The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-07-26
CONTINUED from Page ~
CARDINAL BOURNE ON RELIGIOUS
INDIFFERENCE.

revelation and teaching of Jesus
Christ, and regard it purely from the
natural standpoint of how that par
ticular contract may be protected with
out either placing an intolerable bur-
den on individuals or imperiling the
social fabric of the State. 1t is nat
ural, non-Catholic, on-Christian con-
ception of marriage quite opposed to
the old idea of a sacred union, sur
rounded by supernatural graces, by
which two lives were indissolubly join
ed together with ecclesiastical sane
ton, even as Christ is united with His
Church. Instead of the Church it is
the State that is to be the final arbi-
ter, and the durability of marriage is
to rest upon the decision of those who
may or may not accept the teaching
of the Gospel.
Now, outside the Catholic Church,
it is not easy to find single religious
teacher who is prepared to maintain
boldly and in it's integrity the Catho-
lie teaching on the marriage contract.
Can we wonder if, seeing that both po-
litical men of every party and leaders
of religious thought are united in the
conclusion that the teaching of Christ
is no longer applicable to public life,
men grow up Indifferent to all religious
| teaching, and try to lead their lives
as best they can apart from all public
religious influence or worship? For
years these principles of indifference
to definite religious teaching, and of
the impossibility of knowing accurate
ly and without fear of mistake what
God has been pleased to reveal, have
been taught in our public elementary
schools. 1t is said that the religious
teaching in the secondary schools OF
the land is not dissimilar in character
Throw aside authority in matters OF
religion, as our forefathers did in the
to judge from the pages of Book
what teacher once taught; give them
their liberty to frame therefrom fol
themselves tenets of religion and rules
of morals, and day must surely come
and it has come now in England, when
all religion is matter of opinion, and
belief and unbelief may lawfully be
accepted or rejected as each one
deems best for himself And the end
is not yet in sight.
Indifferentism Breeds immortality.
1t is religion alone that can bring
us to the due fulfilment of our obliga.
lions to our Maker and our fellows
Take away from men a sense of duty
and there will rise up in their hearts
evil strivings of every kind, seeking
their satisfaction regardless of con.
sequences hereafter in which they have
no belief. We cannot, as Catholics, be
Indifferent to the perishing of the old
ideals round about us, though in their
disappearance and in the indifference
resulting from it our own position has
been made easier. And it is part of
our duty to those whom we cherish as
our fellow-countrymen, that we should
raise up our voices on an occasion
such as this, and point out to them
whittier they are drifting, and how
earnestly we desire to save them from
a peril of which they are not fully con-
scious.
1t may fairly be asked, when we
point out the loss of faith, the aban-
donment of external religious prac-
tees, the growth of Indifference to the
supernatural, do Catholics, educated
and brought up as such, escape the
influences that are prevailing around
them? The answer is in the minds of
all, for experience shows us that in
every class Catholics are exposed to,
and sometimes are the victims of, at
tacks, direct and indirect, upon their
faith.
There is no room for establishment
in the fact that many Catholics, and
especially young Catholics with as yet
little personal experience of the true
values of life, do give up the practice
of their religion, and in some cases
openly renounce their faith. From
Apostolic times till now the story has
been the same, and the pastors and
preachers of today cannot hope to be
universally successful when even the
Apostles failed. The very conditions
of the education Of our children make
failure probable in many cases. For
the most part, even when they have q
Catholic education. they leave school
lat an early age with only a very