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Show RELIGiON NEEDED TO' ! PRESERVE SOCIETY j j (Written for The Intcrmountaiii Catholic.) j In directing attention to the need of religion ' in all civil governments, there are two classes of j unbelievers who are to be considered (1) those who ; possess more of the goods of the world than they need and who are termed capitalists; (2) those who are termed wage-earners, and are known as the Labor La-bor party. Eliminating religion and denying all future responsibility, the contest between both leads to practical anarchy. Doth are impatient of any restraint imposed hy law, and hold, if not in contempt con-tempt at least in abeyance all authority. One of the chief charges made against the Catholic church is her constant ami continuous defense of the necessity ne-cessity of due respect and obedience to civil and re-licious re-licious authority. This she does on the ground that liberty could not ho otherwise maintained. ''The truth shall make you free,"' said Christ when ad- j dressing the Israelites and the pagan world twenty i centuries ago. Order is heaven's first law, hence ! essential for true liberty, but where the governnienf as represented by its laws or authority, is held in contempt, or obeyanco. there can he no order. The citizens who, like the fool, says in his heart, "There is no God." if on "easy street" may proclaim his loyalty and patriotism from the house tops, whilst the wage earner may. as happened recently in San Francisco, irail the flag in the dust, yet on the principle prin-ciple of political atheism, which is-practieal anarchy, anar-chy, the actions of both are founded on what may ho termed what is most useful or agreeable to their aims and objects in life. The former, if placed in the position of the latter and having as their only aim and object in life "to live and he merry for tomorrow to-morrow they die," would and actually do, as far as it can be done, use the government as a mere instrument instru-ment for their private gain, whilst the latter, if by a stroke of fortune they reached a state where their object and aim in life was secured, would be equally patriotic. As the stream cannot rise higher than its source, neither can man become better than his principle?, and as human nature is about the same in all aires, and in all men. as one believes, so wiil he act. A nation with no belief in God, as is historically his-torically evident, has no stability: and must inevi-. inevi-. tably, jis in ;our. country jwlierc the. maioritrruLti. and where religion is to such an alarming extent '; wiped out. fall into the hands of unbelievers. Eliminate, or do away with religion, wherein does the government derive its right to command, and its authority to exact obedience? From the people, will it be said? This is political atheism and is contrary to Christian principles which teach that all governments originate, with God, who is the Supreme liulcr. and from whom all power comes. lJierelore tne government tias tne divine ngnt to command the respect, and allegiance of all its citizens. citi-zens. But the growing tendency of our age. brought on by the decay of religion, denies and rejects this Christian claim. It hopes to find all its cravings in what it terms the progress, and advanced civilization civili-zation of the race. It is always after new ideals which fail to materialize, because they lack those Christian standards, viz.. faith, hope and charity, which form a solid basis for true ideals, that are to bo realized in God who is the beginning and end of-all things. True religion, which must be prior to all false religion, and directly from God. is the revelation of the ideal, and must be within the roach of all. otherwise God would not impose an obligation to live up to its teachings. Hero the unbeliever, un-believer, and the indifferent, who eschew from their ideals the necessity of religion, because they do not understand its significance, or that without it man is lowered to the level of the brute, are, unconsciously uncon-sciously it may bo, sowing the seed of anarchy and disloyalty. When G'od is ruled out of the universe, and human nature gropes in the dark with no higher high-er ideals thnn those suggested bv the animal propensities, propen-sities, viz.. love of the world and indulgance of the passions what more natural than that any restraint on these animal instincts should be considered arbitrary arbi-trary and a curtailment of their rights. Man. with-I with-I out God. is destitute of all morality, and will not be restrained by any law that interferes with his interests or passions. And what more reasonable, on the hypothesis that religion is a myth or a superstition, super-stition, than that each person should exercise all his power, skill and ingenuity in transferring his neighbor's neigh-bor's property to himself, by fair means if possible, but if not possible by fair means, subject to prudential pru-dential restraints, then by any means. Patriotism, love of order and loyalty always yield to sordid greed and corrupt seliish nature of a people who deny or have forgotten God, the Supreme Ituler of men and nations, and who, as a substitute, bend the knee lo the shrine of Mammon. As a nation we are strong and powerful, rich and prosperous; our skill, ingenuity, energy and inventive genius have never been surpassed, but all these will not save us. if Christian ethics are ignored, virtue disregarded and no restraint placed on the base passions of cor rupt selfish nature. Only justice exalteth a nation, and sin is a reproach to any people, be they civilized or barbarous. Imbued wilh this religious spirit the two classes, to whom reference has been made, adopt very different views in regard re-gard to the efficacy and salutary effects of religion. The rich patronize it and assert its utility, and even its necessity. Why? Because God ordained it. and without it future bliss is not obtainable. ob-tainable. By no means. Neither God as the beginning be-ginning or man's final destiny, nor future happiness happi-ness are the ideals to which they aspire. "Why, then, again it may be asked, do the rich and powerful power-ful who ignore God, and to whom Faith, Hope and Charity, the true religious ideals, are lost virtues, patronize religion and proclaim its usefulness, and even necessity ? Because it serves as antidote to lawlessness, ami may be used to insure their collos- . sal fortunes. By inverse reasoning the knights of' the pick and shovel, mechanics and professional i L men, who oscillate between zero and a small cora-notence, cora-notence, denounce religion because it sanctions law and order, proclaims honesty and justice, truth and charity as essential for the well being and happiness of society and the perpetuation of a nation. True religion cannot compromise with lawlessness or any form of injustice. It can no more take sides with capital than it could with labor when there is question ques-tion of allegiance to civil authority, respect for law and order or any acts of injustice against individuals individ-uals and society. Herein itincurs the deadly hatred of anarchy and all who sympathize with or adct their principles. Yet these principles, be it remembered, remem-bered, for those who deny God as the beginning ami final destiny of man also the immortality of soul, and future rewards or punishments, are the most natural for human nature to adopt and follow. fol-low. - F. D. J |