Neither Christian nor Infidel.
By A. Delos Westcott
THE National Reformers say that because the United States Constitution does not recognize Christianity, it is therefore an infidel document. This is about as sensible as it would be to say that because there is no horse in a certain stable, it must therefore contain a cow. The fact that the Constitution fails to recognize Christianity no more proves it to be an infidel document than does the fact that the Constitution neglects to mention and recognize infidelity prove it to be a Christian document. The United States Constitution says not a word about infidelity. Are the National Reformers willing to accept this as proof that it is a decidedly Christian instrument? They ought to be, according to their own reasoning. I repeat, if the absence of Christianity proves the presence of infidelity, then the absence of infidelity must prove the presence of Christianity. The fact is, however, that the national Constitution knows nothing of either Christianity or infidelity. It does not deal either with religion nor with irreligion. It tries neither to help religion nor to hinder it. It was not made for any such purpose. It minds its own business, and engages itself wholly, with the affairs of this life. The necessities and comforts of this life are not infidel. There is nothing essentially infidel about ordinary food and clothing. If there is, then National Reformers had better shun these things in the future. Strange as it may seem, there are some things which are neither Christian nor infidel. Here is a grist-mill. It was not made to grind out Christianity, and is not, therefore, a Christian machine. Neither was it intended to produce infidelity; consequently it is not an infidel machine. It was made to manufacture flour—something to minister to man's temporal necessities—and is therefore a secular, or civil, machine. The trouble with National Reformers is, they are unable to discover that there are some things belonging to Cæsar which do not belong to God; much less are they able to see that there are some things belonging to God which do not belong to Cæsar, and with which he has no right to interfere. National Reform logic may be summed up as follows:— 1. Everything that is not religious is infidel and atheistic. 2. Temporal affairs are not religious, therefore they are atheistic. 3. Hence National Reformers should have nothing to do with temporal affairs, that they may be able to avoid infidelity and atheism.