November 18, 1897
IF a state religion is bad, a United States religion is forty-four times worse.
WHEN Christianity is mixed with politics, the mixture is good for political uses only.
EVERY law in “support” or for the “protection” of religious dogmas or institutions, is an effort to induce people to have faith in the state, instead of faith in God.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN is credited with saying, “Where liberty is, there is my country.” And such is the sentiment of the Christian’s heart, as he looks by faith to that country where alone is true liberty.
TO his followers Jesus said (and still says): “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” John 15:19. Christianity means separation from the world; and Christian citizenship cannot possibly mean anything else.
AN example in theological mathematics: Given, 1 rest day following 6 days of work, 1 commandment to keep holy “the seventh day,” and 0 Scripture statements commanding the observance of any other day, to find 1 or more proofs that Sunday is the true Sabbath and ought to be made obligatory upon all persons by law. To solve this problem so as to obtain this result is the test of your orthodoxy.
THE harvest that is being sown by the preaching of the principles of “Christian citizenship”—the union of religion with the state—will certainly be reaped. We are on the eve of mightier and more startling developments betokening a union of church and state in this country, than have ever appeared in the past.