The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-06
REV. R. l.. DURANT MAKES A VIGOROUS
 ATTACK ON CATHOLIC
 CHURCH IN PULPIT
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mighty man has in him something of pa- ganism? He is powerful in the land an6 1t will help the church to have him in 1t. So men who were pagans were taken into the church and it became pol luted, and the good men in it left.
 Paganism and Christianity combined and became one. The church gathered in all the old superstitions of the pagan, and began to persecute men inside the church, and drove them out. Finally when the church was established in the imperial city of Rome, a campaign o! extermination of every man, woman and child who opposed Christianity as it was then, was started. AS soon as Rome was taken over as the seat of the church. the campaign of extermination was in. tensified. Men and women were slaugh. tered in cod blood.
 Talk to me about the beginning of Romanism being the beginning of Chris. tianity! It was not!
 YEARS OF DESPOTISM
 These brethren who were driven away from the church were persecuted to the death and then began 16O years of papal despotism. The rights of individuals were suppressed and millions of lives were lost simply because they refused to acknowledge the church, the very fingers of which dripped with innocen, blood. I do not believe that there is a man in this country who believes that God placed an agency on earth to gc about slaughtering men, women and children
 Finally came the reformation Martin Luther broke away. John Calvin broke away and others did the same.
 This institution comes to us today and presents itself as the representative of Jesus Christ. More than 10000 Bap lists were put to death in the Nether- lands in the 30 years war because they refused to take the pope as their au- thority in matters spiritual. The Bap- lists were driven out of New England and finally obtained a grant of land where Rhode Island now stands, and there for the first time in America was real religious freedom given to the people.
 The first amendment to the constitu- ton of the United States is American ism. Romanism says, The state has nc right to leave to every man the free right to embrace and profess any re- ligion he may deem to be right Ameri- canism is found in that first amendment to our constitution which grants to every man the right to choose his own religion or have no religion at all, if he so de
 
 inimical to our country.
 WORSHIP GOD FREELY
 Tt is possible for any man from any part of the world to come to these United States and under the protection of the Stars and Stripes worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience-that' Americanism. It does not seek to say that any man shall have ra1ioinp hof get religion at any time and in any manner he chooses. Roman Catholi- cism says if you have any other re- ligion than that of the Roman church you are heretic and ought to be exter- minated. They claim divine right to rule in all matters both secular and re- ligious and pronounce curse upon the man who denies them that right.
 "The secular arm of Romanism is the Knights of Columbus, which has S00.0y trained and drilled men,, 25O, GOO of whom have in their hands today Krag rifles
 "A Mir Blach was shot down and killed in Texas by the Knights of Co., 'umbus because he told the truth about Romanism.
 'Romanism is islander upon Jesus Christ
 Another un-Ameiican characterize tior of Catholicism is their opposition to ou, public schools. They say they are cess pools of iniquity. One thing l notice however, about these cesspools of iniqui ty is that wherever the Catholics car get a teacher in there, they do it.
 Ut is un-American because of the at. titude toward Protestant marriage. 4 marriage outside the Catholic church they say, is not legal and according tc their doctrines, we are all living in adul tery and our children are illegitimate.
 ''Romanism is un-American because il contends for the union of church ant state. If the time ever comes when tn, United States must have a state churcl it is going to be Catholic, and wher that comes you had better take to thu woods
 'Romanism is un-American because il seeks to stifle the press. Of course, am not publishing these remarks, be- cause The Age-Herald wont print them The Catholics have captured the dail, press of the whole country, with som' exceptions. just as sure as you are mei and women.
 ''The Associated Press is controlled by these men and I regard it as quite victory for the Roman Catholics tha they are able to lay their hands upoi the public press.
 BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES
 They have captured both politica parties. The President of the Unitet States has a Catholic private secretary