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Show DESPOTISM AND LICENSE i i AH Authority Centered in God Begets Liberty Atheism Leads to Despotism Despot-ism God Absolute Sovereign Parents, Par-ents, the State and Church Derive Authority Au-thority From God and Rule as His Vicars Vic-ars Liberty Comes From God License Li-cense Is a Violation of His Laws Despotism Des-potism Is Assumption of Authority Without Rightful Claim. (Written for The Internaountain Catholic.) Despotism, 'which means an absolute power of me psrson over another, cr tyranny, is an abuse of authority. License is an abuse of liberty, a disregard disre-gard for authority, an encroachment on the rights of other. Our "age, in spirituals at least, calls authority despotism, and want no restraint, mental men-tal or physical, on -what they term their civil and Tflipiou liberty. As far back as the history of the human race is historically traceable, all who sep arated from the synagogue or denied the true worship of God seemed to think that they found a contradiction or an irreconcilable opposition be-tween be-tween authority and liberty A denial of God is a (ienial of all authority, civil and religious, since 'Jicre is no power unless it be from God." Hence, the assumption or sanction of authority by an atheist athe-ist would be despotism. The supposed antagonism Ktwccii liberty and religious authority arises cither from a denial of God, or a misconception of his province in human affairs. Any assumption of authority au-thority by an atheist would mean a curtailment of the liberty of those who had to submit to an unauthorized un-authorized rower, which would simply mean des-ptism. des-ptism. In the Christian sense, where man neither, iierently possesses power, nor receives it from j::.thcr. but derives all from God, there can be to contest between authority- and 4ibef ryw-GKl-s the absolute sovereign, and proprietor of the uni-we, uni-we, the source from which authority is derived and all are made free. In his sight, authority and liberty, which are special gifts bestowed on man, rjirmot conflict when each is taken in its own sphere. Tho authority, which he gives, cannot be limited by any human agency nor can the liberty, which flows from the truth of his divine word, be curtailed. '"The truth shall make you free." Being absolute abso-lute Master, because he is the Creator of the uni-vprp uni-vprp and everything visible and invisible, his authority, au-thority, which is inherent, is supreme, and man, as hi? spent, can only claim and wield the authority bestowed by his Maker, and exercise the liberty giv-hi giv-hi ly God. who is the very foundation of all authority au-thority and liberty. "What have you that you did not receive," writes St. Paul, "and if you received, fnj boast as if you received not." Man has nothing independent of God, not even liberty. They, who would assume it, reverse the order established by Him. and would cahlicense liberty, and despotism authority, because it is a denial of his sovereign r:ght to dispose of our own property according to his own will. In the presence of God there is no liberty. His absolute and universal sovereignty demands unconditional uncon-ditional subjection. To oppose God's will, or violate Ins law ii license. Between man and "man all are cu ally free. No man by his own inherent right claim subjection of another. To do so would 'tyranny. When a child obeys his parents, the ci'izen the chief magistrate, or the Christian his cP;mua! superior, they do it because God so com-ttEmls. com-ttEmls. "Honor thy father and thy mother. Give " Cacr what belongs to Caesar. He that will not War the church let him be to thee as a heathen and publican." They represent the authority of Gcd tnd as ;j5 vicars the subjection is not to mere hu-!'sri hu-!'sri au-hority, which would bo slavery, but to God. r:re vp Irani that in the foundation of government -!-' mu-t be religion in order to preserve the law authority and the law of liberty which proceed -ra f.o. seme fountain, namely, the absolute and urumnH sovereignly of God. When founded and 'Ctioned by God man's subjection is clearly point-v,,!U1 point-v,,!U1 Ly PauL "Sen-ants, obey in all things m;ist,-rs." Again, "Put them in mind to obev '"Sistratr-s." ;. rj"10'V ?'ao wou eliminate the sovereignty of ,'a'-lih'-' '' absolute power and authority from civil r.','Vr?'. M'l always find it impossible to reconcile nonty an,j liberty, and can give as substitutes 'y J'-P'tism and license. Admit God as the Cre- :r'r- tlun in unconditional surrender of the will to true liberty. "If the Son makes you free, ti';'ai frFe inlw'J" But deny God, and im-ijrtv im-ijrtv .''"kliffation in the name of man and you have potH-.j ;in,j slavery, instead of authority and lib- . l,'"1. ievere. free thinkers anarchists and a ' ol . ;!i,-rs xvith shifting faith cry out that un surrender of the will to God is slavery, K.V'0 ,xTCi of his divine sovereignty is des-c'"1" des-c'"1" T ue slavery would mean that man has " tf n injts "hich God is bound to respect, but i'm ? ,'J J an? Property of God man has no rights ti U,i- '"' 'u,ir;S and in complying with these duties du-ties tU- rrnM freo- Go(i is justice, and the exae-HiiiJ'1 exae-HiiiJ'1 ;itic! are tKefoundation of liberty. The "oinn- r froes iuto tno fied of ttle at the ijia'K '"p 0'-his country, is not a slave, but a free . 0 71 the exercise of the divine sovereignty ' ulST'' ('(luivalcnt tr saying that ihe Creator uro lri-r'? to cxf'i'cise his authority over the crca-on'nf crca-on'nf n 'y'i0 ('ssclloe despotism is the assump-au,hon'ty assump-au,hon'ty witout any rightful claim. A des- pot is one who rules absolutely regardless of a constitution or laws, and despotism is the exercise of one's will without reason and of power without authority. Could this be said of God ? As Creator of all things, his right to universal dominion' over his own works cannot be questioned. His divine will which is immutable and inseparable from his- Omnipotence Om-nipotence and Justice, could not possibly be unreasonable. un-reasonable. How, then, could his laws, emanating from the fountain of Justice, truth and authority, all united in his divine sovereignty, produce des-" potism or destroy liberty ? The history of the past demonstrates the very opposite, namely, when and where God is denied, and religion ignored, the authority au-thority of ihe state is set at nought, license takes the place of liberty,. to preserve social order, equality equal-ity tnd liberty, despotism is sometimes necessary, lidice, the truth of that profound statesman and learned French historian, Louis Adolph Thiers, president of the republic. "The ruler who .u-tcmpts .u-tcmpts to govern a country without God or religion is a madman.''' F. L. ' , i , 1 |