Evening star., 1925-07-31
BAPTIST PASTOR
MAY AID W|TTNER
Rev. H. N. Lawson, Believer
of Bible Literally, Sees
Blow at Liberty.


for 80 years for absolute separation
between church and State, may be
come associated with Loren II. Witt
ner and his attorneys both in their
bible disreSpect' suit against the
District and in any action they may
take against the legality of the oath
required of all Government employees.
Mr.. Lawson has not vet associated
himself with the case. He absolutely
will not do so. he said, unless a bill
is prepared which seriously states the
issue involved rather than in the sar-
castle fashion of the bill withdrawn
yesterday.
He expects this afternoon to have a
conference with Wittner and his at
torneys. If they are willing to meet
his objections, he says, and if he can
be convinced that the whole thing IS
not to be pressed as a personal pub
liCity stunt. rather than as a serious
effort to offset what he declares to be
the most dangerous issue now before
the American Government" he may
agree to take his stand with them be-
fore the court.
In any event Mr.. Lawson seeks to
make a countrywide issue out of the
Washington case. 1t has exactly
played into his hands, as an example
of the pernicious influence of the new
legislative trend in interfering with re-
ligion, he says.
Mr.. Lawson personally believes
every word of the Bible from the lit
eral account of creation in Genesis to
the visions of St. John in Revelations.
He regards the theory of evolution
as "a direct challenge thrown at the
divinity of God, an evil and perni-
cious thing which has crept into mod
ern thought" One of his chief sources
of work. in the association Of his name
with the Wittner case is that the pub
IL,
ne shares in any way Wittner's re-
ligious views. He holds that he has a
perfect right to believe every word of
the Bible and act accordingly, but he
holds also that any man who believes
the Bible false from start to ending
has the right to his belief and to teach
his belief without any interference.
THE trouble with Wittner and his
attorneys" he said, lis that they know
very little about the Bible. With their
superficial knowledge they are in no
position to make statements as to
what constitutes diSreSpect and what
does not. In this line l am willing
TO help them if they will make the
issue clear-cut and serious | never
have seen Wittner. | did not hold
one conference with his-attorneys at
their request. 1 told them then ex-
actly what I shall tell them this after
noon.
nave pISdCHeQ the WORD or the
Lord all my life, but l also have
fought at every turn against any laws
Whlch even in the slightest respect
tend to compel any one to believe what
preach unless they wish to.
There has been a dangerous flood
of these laws of late years.
Il think the theory of evolution is
wrong. l believe that it is directly
contrary to the words of the Holv
Bible. L believe that the world and
the life in the world was created
just as the Lord says it was in
Genesis. l believe that the separa-
ton of mankind into races is explain
ed logically and indiSputabIy in the
Bible. But 1 also believe that God is
able to attend to such things. | will
go further than Mr.. Bryan in nv
condemnation of evolution-but 1 will
not have a policeman enforcing NV
Ideas upon my neighbor, who may be
an evolutionist.
THE great Baptist Church. of which
am a member, appropriated over
100000 for the statue of Roger Viii
llams which now stands in Washing
ton, and Congress appropriated more
money to aid in the same project.
The great place of Roger Williams
In American history is due to his
stand for absolute religious liberty in
the colonies. 1t would be difficult to
name a more appropriate statue to
stand at the seat of the American
Government. Yet we have Baptist
clergymen here in Washington going
out of their way in advocacy of Sun
DAY blue laws, as direct a contraven-
ton of the preachings of Roger Will
hams as could be imagined
Il am absolutely certain that the
Wlttner case can be won, if it is
presented properly. The Constitution
or the United States does guarantee
religious liberty. Let constitutional
lawyers pick any flaws they will in
the clauses regarding the separation
of church and state. l have studied
Ine question for a great many years
There Is no question as to what was
meant by the trainers of the Consti-
tuition and that is the way it must
eventually be interpreted by the
courts. | have in my possession a
letter written by George Washington
IN answer to protests from his own
state, Virginia, that the Constitution
as framed did not sufficiently pro-
tect certain religious believers. Wash
ington answers that if he had had
the slightest doubt that the Consti-
Lutlon did not guarantee absolute re-
HslouS liberty, in every sense. he
never would have assented to if and
the amendments placed in it after
ward emphasize this stand more es-
pocially.
Il am the editor of the America, ;,
oenunel, publication which has
consistently stood for absolute sena.
ration OF church and state. In con.
nectlon with that work I have dug
oat certain precedents from the state
or Tennessee itself on local IeeisIa.
tlon which in some ways restricted
ShglouS liberty These can be
brought up if decide to take a hand
in this case.
Religious liberty is the foundation
stone of America
lake the matter of this oath with
the words so help me God" which
mas come up in the Wittner case
What right has the United States in
direct violation Of its own Coneti+I,
uon, TO force it's employees to fake
such an oath? There can be no doubt
that the God meant there is the Chris.
tian GOO, the God of the Hebrew
Blnie, the Divine Spirit, which we be-
heVe to be the only true God. Creator
of heaven and earth. CertainIJ q
man who does not believe in anv god
or who believes in some other god
than the God of the Bible, is placed
IN a peculiar position if he wishes to
work for the Government And the
constitution states that there shall
be no religious test
Nobody can tell what serious re-
suits may arise from such a thing as
this Bible dsrespect law, if it is al
lowed to pass unchallenged'
1 am not a lawyer. | regret that
the public may have obtained the i'm
preston that L am. But | have de- 1
voted great deal of study to this one
issue of law
"A1l that cap COW about ony nos