| Show MATRIMONY AS A MATTER OF RELIGION THE tae decrees of the roman catholic plenary council of baltimore which were sent to rome home for papal confirms tion and which have been returned approved contain many doctrines and announcements of importance to the body of religionists whom they are intended to govern among them is a decree in regard to matrimony I 1 it t is generally known that marriage is regarded as as sacrament by the church blusch it cannot be properly contracted and solemnized by catholics without a duly ordained priest and tile the ceremony all 0 ther other marriages of members are considered ecclesiastically void in this the views of that church are similar to those of the mormon church but they do not nowadays now a days occasion so much comment when a latter day saint elder advises tile the members of his church not to marry outsiders and declares that contracts formed outside of the rites and ordinances of the Church are not valid in the sight of heaven although they may be in the eyes of the secular law he is denounced with a vehemence and bitterness that savor of violence A roman catholic priest may utter the same precept and doctrine in regard to his church and scarcely anything is said about them py by others the protestant world has become accustomed to catholicism and has almost ceased t ta persecute perse dute its followers so with the decree just published in regard to matrimony it holds that since marriage is raised to the dignity of a sacrament it belongs solely to the church to whom the administration of the sacrament is entrusted to pass upon the validity rights and obligations of marriage and that no legal divorce has the slightest power before god to loose the bond of marriage and make a subsequent marriage valid these are similar to the doctrines held b by the church of jesus christ of latter L tte r day saints on this important subject and the plural marriages which that church has sanctioned have been entered into as cc ecclesiastical obligations with which the secular law had nothing to do do they were charch marriages under church regulations and cere monies and asked no sanction or roe rec of the secular law the law of of man cannot dissolve them they are sacred binding and perpetual perpetu af the secular law has haa presumed to step in ia and declare them invalid and also to punish the men who have contracted them but the sacrament by which they were solemnized holds itself as beyond the touch of the civil law it Is an establish establishment Went of religion with which the state is forbidden to interfere it is one of the things of god khith are above the real reach of ciesar the principle Is tie e same in both religious religions organizations though the tice way may be different catholicism ena enjoins joins celibacy ia a priests and nuns nuna mormonism perIn permits its plural marriages to its priesthood under certain restrictions but the marriage relation is held by each to be under ecclesiastical sias instead of secular direction and its contract or separation so far as its own members are arc concerned to be under the discipline and government of the church yet catholicism may I 1 fulminate its decrees and provoke but faint opposition while the similar claim of mormonism a stirs t irs up the to an ana geraud erand sets the world ajar well perli perhaps aps the time taime will come chibe when people at home and abroad will see that there is nothing in our system destined or calculated to hurt them in the least and nd intolerance will become so suli subdued dued that they will conclude to let both t th he latter day saint and the fhe catholic worship and serve god according to the dictates of conscience and none will dare to make them afraid but there will have to be a big struggle first and so we may as well stand ready to endure whatever shall intervene |
