
statesmen, TO make a state of wise
men, this form lrellgionl which acts
as u check upon the usts Of men and
awes the eyil-doers by fear. would
not be needed Religion was by
such principles only part Of the
politics OF the state.
With the Introduction of Christian
Ity the true relation OF earthly things
to those that are spiritual was Inn
printed upon the minds Of men. But
IN the fourth century the leaders Of
the church were but too eager to ac-
cept the state protection offered by
Constantine, together with the hon.
ors that he showered upon those who
became the satellites OF the imperial
planet The author OF the schat-
Herzog Encyclopedia has this to say
on this subject. referring specially to
the council Of Nice;
when the Emperor stood there
among the S1S bishops, tall, clad In
purple and Jewels, with his peculiarly
naughty and somber mien. he felt
disguised at these coarse and cringing
creatures who one moment scram-
bled sportively around him to snatch
up bit Of his munlficence, ami the
next flew madly into each others
faces for some incomprehensible mys-
terry"
They voluntarily surrendered, sub
ordinating the spiritual to the tenn
poral. The pagan mixture OF state
and church affairs again became the
rule.
In the following centuries the
church. both In the east and west,
went up in the state and became
moulded IN monarchical forms, and
gradually assumed power and author
lily by usurpation. Then the Reforma-
ton came, and one fruit Of that sigan.