Now that Jerry Jerome has certified to the grand jury that there are no infidels teaching school in this county, and the Grand Jury has in turn reported it to the court and the public, we may all feel safe. Judicially the instructors of youth are orthodox.
Suppose some of them had been found who are not orthodox? We wonder if they would have had the nerve to take the punishment like old Socrates did when he was condemned to death as a corrupter of youth because he trifled with the gods of Greece and discoursed upon the doctrine of immortality. They hardly took the grand jury as seriously as that we may imagine, or rather, Mr. Jerome, speaking for them, must not have taken it so seriously. It has too long been known that orthodoxy is my doxy and heterodoxy is your doxy for anyone to take seriously an inquiry by a grand jury as to the religious belief of anyone.
But the serious part is, if there is anything serious about it, that this is a confusion of the function of a grand jury in this day and time. The business of a grand jury is to investigate law breaking and when it finds probable evidence of crime to present the same to the court for further action. Now, it is not unlawful to hold any kind of religious views in this country. In fact, the right to hold any kind of religious view is the basic rock of Americanism and the first principle of the constitution. Nobody can commit an unlawful offence by holding or not holding religious views, and no grand jury can lawfully inquire into such matters. The State cannot even pass a law to this effect, must less enforce an imaginary one. So firmly is the idea that no man shall be punished for his theoretical views on anything grounded in the American mind that a man cannot commit treason, even, except by an overt act.
It is generally believed that the writings of Tom Paine had a great effect in shaping the spirit of liberty which finally resulted in the declaration of independence, written by Jefferson, a man himself reputed to be what today people would perhaps term an infidel.
At this late day a discussion of this kind would be utterly out of date were it not for one fact. That fact is the proneness people have of confusing mere creed, or theoretical religious belief, with morals and duty. Before we can get very far in religious development, we must learn that religion is not creed. That morals are not creeds, that the duties of life have little relation to theories of the creation. Infidelity to a creed is no longer considered of great moment in the world. What is of great moment is infidelity to duty and life’s obligations. Infidelity, like treason, is an overt act. Men’s minds are constantly becoming more hazy on the theory of the original cause and the ultimate result of the universe, and more definite on the problems and duties of life. Christianity is becoming much more practical and helpful, wholesome and uplifting as the days go by. We are constantly coming more and more to approach the life of Jesus, and his teachings, as the essential thing in religion, and getting further and further away from the old beliefs which make up that huge bundle of writings and disputation which is known as orthodoxy and unorthodoxy. It seems to us that one who can get a clear understanding of this idea is putting himself in the way of much more happiness for himself and usefulness to others.
From the editorial page of the Goldsboro News, Aug. 28, 1922
No comments:
Post a Comment