Evening star., 1949-02-08
Joint Baptist Report
Hits Catholic Stand
On Church and State

The Baptist Joint Conference
Committee on Public Relations to-
day heard it's Committee on Re-
ligious Liberty attack the Roman
Catholic position concerning sep
aration" of church and state as
affecting religious liberty in this
country and tending ito promote
ill-will among sects and disunity
In the Nation
The report. submitted by DR..
Edward B. Willingham. chairman
of the Committee on Religious
Liberty and pastor Of National
Baptist Memorial Church. declared
the Catholic concept of religious
federation presupposes "a gov
erning religion which retains the
right to control the religious be-
liefs of individuals ard Others"
and is at variance with the ira
ditional American idea of religious
liberty.
Calls Idea Foreign.
The statement further asserted
the Catholic doctrines toward
church and state, as set forth in
the hiererchy's pronouncement in
November in The Christian in
Action" revealed a view that
would alter the traditional
American form of government and
the rights of individuals and
groups in our free democracy.
"A step toward this end is clear
ly seen in the widely publicized
novel Interpretation by the hier-
archy of the First Amendment to
the Constitution" the Baptist
statement said. This new propa-
ganda would have our people be-
lieve that the founders of this
Government were forbidding only
the union of one church with the
State, whereas they allowed for
the union of many churches with
the State. provided all are treated
equally. This idea is foreign to
our American tradition and must
De recognized as SUCH.
Objectives Stated.
Reversal or revision of the Su-
preme Court decision prohibiting
the use OF school buildings for re-
ligious classes and the granting
of public funds for parochial
schools en- "a parity with public
institutions" are two objectives
the Catholic Church had in view,
the report asserted.
The Joint Conference Commit
tee this morning adopted a new
constitution in which the historic
traditional Baptist principle of re-
ligious freedom with particular ap-
plication to the separation OF
church and state as embodied in
the Constitution of the United
States was incorporated.
DR.. j. N. Dawson, executive Sec
retary of the organization, re-
ported that, among other activi-
ties, the committee had presented
the Baptist position to Congress
on such questions as displaced
persons legislation. universal mill
tary training and Federal aid to
parochial schools.
Jackson Reelected.
e. Hilton Jackson. Washington
attorney, today was reelected
chairman of the conference COM
mittee at the annual meeting.
Others chosen were DR.. Ellis A
Fuller of Louisville, vice chairman;
E. H. De Groot of Washington,
treasurer. and DR.. William Lipp-
hard of New York, secretary.
They will hold Office until the
end of April. Following the annual
meeting of the various Baptist
conventions in May another meet
ing of the joint committee will be
held and officers for the ensuing
year will be elected.
The conference will close to-
day after reports by DR.. Stanley
I. Stuber OF New York, chairman
of the Baptist World Alliance
Committee on Religious Liberty,
and DR.. w. P. Binns president of
William Jewell College. Liberty,
Mo. DR.. Stuber was to report on
World Issues" and DR.. Binns on
domestic Situations"