| God and God alone is Lord of a man's conscience and He has chosen to allow it to remain free from the doctrines, commandments, and dictates of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained within it. Having ordained by that very word that civil government ought to exist God also gave instruction that the Christian has a duty to render loyal obedience unto such in all things not opposed to the revealed will of God Himself. It is the duty of the state before God to procure and defend, for every church, protection and fullness of freedom in the pursuit of it's spiritual ends.In providing such freedom the state is not to favor any one ecclesiastical group, denomination, or assembly before any other. There is therefore no right granted unto the state to impose any form of tax or penalty upon any religion for the purpose of supporting any particular religious practices. It is self evident that He who created all men equal granted unto each man the right of free access unto God, the right to form free and unhindered ideas in the sphere of religion, and the right to propagate such opinions and ideas without interference by the civil powers. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal. |