THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1897.
and the Christianity of the United
States is one of them, notwith­
standing assertions to the contrary
T h e O nly S euulak P a p e r P u b l is h e d on
by agnostics.”
t h e P a c ific C o a st .
When people honestly believe
Published W eekly by the Oregon State
that George Washington, the father
Secuiar Union.
of this country, was right when he
- E d ito r said, “In no sense whatsoever is
J. E. HOSMER,
M anager this government founded upon the
P. W . GEER, ■
Christian religion,” they ought to
E ntered at the postoffice at Silverton,
rush into print and in every way
Oregon, as second class mail m atter.
defend the great principles of lib­
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.Justice Brewer may •z have been a
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end us the name« and addresses of Sec­ Christian, and in its zeal the su­
u larists w h o are not n-gulur subscribers.
preme court, like other courts, may
have made a slight mistake; hut
TH U R S D A Y , A P R IL 29, E. M. 297
this does not really make this a
Christian nation any more than it
A C h ris tia n N ation?
would have made it a heathen na­
The following, from a Washing­ tion if they had so declared it. If
ton letter, was evidently written by Romanists should get control and
declare through the supreme court
a Christian:
“Have • von
ever noticed that that this is a Roman Catholic na­
z
every time a prominent minister of tion, we wonder if the writer from
the gospel publicly asserts that the Washington would “meekly wait
United States is a Christian nation and murmur not.” We presume
that somebody rushes into print he would ‘‘rush into print ”
The Constitution of this “land of
with a denial that it is? I have
also noticed that the somebody the free” should be consulted in
usually calls himself an agnostic. finding out whether this really is a
A case in paint is the appearance Christian nation or not, and that
of several communications in Wash­ immortal document in an amend­
ington newspapers questioning ment provides that “congress shall
Bishop Newman’s recent assertion make no law respecting an estab­
that the United States supreme lishment of religion or prohibiting
court unanimously decided in the the free exercise thereof.”
Now if our Christian friend will
case of the Church of the Holy
Trinity vs. the United States, that read Article III, Section 2, of the
this is a Christian nation. That Constitution, he will discover that
opinion, which was prepared by the supreme court of our country
.Justice Brewer and handed d<»wn has no authority to declare in favor
February 29, 1892, may be easily of any religion, and the case men­
found and read by those who have tioned no more makes this a Chris­
doubts on the subject, in the Su­ tian nation than a similar decision
preme Court Reports, but it is not of the justice of the peace would
needed to prove that this is a Chris­ make this a Christian city.
As to the long line of Christian
tian nation. That is proven by the
long line of Christian presidents presidents, we must say that the
and acts of congress. What I wish line is somewhat broken when we
to especially call attention to is the count Unitarian presidents, which
agnostic who claims to know differ­ are considered unbelievers by most
ently. Professor Huxley claimed Christians, the Freethinker,Thomas
to have invented the word agnostic, Jefferson, and that Abraham Lin­
hut it is also credited to a writer of coln never made any profession and
the third century. The dictiona­ is said to have written a book in
ries define the word agnostic as favor of infidelitv; hut even if thev
‘one who disclaims all knowledge were all Christians it would no
of God or of the ultimate nature of more make this a Christian nation
things.’ I once heard an old man than would the fact that President
define an agnostic as ‘an infidel McKinley is a Methodist make
who was afraid to say so,’ and I this a Methodist nation.
Who dares dispute that men
think the agnostic of the present
day is one who claims to know should have the privilege “of wor­
everything except the existence of shiping God according to the dic­
God and the immortality of the tates of their own consciences,” and
soul, neither of which he wants to if this is a government of tins kind
know; one who when cornered in it is as much a Mohammedan na­
an argument resorts to the coward­ tion as Christian for Mohammedans
ly ‘I don’t know,’ and thus proves worship God.
Who are Christians? A good
himself an unfit advisor for the
public, and yet persists at every Methodist brother a short time
opportunity in foisting himself since told me that Catholics are not
upon the public as an advisor and Christians, and a Csimpbellite
as an authority higher than minis­ preacher told me that Methodists
ters of the gospel upon such sub­ are not Christians but creedists,
jects as to whether this is a Chris­ while Catholics claim that Protest­
tian nation. There are some things ants are not Christians. What is
that arc not in the doubtful class, a Christian nation?
Torch of Reason
a- a Spiritualist is, but the Advent­
ists do not complain of our giving
them a slap.
One of our mottoes is, “One world
at a time,” hui if Spiritualists are
allowed to speak for 11s they cannot
refrain from teaching about another
state of existence which is as silly
to the majority of our members as
is the future life story •z and other
humhuggeries taught by the Chris­
tians. Can’t our dear brother see
that su°h lecturers would keep out
the very people we want to join?
A Spiritualist may he an infidel,
hut he cannot he a Secularist for
Secular means pertaining to things
of this life, and Spiritualism teaches
about things pertaining to another
life.
Our friends should all take no­
tice that the amendment which has
in an argument, and crawling out given offense refers only to lecturers
of it in that wav » is more cowardlv • and was not meant for a slap as he
by far than an honest “I don’t expresses it, and far from doing us
harm at this time, it will do us
know.”
The “I know” Christian preach­ much good, for not many Spiritu­
ers who have foisted themselves alists who understand the situation
upon our people for so many years will be offended, and many who
will undoubtedly make a hard fight were holding aloof on account of
and try in every way to down our our indefinite, undefined modus
hoble band of workers who are operandi will now step forward,and
brave enough to he honest, hut the all will know what we are and what
old “dark days” are numbered and to depend on. We have many warm
this will NEVER become a Chris­ friends among the Spiritualists as
well as among other sects and those
tian nation!
who love our work for humanity
S tu d e n ts.
will help us just as much as before.
As far as the arguments of our
The attention of the public is friend in favor of Spiritualism is
called to the fact that our Liberal concerned, of course we think they
University furnishes an excellent are very slim indeed and far
plaee in which to educate the young from taking a stand with us in all
people and no matter what their reforms as far as we go, the Spirit­
religious or non-religious opinions, ualists are neglecting the greatest
thev •z will be well treated. The reform of all and that is the eradi­
students, whether of Orthodox, of cation of superstition from the
Spiritualist or of Freethought par­ 1 minds of the people, for w hat can
ents, will have the most careful be a greater superstition than the
attention and he free from any doctrine of life after death?
dogmatic or theoretic teachings
We claim that it would have
whatever. This is not a private done us much harm to have left
institution hut one in which many out the words “a future life” and
are very much interested and it will that we could doit better now than
have many advantages over other we could after our school was built,
schools in the way of scientific ap­ for then the Spiritualists could
paratus, books, ami Natural History justly complain.
specimens, etc. Remember that
Yes, we who believe in working
our school is not local in its nature for this world alone believe that it
but of national importance, and tends to lower the refined intellec­
that our work will grow more and tual sensibilities of man to teach
more effective as the many workers about spirits and spooks and a fu­
fall into line.
ture life, and that the priests of
Spiritualism are doing the same
R eg arding S p iritu a lis ts .
kind of harm as those of orthodoxy.
In an article on another page of
We cannot affiliate and will
this issue, written by our Spiritualist never prosper as long as w’e try.
friend, C. S. Hamish, he shows that Let Spiritualists organize and work
he is not posted in regard to the with all their might and if they
effect of allowing Spiritualists to wish to help us in our work for
lecture for our organization.
humanity all is well, but we should
Spiritualism is as obnoxious to not injure ourselves by trying to
many of our best members as Ca­ teach about a future life and “one
tholicism is, and the work in the world at a time” on the same plat­
past has demonstrated beyond a form.
doubt that it is better to keep our
I bis juvenile attempt to narrow
organizatiou.3 separate. We have Secularism down to a certain groove
no more ideas in common than of pet ideas is not as juvenile
many other sects. A Seventh-Day perhaps as some might suppose.
Adventist is as much a Secularist Catholics, Adventists, Methodists
The writer of the above letter
seems to have as vague an idea of
an agnostic as all Christians have
of their God. The agnostics with
whom we are acquainted are not
afraid to say what they think, and
we feel sure that agnostics as a rule
make no greater claim to knowl­
edge than Christians do. We claim
that an agnostic knows as touch
about the existence of a God and
the immortality of a soul as the
Christian, hut that the Christian is
deceived and thinks he knows what
he does not or is a deceiver, while
the agnostic is honest. Is it cow­
ardly to say “I don’t know,” or is it
cowardly to sav I do know as the
Christians do, when they •z do not?
By the letter one would suppose
that the writer would advocate the
idea of lying when he was cornered