Show COURT AND christianity I 1 learn by a late issue of your paper that a reverend gentlemen gent lemin of ahn city boa baa publicly declared that the courts have decided that thai this Is ia a christian nation this Is ie such a remarkable statement from a professed prof eNed christian minister that I 1 cannot but express a few thoughts relative to the truth and propriety of such decision if ever made the question arises by virtue of what law could such a judgment be rendered courts are supposed to act by authority of and to decide all caseb and questions in conformity with law the actions of courts without law would be extremely ridiculous if not positively absurd the constitution of our country forbids the making of any law care respecting spec ting an establishment of religion am I 1 to suppose that the constitution has been wantonly violated viti that courto courtis are acting upon unconstitutional provisions provi this thia would be so if the reverend gent lemans statement be correct certainly such a condition condilia i of things could not add much to the christian chriatian character of the country nor to the reputation of its judiciary thib the fact that neither the judicial nor her lawmaking law making departments of the country can have a anything 1 thing to do with religion to tn their 10 official caal capacity is p per er orpa somewhat of the eon con of the country as to its christianity a country in which it can inave no ae encouragement fit from the source indicated go bo far as the courts are concerned infidelity or atheism ljuba io just an good and has baa the same game rights and liberties as christianity 3 why the rev gentleman should appeal to such a source for defense of the nation lis parity is somewhat inexplicable christianity I 1 freely admit should be the pride and boast of this great nation but we must search for and find it elsewhere ebow bere than in its courts the few chris fians that are in the land recognize ch cb rist as the author of their faith that the doctrines and principles he taught concerning christianity and the practice oi 01 these principles are necessary to constitute sti tute a true christian ch ristian and make men followers of the christ this admitted we find ourselves the necessity of turning to the bible and to the ministers of thedac the day to find evidence of our nations christianity we rely upon the bible as aa evidence of christs life and teachings and by examining closely we may be able to arrive at just conclusions in reference to our count country rys claims christy christs roie nai oston eran to earth was herald berald ed with theory the cry of peace on earth good will to man this was the nature and character aba cba racier of the gospel taught during his hie ministry He trove to reconcile the children of men to god by their doing his will and to establish peace and fellowship follo I 1 p among men by bringing them all to a unity of that faith and doctrine which he taught there was but one faith one gospel and one baptism to which all must submit to be recognized by him as ilia his disciples obedience to which secured to all the same spirit having the same faith and posses sing the same spirit made men one even as he and the father were one except ye are one ye are not mine 11 1 is christs declaration to his followers no matter what sect or occupation they came from his most earnest prayer fortham for them was that they might become one without this oneness in faith and spirit there is no positive practical e evidence of christianity to believe that christ died among men and to la the personage ho he claimed to be daes not alone make mou men christians men without any reM reN glon gion and even devils believe this much as won well as the professed christian ministers who have dave lived both in his hia diskand day and in conr day both history and tradition dave i ave stamped a belief in christ life upon the minds of both saint land and sinner but it is no evidence today of a holy life lor for a man to say he believes in christ A life conformable forma blein IQ all things to the doctrine and principles he taught can alone be evidence of love for him he that hath ray my commandments and keeneth them he be itis that loveth me if a man love me he will keep my words worde and my father will love him so jesus that portion of the world called Cadi capitian tian is today as in christs day divided antl and subdivided into a multitude of faiths and organizations all at variance with each other so much so that many will noi commune with another sect or society than their own A similar state of things existed in tb abe time of christ when men were zealous in keeping the law but hr he recognized none of them as his elie in their divided and nd discordant condition they were opposed to the oneness and spirit of the gospel which he taught and which his followers wye required to cherish one towards another from the history of the past and the union required of men in chrimes 93 day our nation presents a most an unchristian like appearance and the many sects that sie aie crying 10 lo here and lo 10 there is christ cariot 21 2 1 are so many evidences that they are indeed anti chi chiist in spirit aswell as in the practical development of christian life if christ were to come again to earth in our day he would find ample cause to say may to the sects as of yore except ye are one ye are not mine P leaving these and many other like scriptural evidences which might be given in support of this cardinal doctrine of christ that fellowship and perfect communion must characterize the lives lilies of men to make them acceptable to hiex him brief refer ence must be made to the clergy of our day who cleam claim to be ministers of christ to the people they are the class of men who per in maintaining this constant strife and division multiplying sect upon sect society upon society both recognizing and cultivating tho the pro prevailing discordant faiths that constitute our no notions a of christianity this was a prominent feature of encouragement coura gement held out to the few con verts made at the late revival meetings held in this city they could name their own mini minister to fand d chose abose t toe society with which t they ey would be connected thus Tj simply imply cod consigning signIng converts to a condition of recognized disagreement in church standing and fellowship As a clue class of men it if to is pitiable to know they are no not what they should be we do not always find them re presenting in their lives the life of their master the meek and lowly jesus too many of them are educated as other professionals are for the mere purpose of obtaining a good living by their services the minis aerial circle has not power to claim it its ranks from the infamy and criminal disgrace which so frequently appear in the public journals and which serve to make christianity a hiss bles and a tye bye word with the observing mass of the people there are too many among them who are as aa wil willinia linit to send people to bell as to heaven should they happen to disagree with them as to the way and mode of getting there it to is a notorious fact that many of the christian ministers minister are foremost and unrelenting in their persecution and misrepresentation of other societies as aa christian as themselves when engaged in religious controversy it la is not bot beyond recollection that a young man in this christian nation had faith enough in god when converted to religion to ask of him which of the many churches he should hould join and nd when he received answer and proclaimed ro claimed it to the world that he was to join none of them as aa being the church of christ a storm of persecution arose from these pious religious leaders that never ceased while he lived and the few who showed favor to the young man and befriended him were made sharers with him of the r ame rame demoniac hate this was in our land of religious liberty where no law interfered with a mans faith in god and where no court was supposed to tell men how or what they should worship some ten years since the crimes committed in one year by ministers minie terp and published in the public papers were gathered by one man to the number of and these were presumed to be not one tenth of the actual number perpetrated by the christian clergy ot of our nation these crimes were com mittia by 02 preachers who were convicted in the courte and their cases published this possibly may he be we reason why the rev gentleman ot of this city makes reference to the cour court t being competent to decide upon the christianity of the nation bearing such fruits cf f righteous righteousness nees in which it is ie alleged that the clergy as aa a class commit more crime in proportion to numbers than any other other instances may be considered ucb such for instance as aa an internal fratricidal years yeara duration the despoiling of nearly one third of the nation by robbery and by expending millions of money in the noble christian work of destroying hundreds hundred of thousands of lives and leaving millions of sorrowing wives children and friends whose cries have ascended to heaven while mourning their loss then there is in the haughty pride and arrogance that reigns supreme throughout the land in the midst of while the despised neglected starving arving et poor are eking out a miserable existence with none to pity and to whom death would be a welcome relief all these with the daily crimes committed which are enough to make the angels weep might be put in the scales and weighed in contrast with our cat ions excellence and then lot let that god who will not look upon sin with any degree of allo allowance waDee instead of the natI nations oDle court decide by the ard of righteousness upon the nations christianity while this thin revolting condition of things exhibits a vast amount of hypo hypocrisy erley and downright wickedness wf we k know tiow the nation has a vast number of fit devout worshippers wor shippers who reverence god and recognize the mission of jwuc jobu christ in its true significance so no far as s ther their knowledge enables them to eota corra the truth as through him revea ed ea these may be considered ao ag the halt alt of the earlb by virtue of influence ce many may be saved by investigation know something aon thing about mens crimes but their knowledge of MODS mens faithana faith fait hand and reis gion Js Is too trifling to a reliable judgment that will secure the endorse mew men of christ to their decision christianity to not ft a matter of mass conventions to be determined by majorities but Is individual property the value of which can only be appreciated coated by its it a For sessor 8 W W B R |