The Perils of Religious Legislation
It is not enough to establish Christianity by law in the general way. Christianity is distinctive, decided. At least there are leaders and divisions of Christian bodies who so believe. Hence the question will arise as to what Christianity is, and who represents it. If the government decides that the Protestant church is the true representative of Christianity, immediately the query arises, Which division of Protestantism? If the Episcopal Church, that in itself is divided, not a few of its members being more than half Roman Catholic. It goes without saying that no one Protestant church could be considered the exponent of Christianity. All the Protestant churches combined could not meet the claims of the Roman Catholic Church, or wield the influence which she would use in the religio-political scheme of church-and-state union. And then both Protestantism and Catholicism would face an unrelenting struggle, which would demand the surrender of Protestantism, or war to the death. Religious legislation raises the lid to a veritable Pandora's box. Are the people of the United States, of California, willing to share in such a responsibility?