p. 19 | The Religious Horoscope by C. S. Longacre

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 28, 1916

The Religious Horoscope

By C. S. Longacre

WE are glad to report that the first session of the Sixty-fourth Congress adjourned without enacting any of the Sunday and press bills which were pending. However, one Sunday measure was reported out of committee into the Senate for favorable action. This bill was entered upon the regular calendar and came up for passage before the Senate on seven different occasions, but was objected to each time by some Senator; so it was passed over for future action, and will come up again in the next session of Congress. The other nine bills which we have been opposing have not yet been reported out of committee. They are the three Sunday bills, four press measures, and two Christian amendment bills.

The credit belongs to God for staying action on all these bills. He has signally granted us favor with influential men, and they have stood loyally by us; and seconded every effort to prevent the enactment of this kind of legislation. We hope we may be equally successful during

the next session; as all these measures remain alive until March 4, 1917, when we pray that they may die with the closing of the Sixty-fourth Congress.

The outlook in the field is ominous at present. A number of Sunday-law crusades are being carried on in several States with considerable earnestness manifested on both sides. The whole State of Oregon is in the throes of an anti-Sunday-law campaign, and the existing Sunday law of Oregon will be submitted to the citizens of Oregon on the referendum plan for repeal at the polls on general election day in November. Our people in Oregon are heart and soul in the campaign, and are distributing large quantities of literature on the subject of Sunday laws and religious liberty, and everybody is asked to vote “Yes” on No. 312, and thus repeal the old drastic religious Sunday law of Oregon.

A number of city municipalities are facing the same issue as has arisen in Oregon. A Sunday-law crusade in Altoona, Pa., has led the council to submit the Sunday law of 1794 to the people for repeal at the next general election. The mayor and the council are at odds over the question of Sunday-law enforcement.

The city of Birmingham, Ala., is planning to submit the question of closing the theaters and moving picture shows on Sunday to a vote of the people. In all these Sunday-law crusades the ministerial associations have been the aggressors and instigators, and the municipalities, as a last resort to avoid the enforcement of these drastic and discriminating statutes, have submitted the issue to the people.

We are planning to take advantage of these public agitations, and thus enlighten the public mind on the principles of religious liberty. We believe that these issues which are arising in all parts of the country at this time are providential opportunities which God gives us to scatter our religious liberty literature “like the leaves of autumn.” While the whole world is stirred over great issues at this time, let us remember that “the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error” will come over “the demand for a Sunday law.” May God help us to redeem the time and buy back the opportunity by placing our message-filled religious liberty literature in the hands of the people now.

C. S. LONGACRE.