Untitled article by G. E. Fifield

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · February 25, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 8

Badly Mixed.

By G. E. Fifield

REV. JUSTIN D. FULTON, D.D., author of “A Fight with Rome,” “Why Priests Should Wed,” “Washington in the Lap of Rome,” and numerous other works of like nature, is perhaps regarded by the public, as one of the most firm and fearless enemies to the aggressive and ambitious designs of Rome in this country. As one listens to, or reads his burning words, he can but be convinced of his earnestness, and perhaps of his sincerity; but the question may often arise in one’s mind, What is all this fuss about? What is the Doctor fighting so fiercely? Is it Romanism or is it Romanists? Romanism is, and always has been, and by its very nature, must always remain, the enemy of civil and religious liberty; and hence of intellectual and spiritual development. Romanists are the poor unfortunate children of this false, paternal system.

To fight Romanism for the purpose of liberating the Romanist, is a noble work; but to fight the Romanist is to attack those who are already spiritually and intellectually down, and who, therefore, are the very ones who most need our sympathetic help. It must never be forgotten that Zwingle in Switzerland, Calvin in Geneva, Henry VIII. in England, and Knox in Scotland, all made the great mistake of espousing the very principles of Romanism with which to fight the Romanist; and thus, in their respective lands, they ruined or retarded the real Reformation. Romanism is a union of Church and State—a spiritual despotism. All the black record of the Papacy, is simply the logical, and unavoidable result of that union. To fight Romanism successfully, the Romanist must be taught this fact, by precept and example. The United States is the only nation that has ever, even in theory, totally separated Church and State. The people of the United States are the only people who, as a people, have ever professed to depend upon the power of God only in the fight with the Papacy, and with all iniquity. It follows that the true Christian American stands on a vantage ground in this conflict with the prince of darkness. He needs only to be strong in his faith toward God, and ever true to the principles of American liberty. He must not become a Romanist to fight Rome, for this is to fail.

Dr. Fulton has seemed to realize these facts at times, but in his attempt to carry them out he has become badly mixed. From pages 219 and 220 of “Washington in the Lap of Rome,” I quote the following:—

THE STATE HAS NO RIGHT TO RECOGNIZE THE CHURCH. If the Court of Special Sessions can commit to a Roman Catholic institution, children between seven and fourteen years of age, as idle, truant, and vicious or homeless, then the State can put its neck into the yoke Rome has been framing for many years. . . . The law says NO CONNECTION BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed in this State for all mankind. The Constitution of the United States, in providing for religious liberty, expressly declares that no restraint should be exercised, that Congress should make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; but recognizing the principle introduced to the notice of mankind by Roger Williams, who repudiated toleration, because the right to tolerate implied the right to persecute; and who would not accept as a favor from man what had been given him as a right by God.

This is Americanism not, Romanism. It is not only Americanism, but it is good religion, and good politics. But strange as it may seem, on the next two pages of this same book, and written by the same pen, I find the following:—

Put the Bible back where it belongs. Let it become a text-book for the children of America. . . . The Bible ought to be made a text-book in every institution helped by the State, because of what the Bible does for the State. If the Romanists do not like it let them dislike it.

Speaking of the idle, and vicious, and homeless, he says, “They are children of the State. Give them religious instructions by giving them access to the word of God.”

In all this, of course, as the context plainly shows, the Doctor means the Protestant Bible, to be read by Protestant teachers to all, Catholic and Protestant alike, in the State schools. He means also, Protestant “religious instruction” to be given by Protestants to all, especially to the children of Catholics, in the State schools. And yet, it was only two pages back that the Doctor informed us with much enthusiasm and apparent sincerity, putting his words in large capitals, that, “the State has no right to recognize the Church,” and again, that all worship shall ever be free, and “without discrimination or preference.” This same Doctor is now arguing his preference for the Protestant religion, and the Protestant Bible, and that these, instead of being left “free” for the choice of every one, shall be forcibly taught in the State schools, and every tax-paying Catholic shall thus be forced to support what he does not believe, and worse yet, shall have his children taught it. Verily, Dr. Fulton’s ideas of liberty, and of preference, and of freedom from all discrimination, must be badly mixed. And the argument in support of all this is the old pagan idea that religion is a benefit to the State. True, religion, supported only by the power of God, and taught only by the warm willing-hearted of his people, is a benefit to the State. But any religion that has to be taught compulsorily by the State, and that depends for its support

upon taxes extorted from those who do not believe it, is a curse to the State and the people.

Again Dr. Fulton says on page 227:—

Resist this devil of Romanism and it will flee. Put the Bible back where it belongs. . . . See to it that the children of the State are given religious instruction, so that they shall know the chief doctrines of the Bible. Let there be no sectarianism taught and no antagonism engendered.

One can but smile to see this positive contradiction in almost the same sentence. Every one knows that there is not one of the “chief doctrines of the Bible,” that is not a basis of sectarian division, and that different sects understand them differently. The Bible itself is a basis of sectarian division between Catholics and Protestants, and between all Christians and the Jews and agnostics. Viewed in the light of past history, the idea of teaching these doctrines to all, and compelling all alike to support their teaching in the State schools, and doing all this without engendering any antagonism, is supremely ridiculous and absurd. The very attempt to do such a thing, would, as in the fourth century, engender such an antagonism of sect with sect, that council after council would be demanded to settle the controversy; and these councils could only result, as then, in compromise after compromise between the contending factions, till if anything could precipitate a religious war upon this Nation, that would.

The fact is that all this advocated by Dr. Fulton is Romanism. It is precisely the same principle that evolved all the marvelous mechanism of the Romish hierarchy, and so cursed the world for centuries.

After this it will not seem surprising that in the same book on page 49, Dr. Fulton quotes the Blair Joint Resolution to amend the Constitution of the United States, and indorses its principles. Every reader of THE SENTINEL knows that that resolution is, in principle, Romanism; and that, if passed, it would build a new Papacy out of the Protestant churches of the United States, even if there was not a papist in the Nation, in precisely the same way that the Papacy was built out of the Christianity of the fourth century. Now, however, as the Papacy is a far greater political power in this land, than any other professedly religious organization, for a Protestant to advocate the putting of religion into the control of the State, as Mr. Blair and Dr. Fulton certainly do, is simply to advise Protestantism to strengthen the hands of the Papacy. When the teaching of the Christian(?) religion is made compulsory in the State schools, the State will then claim and exercise the right to decide what is the Christian religion. What will then be called Christianity, will not be a matter for the discussion of each individual conscience, guided in its search after truth by the Spirit of God; but it will be a matter for the dictation of the strongest political power

in the Nation. The strongest political power, so far as religious organizations are concerned, is the Papacy and the Papacy would very largely dictate such creeds, and control such schools. Thus Dr. Fulton is convicted of blindly espousing the cause of Romanism, while still remaining the champion in the fight against Romanists. Separation of Church and State means, to him, merely separation of the Roman Church and the State. That “the State has no right to recognize the Church,” means only that it has no right to recognize the Roman Catholic Church; and the “free exercise of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference,” means the free exercise of the Protestant religion by Protestants, with the right and the power to force that religion upon the children of Catholics, and then compel the Catholics to pay for it. What wonderful ignorance of the Golden Rule!

Who needs to be told that this is the spirit of Romanism, and that this spirit clothed with the power of the State would persecute all who oppose it, as much as the Papacy would? G. E. FIFIELD.