Changing Attitudes

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 27, 1904

Changing Attitudes

Changing Attitudes.—It has been noticeable for a score of years that as Republicanism struggles to the front in some of the European States, the more it wanes in the United States of America. A Rome despatch of the 16th inst. says: "Italy continues greatly to worry the pope. With the sanction of the government, many provinces are abolishing all religious teaching from the public schools." The teaching of religion by the State is an out-and-out papal policy, and wherever it is in vogue it came from that source originally. So, in the United States, those who advocate State-taught religion—whether they be Roman Catholics or National Reformers—are advocating Roman policy. No State can teach religion without first defining the religion, and prescribing the religious curriculum, and, when that is done, we have a virtual union of Church and State. It is beyond a doubt that, when this government carries out the National Reform scheme of teaching religion, Rome will have a strong voice in the question of religious text-books. Were it not for the prophecies, and the history of the National Reform movement in fulfillment thereof, it would be impossible to understand how professed Protestants could be advocating a Roman principle in the United States, while the governments of Italy and France—two extreme Catholic countries—are endeavoring to throw it off, even in the face of the pope's well-known sentiments.