p. 189 | FIAT RELIGION

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 12, 1878

FIAT RELIGION.

We hear much about “fiat money” just now. It seems to us that there is a fiat religion about in our churches that holds to real religion just about the relation that fiat money does to gold. Mr. Evarts in one of his speeches on finance uses the story of the butcher who sold to a venerable old man six pounds of beef, and received therefor bright, beautiful, well-coined money, which after being kept in a strong box for five months proved to be nothing but green leaves clipped into the shape of coin. The story illustrates fiat religion as well as fiat money. In every revival of religion when the converts are put into the box they look like good coin. When in five months we look in to see, there is nothing but leaves. Fiat money has no promise to pay. Fiat religion has nothing to pay with. Fiat religion puts nothing into the contribution box, never or seldom goes to prayer-meeting, is found at the theater or the circus, reads novels on Sunday, finds a good deal of fault with Christians, comes to church only half a day, and then only to criticise the sermon, and pronounce judgment on the singing. Fiat religion does not believe in being too strict, nor in having denominational lines, nor in standing apart from others, nor in being rigid, old-fashioned and strait-laced. Fiat money is a humbug—so is fiat religion. Fiat money may be struck off so as to look as well and appear as beautiful as if it was a note of the bank of England just sent out from Threadneedle Street. A fiat Christian looks just as well when he first comes up out of the waters of baptism as a real Christian. The “wear” is what tells.

A young man said to us the other day, “When I joined the church I did not promise not to go to the theater. I told my experience and they took me in. I shall do as I like about theaters and dancing.” A lady said to us once, “The church waived its communion article when I joined; I am not under that.” Now if the church says this fiat religion is good, it may pass, but everybody knows there is no value in it. Everybody knows it is good for nothing. Government might make fiat money legal tender by taking it for customs, taxes, and postal service. But the church cannot make fiat religion legal tender. The true article must bear Christ’s stamp, and be marked with His image and superscription. The church can no more give value to fiat religion than a bank can make fiat money legal tender. There are a great many people who are very fearful that the currency of the country will become corrupted. But though members of the church, they seem to have no fear that religion will be corrupted. Honest money is a good thing. So is honest religion. A false faith, a false creed, a false profession, is as bad as a false dollar. Yet many are shocked at the idea of the latter, and have no fear of the former. The election is over; the cry against dishonest money will die away. Now let us have a protest against fiat religion, the curse of our Christianity in modern times. When we have a religion which says, “I believe; I practice; I obey,” we want the face of the promise. Down with fiat religion! give us the gold!—Watchman.