How Would It Sound?

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 11, 1912

How Would It Sound?

THIS is the question raised by the Lutheran of Dec. 14, 1911, with reference to demands made by the Catholic Church as applied to the Lutheran denomination:—

How would it sound for the Lutheran to give out the following to its readers as a sort of ex cathedra deliverance: “Every Lutheran (1) is to wield his vote for the purpose of securing Lutheran (2) ascendency in this country. All legislation must be governed by the will of God unerringly indicated by the General Council (3). Education must be controlled by General Council (4) authorities, and under education the opinions of the individual and the utterances of the press are included. Many opinions are to be forbidden by the secular arm, under the authority of the Lutheran Church (5), even to war and bloodshed.”

What a flood of protests would pour in from among the Protestant church papers! How men would everywhere ask, “Has the Lutheran gone mad?” From thousands of subscribers the word would come: “Stop my paper!” Well, substitute the words Roman Catholic for the word Lutheran marked 1 and 2 in the above paragraph; and Pope for the words General Council marked 3; and Catholic for General Council marked 4; and Catholic Church for Lutheran Church marked 5; and you have exactly what the Catholic World said not long ago. Yet when we Protestants cry out against the subtle attempts of Rome to interfere in matters of state here in America, we are called bigots.