THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, MARCH 23, 1899.
What is Personal Religious Liberty?
Arranged by MRS. M. M. TURNER, Washington, D. C.
T he constitution of the United States accords to its citizens religious
iibertv when this liberty does not lead to encroaching upon the rights of
others. Individual liberty is invaded when societies of men and women
bring the child-mind of this or any other nation into subjection to any
of the many theological theories which infest life in all of its depart­
ments. The constitution does not give the right to put theological fet­
ters upon the minds of the children. This is not individual liberty; it
is only the liberty to make partisans.
Theology, to merit the approval of mankind, should establish by in­
contestable proof, some one theory that will be good for all people for
all time, and that does not depend upon the promises of heaven or the
threats of hell for its vitality. Without this, theological work is dis­
uniting, disorganizing and in fact demoralizing. It stands in the way
of the purifying and organizing work of Science, with her methods of
proving, and demonstrating,based upon the uniform and changeless laws
of the universe, without promise or threat—only appealing to reason.
Such baseless theories as the following, formulated more than a hun­
dred years ago, and gathered from the Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist,
Roman Catholic and Episcopalian catechisms and the “Thirty-nine Ar­
ticles of Religion”, should be brought to the bar of public judgment and
be made to “staud in the pure light of free and fearless questioning”.
3
Spiritualists teach: “The continued conscious existence of the indi­
vidual spirit after the change called death ;the intercommunion of the two
states by the voluntary action of the individual disembodied spirits to
and through those existing in the human form.”
Swedenborg claims that at the age of 57 he was visited by the Lord.
He says: “It has been given to me to be together with angels and to
speak with them as man with man.” From this intercourse he claims
to have learned that man is an immortal spirit Hwho awakes in the
spirit world’’ after the death of the body, for which there is no resur­
rection.
Theosophy teaches the reincarnation of the soul.
Church and Priests.
“The church has four marks by which it may be known: it is one, it
is catholic, it is holy and it is apostolic. These marks are found in the
holy Roman Catholic church alone.” This church teaches that Christ
gave his priests power to change bread and water into his body and
blood. The priests exercise this power through the words of consecra­
tion in the mass, making deo-pophagi of the congregation.
Leo X III informed the archbishop of England that the orders of the
English church are “invalid”.
The archbishops argue that “if the Anglican rite of ordination is held
invalid, for the same reasons given by his holiness, then, on the same
ground, doubt is cast on all other orders also, even those of the church
of Rome itself.”
The bishops of the Episcopal church of the United States say to young
Theory About God (Not Proved).
men being ordained, “ Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; whose
sins
you retain, they are retained.”
“There is but one god, . . . the only true god.” In this “god­
“The decrees of God are his eternal purpose . . . whereby for his
head”, “without body, parts or passions,” “unchangeable in being, the
same in essence, equal in power and glory,” there are three persons, own glory he hath foreordained whatever comes to pass. . . . His
father, son and holy ghost. “The son, which is the word of the father, works of providence are his governing all his creatures and all their
begotten from everlasting of the father,” whose “sacrifice as an atone­ actions.” This includes plagues, pestilence and famine, battles, mur­
ment was the thought of God before creation began,” was “by the power der and death.
Though we have no power to do good without the grace of God, the
of the holy ghost born of the virgin Mary.” Having been crucified and
buried, “he arose again from death and took again his body with flesh, most depraved of sinners is promised forgiveness if at the last he says
bones and all things pertaining to the perfection of man’s nature, wherewith he has faith. Faith opens the gates of heaven for the murderer.
These various and conflicting theological theories have strewed the
he ascended to heaven” and “continueth to be god and man, two dis­
tinct natures in one person, forever sitteth at the right hand of God,” path of life with millions of agonized human hearts, with tears, blood
the father, son and holy ghost, “until the last day.” “My father is and death by various forms of torture. They now divide the people in­
greater than I” (John 14:28). “Why callest thou me good? There is to factions. In the ranks of the working classes where man’s daily bread
none good but one, and that is God” (Matt. 19-17). The holy-ghost depends upon his daily work, these theories torture reason, “hush and
part of this godhead came down as a dove, and again as “cloven tongues school the natural human conscience, make it speak the words of a
formula, making obedience the whole duty of man.”
of fire'*.
It is thought that a covenant was made for man by Adam without
Unproved Theories About God’s Relation to flan.
man’s knowledge or consent. All but arrant cowards would prefer to
bear just punishment themselves on account of breaking this covenant
“ When God created man he entered into a covenant of life with him. rather
than to have an innocent person suffer and die to save them. It
. . . This covenant being made with Adam, not for himself, but for takes moral
cowards to be willing to shift punishment justly due to one
his posterity, all mankind sinned in him and fell with him in his first onto the shoulders
of an innocent party, even if the party was one-third
transgression.”
of the god-head or the god himself.
“All mankind by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his
The government accords to each man the right to think as pleaselh
wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of life, to death himself.
It should not allow theology to interfere, as it does, with in­
itself, and to the pains of hell forever,” consequently “we have no power dividual religious
It should not allow associations of men to
to do good works, pleasing and acceptable to God”. “ Works done be­ take these different liberty.
with their weapons of heaven and hell, to
fore the grace of Christ and the inspiration of the spirit are not pleas­ the Eastern nations; theories,
it might lead to the re-establishment of the inqui­
ant to God. . . . We doubt not but they have the nature of sin.”
sition
to
thrust
one
another of those theories down the throats of
Faith — the grave of Reason — is the one absolute requisite to gain other nations. Study or
of the Bible might lead to hunting and burning
heaven, yet this cannot be had “ without the grace of God bv Christ witches. It has been done
among enlightened people — it may be
preventing us that we may have a good will, “the spirit applying to us done again. The garments before
of theology are crimson with the “blood of
the redemption purchased by Christ working faith in us.”
Roman Catholicism, not believing that the intercession of Christ and the souls of the poor innocents”.
Secularism, in the name of science, asks that these differing theolog­
the holy ghost will melt the heart of this tyrant in the skies, appeals to
ical theories shall be brought to the bar of Reason and Public Opinion
the virgin Mary, Michael the archangel, John, Peter, Paul and all the and
be made to “stand in the fierce light of free and fearless question­
saints to pray for mercy on the Roman Catholic sinners.
ing,” if, peradventure, any of them may prove thems dves the truth ac­
ceptable to the enlighted reason of this day and time and io all people.
Different Theories About Baptism.
When this is done men will learn that, as W. K. Clifford says, “the
Baptist Catechism: “Infants of such as are professing believers are principle of natural ethics is the sole and supreme allegiance of con­
not to be baptised. . . . Baptism is rightly administered by immer­ science to the community”. Wherever nations have a god to fear, a
sion, . . . and not by sprinkling.
heaven to hope for and an eternal fire to dread, there the allegiance of
Martin Luther said: “It can not be proved by the scriptures that conscience to the community is betrayed. The sublime and solemn
infant baptism was instituted by Christ.”
force throbbing through the universe, without beginning and without
Methodist: “Little children ought to be baptized. They belong to end, wants no worship, no prayer and no churches; it needs and asks
Christ.”
nothing from man. The human family in the mass is credulous and
Episcopalian: This church requires faith and repentance before bap­ superstitious, struggling with ignorance, bitter poverty, the unhealthy
tism. Infants are made to promise these things by “their sponsors”.
conditions it engenders and the stress and strain of sex. It needs all
Roman Catholic: “ Baptism is necessary for salvation, because with­ the love, help and self-sacrifice that man can give. It asks justice and
out it we can not enter the kingdom of heaver.”
natural rights, not church charities given to please God and save the
giver from the pains of hell, but from allegiance to the community.
Different Theories About the Soul.
Sanctioned by
J. E. R emsburg ,
Presbyterian and Baptist: “The souls of believers at death are made
President American Secular Union and Freethought Federation.
perfect in holiness and do immediately pass to glory, and their bodies,
•
E. S tew art ,
being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves until the resurrec­
President Oregon State Secular Union.
tion.”
Methodist: “The soul is the breath of God. . . .
At the last day N ote .—T he above has !>een printer! in tra c t form for free d istrib u tio n . Send a
the Lord Jesus will come down out of heaven, the trumpet will sound sta m p to pay postage and a q u a n tity of them will be forw arded for you to d is trib ­
and the dead shall be raised, the heavens shall pass away, . . . the u te. A ddress Torch of Reason, Silverton, O re., o r M rs. M. M. T u rn e r, 1410Q. S t.,
righteous shall be taken up into heaven, but the wicked shall be turned N. W ., W ash in g to n , D. C.
into hell.”
I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the
Roman Catholic: “Christ will judge us immediately after death and
on the last day.” The first is called “particular judgment”, which sends constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doc­
souls either to heaven, hell or purgatory. “The judgment which all trines, discipline, or exercise. But it is only proposed that I should re­
men have to undergo on the last day is the general judgment.”
commend, not prescribe, a day of fasting and prayer. I do not believe
The Episcopal creed says: “1 believe in the resurrection of the body.” it is for the interest of religion to invite the civil magistrate to direct its
Rev. Lyman Abbott says: “There is no resurrection of the body save exercises, its discipline or its doctrine. Fasting and prayer are religious
in grass and flowers.”
j exercises; the enjoining them, an act of discipline.—[Thomas Jefferson.