The State Out of Place
By W. F. Martin
At the recent Christian Citizenship Conference in Portland, one of the things that was urged as much as anything else, if not more, was that religion should be taught in the public schools. In addition to advocating it from the rostrum in the Stadium, one entire forenoon sectional conference was devoted to the subject. The principal address at this meeting was given by the superintendent of the National Reform Association. The theme of his discourse was “Religious Instruction in State Educational Institutions.” His opening statement was an index to the entire effort. It was as follows: “To fulfil its mission, the state must be Christian.” Then comes the sequel: “She must impart Christian teaching to her children.” This is a mistaken idea of the realm and work of the state. It is not the province of the state either to profess or to teach the Christian religion. The government is composed of citizens, some of whom are Christians, some Jews, some Hindus, and a great many profess no religion at all. So long as any of these classes comport themselves in a proper way toward their fellow men, they are entitled to all the advantages of the government. No one can claim any special favors from the government because of his religious belief. So soon as any sect or class should be favored by the government, or granted an advantage by the civil law, over other sects or classes, just so soon would complete religious liberty be destroyed. It would not be fair to the Christian to levy a tax from him to pay for the teaching of Mohammedanism, much less to pay for teaching this false religion to his children. This same principle will apply with equal force when it comes to taxing the Mohammedan to pay for the teaching of the Christian religion to his children. The state is a civil institution, ordained to deal with civil matters only. God's church is a divine institution, dealing with the individual conscience. The state compels, but the church persuades. Whenever either has invaded the realm of the other, trouble has invariably followed. Religion has been called “the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it.” No man or even government has a right to dictate how or when this sacred duty shall be performed.