The Daily Inter Ocean Articles
April 4, 1889
“Proposed American Theocracy” The Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 18, 8 (6,368), p. 2.
National Reform Movement to Establish a Theocratical Form of Government.
The fifth of the series of lectures on Religious Legislation, by Elder Jones, was given last night at No. 28 College place, in the chapel of the Bible rooms. The speaker began by reading from Neander the extracts in part, he read the previous evening, to show the agreement entered into between Constantine and the Bishops of the Christian Church, which resulted in the union of church and state. Paul speaks of those in his time in the church, that would speak perverse things to draw away disciples, and also, in another letter, he calls their attention to the wicked one, “the man of sin, the son of perdition,” etc., that should exalt himself above God, sitting in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God, “who was to be revealed before the coming of the Savior. Now, whosever shall sit in the temple claiming to be God, must sit there representing God, and that is what the Pope claims that he is, the vice regent of God upon earth. It is useless to say that DIO April 4, 1889, page 2.1
THIS POWER IS FOOLISHNESS
It is the most consummate, complete, and thoroughly organized system of religious despotism ever consummated. The premises of their faith is diligently implanted in the brain of the child, and the logic of his belief grows with his growth. It is such a unit that it must be accepted entire. If we admit the right to organize a theocracy upon earth, we must go farther, and admit the entire faith of the Papacy, because one slip is logically certain to follow the previous one and lead to the final ... cils at the head of it must sit there as the representative of God, and God’s rule being a rule of morality, whoever represents God on earth must take cognizance of the morality of the ones governed, which include the thoughts as well as the acts. But how is a government to ascertain the thoughts of man? Why by torture, and that brings before us the Inquisition, inaugurated for this very purpose to wring from a person his inmost thoughts that he might be absolved and saved from hell. DIO April 4, 1889, page 2.2
Dr. Crafts, lecturer of the National Reform party, who desire to establish a theocracy, says “that the ministers are the successors of the prophets.” DIO April 4, 1889, page 2.3
WHY DOES HE SAY THAT
Because in olden times, when God’s theocracy among the Israelites was in existence, God made known his will among the prophets, and Dr. Crafts wants to make the ministers their successors that their dictum may be accepted as the word of God conveyed through them for the government of the country through the churches. And what would follow them, as a natural consequence? Just what the National reformers say themselves. Establish a National religion, and thus “enforce upon all that come among us the precepts of the Christian religion.” If parties refused to be “enforced” what else? What is the natural sequence? Is it not punishment? And if the ministers are the successors of the prophets, and the prophets were the exponents of God, what will be the power and force, or where the limit of the power that will be exercised by them to “enforce” their views upon others? Is it not self-evident that the result will be another inquisition? DIO April 4, 1889, page 2.4
The lecturer then read from the same authority to show how the bishops in the fourth century managed so that they could get the power of the civil government to enforce their decrees, which was the promulgation of a Sunday law. DIO April 4, 1889, page 2.5
THEY ESTABLISHED A THEOCRACY
and to get control of civil authority they induced the Emperor Constantine to pass laws enforcing rest upon Sunday. “What do we see to-day in our country? A party trying to establish a theocracy and to enforce its decrees by combining the power of the civil government with that of the church, through the enactment of a National Sunday law that will compel men to rest, or come under penalties established by the government. Is it wise to let this movement go on? To wait until it has acquired this power to persecute? Must not the natural sequence follow if they are permitted to take the first step? Must not persecution follow as a matter of course? DIO April 4, 1889, page 2.6
The speaker then went on to show that government had no right to establish such laws: that the Sunday movement of the fourth century was a religious one, and legislation on morality, over which God alone has authority. Hence the plea of the present movement that it is a civil Sunday that is wanted is fallacious, there being no such thing as a civil Sabbath. He then proved that the Sunday is a pagan institution, being the venerable day of the sun taken by a pagan emperor and forced upon the Christians of the fourth century in opposition to DIO April 4, 1889, page 2.7
THE SABBATH OF JEHOVAH
The Sunday to-day is just as much a pagan institution as it ever was. Man can not make a holy day. God alone is holy, and it must be a holy being to make a day holy. Therefore, man’s calling a day holy never can make it so. It is just as much blasphemy to-day to call it the Sabbath as it was in the fourth century, for it is ignoring and heaping contempt upon the seventh day which is the Sabbath of God. DIO April 4, 1889, page 2.8