RELIGIOUS LIBERTY VS. RELIGIOUS TYRANNY.
By Elder G. A. Snyder
“For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” 1 John 3:11, 12. What message, or commandment (margin), is it that tells us to love one another? Paul says, “He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law;” and he shows what law he means by quoting four of the ten commandments. He concludes, “Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” See Rom. 13:8–10. Thus we see that the message which we heard from the beginning—that we should love one another—must be God’s great message of love, as set forth in the ten commandments. The generic principle of love underlying God’s law is divided into love to God and love to man. On these, says Christ, hang all the law. Matt. 22:36–40. On the first division, love to God, hang the first four commandments in a special sense; for the duties enjoined by them are duties which we owe to God alone. On the second division, love to man, hang the last six commandments in a limited sense; for the duties enjoined by them are duties which we owe to man as well as to God. Love to God is the first and great commandment, because it is the golden thread running through the whole Decalogue. While love to man is secondary, yet it is like the first, because based on love. It is covered by the last six commandments. Thus we see that with the individual’s relation of conformity, or nonconformity, to the first four commandments, no outside earthly influence has any right of dictation or coercion. In the text under consideration Cain and Abel are cited as examples, one of obedience, the other of disobedience, to the principle of love embodied in the law of God. Abel, in bringing the kind of a sacrifice ordained by God, and standing by it until he sealed his testimony with his blood, showed first his supreme love for God; for, without any regard to his own convenience, he brought the firstlings of his flock. He thereby fulfilled the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Secondly, he showed that he had the faith of Jesus; for in his offering there was that which pointed forward to the “Lamb of God,” who shed his innocent blood on Calvary. And in Abel’s adherence to principle even unto death, he showed that he had the same kind of faith which Jesus had, which led him to do likewise. Thus in two ways Abel showed that he had the faith of Jesus. Then the two things which distinguished Abel from his wicked brother were that he kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And by his death he showed that he allowed no outside influence to interfere with his compliance to the divine requirements. Cain, in bringing a self-ordained sacrifice, showed his supreme love for self. He doubtless reasoned that the Lord was not very particular, and so suited the offering to his own ideas and convenience. He thus broke the same commandment which Abel fulfilled, and in so doing showed that he had no faith in Jesus; for in his selfish offering there was nothing which pointed forward to the Lamb of God. Thus we see the contrast. Abel was a religious man and a Christian, who worshiped according to God’s ideas, and while he did not try to compel anyone else to worship as he did, he maintained his own right to do so even unto death. Cain was a religious man, but not a Christian. He worshiped according to his own ideas, and persecuted his brother to death for worshiping according to God’s ideas. Abel was the first man to champion the cause of religious liberty, whose adherents have always stood on that platform of eternal truth, loyalty to God and his word, and, if need be, sealed their testimony with their blood. Cain was the first man to champion the cause of religious tyranny, whose devotees have, in all ages of the world, persecuted, tortured, racked, and burned at the stake the adherents of truth. A few prominent examples will suffice to show the workings of these two contending elements in the world’s history. The sixth chapter of Daniel contains a few facts worthy of notice. Daniel, a man of God, held a high office in the Medo-Persian Empire. The idolatrous religious tyrants of his day devised a scheme, which, by flattery and misrepresentation, they succeeded in carrying out, so far as to have Daniel cast into a den of lions for obeying the law of God in preference to the law of the land. They flattered the king by proposing that he should issue a decree that he should be worshiped as God for a period of thirty days. They misrepresented the case by assuring the king that all his officers were agreed in making this proposal, whereas, Daniel had not been consulted in the matter at all. The king signed the decree, and when Daniel heard of it, he went right on praying to the God of heaven as usual, the king’s order to the contrary notwithstanding. Daniel was soon reported to the king, who, on hearing that the law was to be used for the purpose of persecution, was sore displeased with himself for having allowed these bigots to use him as a tool for the accomplishment of their wicked designs. But the thing had been done, and, according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, which changed not, Daniel must be cast into the den of lions. He submitted to the penalty without resistance, and was cast in among those ravenous beasts for daring to obey the commandment which says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” But the God of heaven showed his approval of Daniel’s course by sending his angel, and delivering his faithful servant. Thus we have another shining example of maintaining the principles of religious liberty against religious tyranny, with this additional feature, this time the religious coercionists secured the aid of the civil power for the furtherance of their heaven-daring scheme. Nor has the Christian era been free from the iniquitous workings of religious tyranny. Nay, across its very title-page lurks the foulest blot of all. Christ, the Holy Author of Christianity, was maligned, spat upon, crowned with thorns, and finally crucified between two thieves. By whom, do you ask?—By the bigoted Jews, who, by gross misrepresentation, and threats against Pilate, finally secured the aid of Rome to put Christ to death. See John 18:29–31; 19:12, 13. And for what?—For keeping the commandments, especially the Sabbath commandment, according to God’s ideas rather than according to the Pharisees’ ideas. Compare John 5:1–18; Mark 2:23–28; 3:1–6; Luke 13:10–17, and John 9:1–16. The last scripture shows that Christ’s work had caused a division, and that many of the people were believing on him. Now read John 11:47–50. The Pharisees decided that it would be better to put Christ to death than to let him go on working miracles, and drawing the people after him; for he was a Sabbath breaker, according to their ideas, and if the people followed him, they would all become Sabbath breakers, and then God would send the Romans to destroy the Jewish nation for Sabbath breaking. Thus they flattered themselves that they were putting Christ to death to save the nation from being destroyed by the Romans. So they crucified the Saviour to save the nation; but instead of saving it, they brought upon it the very thing they sought to avert, for everybody knows that the Romans did come and destroy the Jewish nation utterly and totally. And while that mocking, jeering crowd stood around and watched the Son of God in his dying agony, he looked on them from the cruel cross, and said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” No, they did not know what they were doing, but they did it, nevertheless, and they will be held accountable for not knowing; for Christ had said to them, “Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.” If they had walked in the light as fast as it came to them, they never would have crucified Christ; but by rejecting the light, they brought darkness upon themselves, and consequently knew not whither they were going or what they were doing. Blind, religious bigots. After the crucifixion, when Peter accused the Jews of crucifying Christ, laying bare the enormity of their guilt with the sword of the Spirit, they were pricked in their hearts, and said, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter told them to repent and be baptized, and they should receive the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:36–38. And shortly afterward, when Stephen laid bare the same sin, with the same sword, they were cut to the heart; but instead of asking what they should do, they stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and stoned him to death. Acts 7:51–58. These two instances demonstrate that “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,” for truly it cut both ways. Thus the early history of the Christian church furnishes us with many of the brightest examples of religious liberty, as well as some of the darkest specimens of bigotry. But, shall the majority of that church, which the Lord has likened to a comely and215delicate woman, finally apostatized from the pure principles of the gospel, and played the harlot by leaning for support on the arm of the civil power, thus turning her back on Christ, her legitimate husband. And as the result of this unholy alliance, this rejection of divine light, she brought upon herself that unprecedented reign of spiritual darkness known as the Dark Ages. During this period the “Holy Catholic Church” put to death, in the name of Christ, over fifty million of the saints of God. What a picture! It drew from the pen of inspiration this graphic symbolic description: “And I saw a woman [church] sit upon a scarlet-colored beast [civil power]. . . . And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication [unholy alliance with civil power]; and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Oh, what a picture! Christianity, where art thou? Spirit of the Mighty One, hast thou left this dark world in despair? No, for out of that moral darkness, guided by the Hand divine, rose the morning star of the Reformation. Throwing off the galling yoke of papal bondage, and asserting in no uncertain tones their God-given right of religious liberty, Luther and his followers rallied round the torn and shattered banner of Prince Immanuel, and launched on its career the ship of Protestantism. Tossed and beaten by the fierce tempests of religious tyranny, she sought and found a haven of rest in young America, where for over one hundred years she has enjoyed a peaceful anchorage, protected by the American Constitution, which guaranteed to all that civil and religious liberty so dear to every American heart. Here was found a State without a king, and a church without a pope, each separate from the other, and following its own legitimate line of duty, which is defined by the first amendment to the Constitution thus, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Washington struck the keynote of American liberty when he said, “Every man who conducts himself as a good citizen is accountable alone to God for his religious faith, and should be protected in worshiping God according to the dictates of his own conscience.” And U. S. Grant said: “Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school, supported entirely by private contribution. Keep the State and Church forever separate.” The founders of our government, knowing the evil fruit resulting from a union between the Church and the State, laid the principles of civil and religious liberty deep and strong in the fundamental law of the land. And, thus protected, America has risen to a greater degree of prominence in a shorter space of time than any other nation under the sun.