Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-11-14
CHURCH GOVERNMENT OF THE woslD7

OI1VVSVv OOV6NtNvVSNV w IuS WOUSSt
Under the letter head of the Re
ligious Liberty Association depart
ment Of the general conference OF Sew
enth Day Adventists" c. NJ. Snow cor
responding secretary of the association
is informant that there IS TO be held in
the city OF Philadelphia. Pa. from the
18th 10 the a0th OF the present month.
The first convention OF what is TO be
world wide movement for making
christianity a matter of law in all the
nations, putting religion by legal pro-
cess into all the functions Of govern
nent He refers - the movement
the worlds conference on christian
citizenship,
According 20 Mr.. snow the objec.
o. the amalgamated organizations is
d union Of church and state. He quotes
as from leaders and allies OF that or
ganization; The kingdom Of Christ
must enter me realm ~ ,aw thru the
gateway o: politics. And again:
Christ anu MS gospel. as universal
king ana code. should be sovereign in
our government and political affairs.
Another strong supporter OF the move
me.l pu;S i n this way: 4 want 10
see the day come when the church
shall be the a-oiter Of al legislation
state national. and municipal; when
Tie g-e.- cllruc!les OF the country can
CONE together tremendously and issue
lae!- ecict. and the Legislative powers
win -=spec. i. and enact II into law"
And te says The Catholic as we'll as
protestant organizations n this coun-
l-y have given their endorsement 20 the
idea, he says and asserts that ".he idea
IN MS : tha. with the federated
churches moving as one man upon the
aw--raking bodies. the latter vii yield
% the demands of the churches and
enact whatever laws the combined
church may dictate o. demand. That
has long been he aim OF the orga MIA
.ton which is calling this worlds con-
ference on christian citizenship.
Concluding Mr.. snow sums up on
MS asserted premises IN a very logical
fashion:
The reformation of the nation in
sucn d manner AS 10 unite religion and
the state again in this country is the
project which brought the organization
into being: and that organization
hopes, thru the influence of this ma
81 ~, >k0l
world IN the same particulars; that is,
10 unite religion and the state in every
nation. thus establishing in every
country a national reltgion-,he chris
tion religion, and outiawing whatever
does not conform to it. This would be
union Of church and state in fact II
not in name. This method of evan
geNzing the world would be a strenu-
Gus one, whether it be a truly gospel
method or not. But there are very
many inded who believe that such
type OF strenuousity is in no sense con-
ducive 10 real piety and spirituality. AS
ii takes more than ceremony to make
saint. 50 1t takes more than the es-
tablishment of religion by compulsion
Of law 10 bring in the kingdom OF God
in any nation. The nations have had
many lessons in these matters, ana II
history has demonstrated anything, 1t
has demonstrated the fact that wher-
ever religion has been forced upon the
people. it has dwarfed them in charac-
ter and relegated them to the rear In
industrial accom- plishments. Where re-
ligion and the individual have been left
free. religion has maintained its purity
and the individual has progressed in
dust-aily. mentally, and spiritually. Be-
fore sanctioning such movement for
our own country. or recomm ending Il
20 the people OF other lands. Ameri-
cans should give serious study 10 the
questions involved. We have read the
histories of various Individual nations
that have united religion and thes tate,
and the exhibition has been one from
which We have recoiied. When the
proposition is TO do that FOR the entire
world. the seriousness OF the under,ak-
ink car not De TOO greatly emphasized.