| OCR Text |
Show RELIGION IN THE CONSTITUTION. CONSTITU-TION. The convention which met in Philadelphia Phila-delphia this week, called by several State Governors and other prominent men, for the avowed purpose of urging the recognition of the Almighty in the Federal Constitution, aims at opening the door to a serious innovation on republican re-publican principles if the telegraph has reported correctly part of its proposed pro-posed object. A resolution was introduced, intro-duced, and seems to have been favorably favor-ably received, which not only recognizes the Almighty as the Source of all civil government, but the moral law and the Christian religion as paramount authority. The moral law will be conceded, con-ceded, for on it is based, or should be, the jurisprudence of the Republic; but when the recognition of the Christian relligion is claimed as paramount authority, au-thority, a position is taken fraught with no ordinary danger. The "Christian "Chris-tian religion" involves a belief in the Divinity of Christ, which is repudiated by Israelites, infidels, many Spiritualists Spiritual-ists and some sects professing a belief in part in tbe New Testament, forming form-ing in the aggregate a very large portion por-tion of the people of the United States. And even among those professing to be Christians there exists such diversity of faith and opinion, that it would be an interminable matter for them to decide de-cide among themselves what really is the Christian religion, though eacb might consider itself able to do so. Roman Catholics might hold that all Protestants, being heretics, are really not Christians; and that Romam Catholicism Cath-olicism is alone the Christian religion. Orthodox Protestants might declare, as they do in Scotland, that Unitarians Unitari-ans are not Christians; and so the conflict con-flict would wax stronger and more virulent by dragging religion into political po-litical squabbles and contests. But the recognition thus involved in the Constitution, would, for a beginning, deprive a large class of citizens of the power to hold office, or occupy any position po-sition requiring adhesion by oath to the Constitution, unless they would solemnly sol-emnly perjure themselves. What Israelite Is-raelite could honestly swear to uphold a Constitution which declared as paramount para-mount authority that which he held to be a false and spurious outgrowth of the ancient faith of his ancestors? Such men and all who could not solemnly recognize re-cognize the Christian religion as paramount para-mount authority, would either be placed under continuous political disabilities, or accept position dishonest and perjured. per-jured. Besides, should any of these - conflicting sects professing belief in the "Christian religion," obtain a supremacy suprem-acy in the legislature of the Republic, this proposed constitutional innovation would give them the power to enact the most monstrous statutes directed against those who differed from them in faith, destroying the principles of republicanism and the rights of citizens citi-zens guaranteed by them. If these gentlemen who are so anxious anx-ious to have the Republic a religious nation, would confine their efforts to preserving political and social purity, they would find enough to occupy their attention and talents for some timo to come; and they migbt leave to the ministration of religious teachers the inculcating a higher sense of dependence depen-dence on and obligation to the Author of life and the source of all civil government. gov-ernment. If the people cannot by persuasion, reason and religious teachings, teach-ings, be brought "to recognize His hand in all things," neither constitutional constitu-tional amendment nor legislative enactment enact-ment will do it. |
