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VOL. IV. R1CHMONI
The Religic
. * v i hi I i i w i.* ..Ai* *.<
Introduction.
Since this title may appear to more than one
somewhat pretentious, 1 feel that 1 ouirht to
indicate more clearly and precisely the meaning
1 give to the above words.
1 simply intend to describe as candidly as
possible the present religious conditions in America.
By gathering up facts from the most reliable
sources, both Protestant and Catholic, and
trying afterwards by means of such facts, to
arrive at some ocnclusion as to what the religious
future of America is to be.
No one well acquainted with the present literary,
political and religious movements will
question that tremendous efforts have already
and are still being made in order to transform
the old American ideals about freedom and re
ligion and that great changes have been wrought
in some national quarters and in some of the
factors, which in their different power in building
up the character of the nation, are the leading
ones.
Such tremendous efforts and great changes
win by tueiuae*ves expiam wny on the one hand
the lioman Catholic Church appears advuucmg
so successfully and controlling so peacciully in
the midst of the American people and f rotestan
t institutions; and on the other hand they
will also explain why Protestantism, which
achieved almost exclusively the American civilization,
and the roots of which are as yet the best
supports of everything great and noble in this
great and noble nation is to all appearances
slighted, yea, even discredited and set at naught.
But I use advisedly the word "appears" in
o / ?i - > "
apcoaiiijj ui luc iiUiUUU VyUlUOUC V^UUIUU dllU lUti
words "to all appearances" in speakiug of
Proscstautism because i am thoroughly convinced
that iu reality the Koiuan Catholic Church
has sustained iu America an enormous failure,
and in a great many respects instead of roinanizing
so to speak America it has americanued
Romanism so well in some of its ugliest aspects
that both Americans and Protestants at large do
not recognize any more in the apparently new
Romanism the old foe of which Luther, Calvin,
and all other reformers spoke so much, so bitterly
and more than once even too roughly.
And precisely in such dangerous confusion
between the old and the apparently new Romanism
lies I think the great secret of the Roman
Catholic advancement since Rbmanist leaders
have used very adroitly such confusion not only
in advancing Roman Catholic interest but
chiefly in discrediting, silencing and even setting
at naught all their opponents.
No; I am not a pessimist. The more I know
of American civilization the more I am profoundly
convinced that Romanism, if its plans
are detected, never, never will gain ascendancy
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K'
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X NEW ORLEANS. ATLANTA, FEBRt
>us ruture <
=By Doctor Juan Orts Gonzalez=
over American people and control American institutions.
The words spoken by a prominent English
writer seventy years ago about the religious conditions
in England can be applied to America today
even with greater force and accuracy.
"Very curious," said Thomas Carlyle, "to
count up a few Popish chapels, listen to a few
Protestant logic-choppings, to much dull-droning,
drowsy inanity that still calls itself Protestant,
and say: See Protestantism is dead; Popeism
is more alive than it, will be alive after itf
Drowsy inanities, not a few, that call themselves
Protestant are dead, but Protestantism has not
died yet, that I hear of! Nay, at bottom, what
elst is alive but Protestantism! The life of most
else that one meet* is a cralvnnin nno mofolv nn*
a pleasant, not a lasting sort of life."
Yes, for every one well acquainted with the
present progreas of mankind it is plain truth
that Protestant principles and doctrines are the
DOCTOR JUAN ORTS GONZALEZ.
Union Theological Seminary.
Richmond. Va.
only ones alive and ruling everywhere, even
among the statesmen of the Roman Catholic
countries.
But when I speak of the buoyant vitality and
firm stability of Protestantism, I do not mean at
all the actual American Protestant onranizA
tions. These are, I think, in very great danger
of being wiped away by the Roman Catholic
organization if they do not awake from their
dormant attitude and dangerous lethargy and do
not face the attack promptly, bravely and consistently
with their glorious past.
But even in regard to the American Protestant
organizations I am not by any means a
pessimist. I do not deny, however, that the first
attempts of the Roman Catholic Church have
been crowned with stupendous success.
T recognize that Catholics have captured and
monopolised the public press as I will demon
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al Presbyterian e
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JARY 14. 1912. NO. 7.
C A :
or /America
strate later. I admit that through the political
society oi tue ivnignis ot Coiumuus ttiey will mUueuce
aud largeiy couiioi Americau pontics
and decide a great many elections, i grant tiiat
through the Catholic American f ederations they
boycott not a lew business houses and daily
papers, etc. More than that 1 coniess that they
have succeeded in something else to me even
more discouraging and disastrous; they have
succeeded in introducing their pernicious inli
!- A * '
uueuce in me very uiiOst of our church life and
denominational papers. Should Luther or Calvin
come back and try to preach to-day plainly
the great doctrines of the Reformation and point
out the abuses of the Romanist system, the
pa?u>ia, euleis auu Ueacons oi uiany oi ine
Protestant iiiuenuuu cnuicnes wornu object to ~
such kiud ol preaching because tney are constantly
airaid to stir up the anger of the
Catholics.
if you examine the leading Protestant magazines
you will delect at once that they avoid emphasizing
any distinct Protestant principle or
doctrine. (1 must say in passing that our iSouthein
onurcii is an exception and Viry fortunate,
indeed, since its three most nrominent
are soundly evangelical and emphatically Protectant;.
1 am not at all surprised that some Roman
Catholic writers who have no other way of
understanding Protestantism except by its public
acts and life have solemnly declared that it
is dead.
After all they may correctly say a Protestantism
that does not protest and a Reformation that
does not reform what other qualifications or
name may it deserve?
And notwithstanding such painful and significant
facts, 1 repeat that I am not by any
means a pessimist even in regard to the American
Protestant organizations.
The Roman Catholic Church has captured the
public press and mislead and paralized Protestant
people through deceptions and misstatements.
Many of our daily papers honestly believe that
the American constitution and ideals are as well
guaranteed, if not better, in the hands of Catholics
than they have been in the hands of Protestants.
Many of our ministers and laymen truly believe
that after all the new liomanism they know
is as good a Christian system if not better than
Protestantism itself.
Let us explain the true Roman Catholic doctrines
and political aims. Let us say the naked
truth about the present machinations of Romanism
and let as do that, never forgetting that we
are in America and that fair play must be out
rule; that we are Protectant and the Bible most