Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-06-21
MANY FROM HERE At
THE LUTHERAN SYNOD
FOURTEEN AT LUTHERAN
MEETING AT FOND LU LAC.
Definite Action in Attitude To-
ward Secret SOCietieS-ChurCh-
men Must Leave the LOdge-Rdp
at Divorce Evil-MuSt Send
Children to PdrOChidl School.

Watertown is we'll represented at
the Lutheran Synod of Wisconsin
which convened in St. Peters church
at Fond du Lac Wednesday morning.
The following from here are in at
tendance: K. F Bolle, M. Eickmann,
Prof. A. Ernst, VIM. Gorder, ST.,
Prof. A. H. Frank, Prof. A. Hoer-
mann, Rev. Julius Klingmann, Prof.
A. Kuhn, Prof. W. Notz. Prof. j.
H. Otto, DIR. H. Wente, Gust Groth,
H. jaeger, l.. Pingel.
At the meeting OF the synod last
year Thesis and Ii were subm tilted
by Rev. Mr.. Haase, thoroughly dis
cusseo and adopted by the synod. An
important position is taken on secret
societies and is as follows:
MUST LEAVE THE LODGE.
Gin regard to the attitude of the
church towards secret societies and
membership in them, we must act
according to the Word of God. We
have shown in Thesis II, that there
are many things in connection with a
secret society that are not in harmony
with the Word of God. If person
becomes convinced that this is the
case, he Can not remain member, but
must leave such society. To remain
a member for the insurance sake,
while being convinced that some things
are not in accordance with the
scripture is SIN against the con-
science and no one can abide in faith
while knowingly doing things against
the conscience. Therefore if any one
is convinced OF the conformity of
the lodge with the Bible, he must
leave the lodge, if he wishes to remain
an earnest Christian. But leaving the
lodge will again cause fierce inner
struggle. A voice within will say to
leave the lodge will greatly handicap
you in your business and besides you
will lose all the money you paid in
the line of assessments. The high
sounding titles, which lodge Officers
bear also tickle human vanity. But
vertheless the only thing to do un-
der the circumstance is to leave the
lodge.
MEMBERS BARRED FROM CON-
GREGATION.
"The congregations of course must
also define their attitude. For this
reason all strictly Lutheran congre-
cations have paragraph in their
constitution barring lodge members
from admission into the congregation.
In every respect the entire congre-
cation must act according to the
Word of God. A congregation there
fore cannot retain an lmpenltent
sinner, but must deal with him &C.
cordIng to the Bible, it must apply
the different gardes Of admonition
and if they prove fruitless, must
finally excommunicate such person.
How a congregation deals in such
cases is of great Importance to both
the offender and the offended congre-
cation.
SECRET SOCIETY OATH WRONG.
ga burning question of the present
day is the attitude of the church
towards secret societies. On account
of their growth many denominations
have ceased saying anything against
them. What verdict does the Word of
God render concerning them? The
Word of God expressly forbids an
oath or an obligation in the nature of
an oath in uncertain things. There
fore if secret society demands from
people to be made members such an
oath or obligation concerning things
yet to be made known, which are not
known to them at the time the oath
is demanded, such an oath is wrong.
See Mathew 5, 34-37. Furthermore
most lodges have a certain ritual
or order of worship, and chaplain
to conduct other service. But the
lodge consisting CT members of differ
ent beliefs cannot hold one faith better
than the their; therefore it robs its
members of that frmness of conviction
that their faith is the true one, which
every true Christian should have
according to Romans 8, SO, 80 IA, 6.
The same is true of the prayer offered
in lodge meeting, no one can be
sure of his faith. But the scripture
says James, 1853, But let him ask IN
faith, nothing waverlng. For he
that wavereth is like wave of the
sea driven with the wind and the sea,
for let not that man think that
he shall receive anything of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in
all his ways. Furthermore by having
a chaplain for conducting religious
ceremonies in circle larger than the
family, the lodge unsurps private
God gave to the church only. Con-
corning the benefits paid by lodges We
must say that much benefits are not
wrong according to scripture in them
selves, but that, if they have called
charity, they are misnamed, tor char
ity where he expects nothing in