Importance of the Religious Liberty Work

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 6, 1908

Importance of the Religious Liberty Work

WRITING to the local conference papers in the Northern Union Conference of the importance of the religious liberty work, Elder R. A. Underwood says:—

“There never was a time when the misguided zealous workers for religious legislation were more active than at the present. These people associate the Sunday-enforcement movement with many good and noble objects, such as the temperance movement, better and more universal marriage laws calculated to lessen divorce cases, and other commendable objects with which we could all heartily unite. But they use these commendable reform measures merely to assist them in promoting religious legislation.”

“Our people all over the country should be wide-awake to this phase of gospel work. Minneapolis, St. Paul, and many of our towns and cities in the Northern Union Conference are being agitated continually over this matter. Ministerial associations and confederations are formed, and sermons are preached upon civic righteousness. All these movements have as one of their objects the gaining of legislation enforcing Sunday observance. Recently a leading minister in Minneapolis, in a sermon upon civic righteousness, strongly advocated the enactment and enforcement of the blue-laws.

“Each of our churches should plan to supply local judges, members of the State legislature, leading attorneys, and others, with copies of Liberty. A lively campaign upon this subject in securing subscriptions and otherwise circulating religious liberty literature should be heartily supported by all our brethren.”

As an indication of the necessity of enlightening the general public regarding our reason for opposing religious legislation, we quote this item from the Washington Post of January 31:—

“The Seventh-day Adventists took their first step in the fight against Sunday-closing laws for the District yesterday, when they sent to Chairman Smith, of the House District Committee, a memorial, asking that Congress should not enact religious legislation of any kind.

“The memorial mentions five bills, three of which have been introduced in the House and two in the Senate this session, which, it declares, are opposed to the constitutional rights of the people for free worship. These bills are aimed at groceries and other shops which keep open on Sunday. Since Saturday is the day of rest and of worship for the Adventists, they say that to close shops to them on Sunday is nothing more nor less than religious persecution.”

A more complete perversion of our principles and purposes would be difficult to imagine.