The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., December 01, 1925, Page 24, Image 24

Page Twenty-four
THE UNITED
we will not reverence or respect the so-called holy traditions of
the Gnnsuan or any other religion; to do that is to strike
sort in nactie and give tne enemy an advantage to which he is
not entitled. We win not compromise alter tne manner of the
mouermsts by using religious terms in a new sense oi our own.
That it is the policy of the atheists to conduct an
aggressive propaganda campaign against the lorces of
reugion, not omy in America Out tnroughout the world,
m proportion to tne extent the atheists will finance
tne campaign, is tersely outlined by Mr. ¡Smith, speak­
ing ror tne Association, in the ioiiowmg manner:
It will be the policy of the association to send representa­
tives aoroad to conduct atheistic propaganda and to expose the
true nature or the prevalent religions, especially Christianity.
One representative could undo the work of scores of mission­
aries, and a lew thousand dollars would more than offset as
many millions spent by tne churches. We will do all we can to
prevent our reiiow men m roreign lands irom being imbued with
tne pnilosopny oi tne Christian religion. In this country we
expect tne sternest opposition in the south.
The atheists are great at calculating, but they are
poor judges of true Christianity and true religion,
f or axrer all when the superficiality and skin-deep re­
ligious coloring nas given way, and the self-seeker
wno nas been using religion as a cloak for personal
ends, nas had his mask torn off, there still remain the
great spiritual truths, the spiritual springs eternal,
tnat source from which religion has sprung. Down
through the ages these trutns have come in various
forms and by various means, performing their miracles,
made visible in the transformation of men who drank
from the iountain of spiritual truths. Saul of Tarsus, a
vainglorious villain of an ancient period, is still testify­
ing to the futility of combating spiritual truths.
Atheism, militant, may succeed in discrediting re­
ligion by the aid of those who confess religion, yet prosti­
tute every principle of spiritual truth by their conduct;
it may succeed in engendering more hate and intoler­
ance ; it may cause more wars and more human suffer­
ing, but eventually it will have done true religion a
service of vast magnitude. This service atheism will
have rendered when men, through its militancy, shall
have learned to distinguish spiritual nobility as a thing
apart from hypocrisy and found the courage to hold
the latter responsible for most of the conflicts between
nations, the thing that has made from spiritual things
a vehicle to human suffering and caused religion to
stand responsible for the erection of the altars upon
which millions have been wantonly sacrificed.
The world’s religious hypocrisy will furnish the
atheists their weapon for attack. The hypocrite in the
church is the strongly entrenched traitor in the realm
of religion who has sold out to the organized forces
that have declared war. He has furnished the ammuni­
tion and will eventually be selling the man-power and
contribute the intellect necessary to engineer the war of
atheism.
The atheists’ war, as Mr. Smith argues, is to be
fought upon the ground that religion has failed to
show its mettle as an institution sustaining human
happiness, putting it pointedly in this language:
We believe that religion has had a fair chance to show its
mettle, but it has proved altogether adamant to the call of
human reason, having degraded itself by its inhuman stifling
of the best ideas of mankind. I do not know if, when he ap­
proved our application to be incorporated, Supreme Court
DECEMBER 1925
AMERICAN
Justice Ford realized he was conferring a great boon on
humanity.
The conceit of the organizers is plain. That is their
weakness, but the authority conferred is going to
make it possible for them to proceed with their propa­
ganda as given out in the information furnished by the
quoted preceptor:
The circulation of atheistic literature will naturally be one
of our principal objects. Cheap editions of the work of the
great free thinkers will be published and placed within the
reach of everybody. Meetings will be held regularly in this
city (New York) and in local branches which are being formed
in practically every state to propagate our doctrines and be­
liefs. State organizers and national lecturers will be placed
in the field.
Another contending factional force is accordingly
in the field, making a bid for public attention. It can
hold no promise for peace and tolerance, hence it is not
conducive to domestic tranquility. The man who wor­
ships God according to the dictates of his conscience
is the enemy of the atheist, at least his religion is, and
as the two are inseparable, there can hardly be a
distinction.
Meanwhile the business of good citizenship, which
cannot exist without a true feeling of brotherly love
and respect, is being sadly neglected.
America’s spiritual armor has been rusting in the
closet long enough. There is need for a little more
militant action in defense of the priceless principles of
tolerant citizenship. As things are now, these prin­
ciples are beginning to appear sadly in need of protec­
tion against those who use a pretext of loyalty as a
means to get by with nefarious schemes which gradu­
ally are rendering the common bond in American citi­
zenship a farce with tears behind the shades.
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