Bible Training School Article (1905)

Bible Training School, Vol. 4 (1905)

June 1905

"Religious Liberty" Bible Training School 4, 1 , p. 4.

A. T. JONES

RELIGION is "the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it." Liberty is "the state of being exempt from the domination of others, or from restricting circumstances. In ethics and philosophy, the power in any rational agent to make his choices and decide his conduct for himself, spontaneously and voluntarily, in accordance with reasons or motives."

Religious liberty, therefore, is man's exemption from the domination of others, or from restricting circumstances: man's freedom to make his choices and decide his conduct for himself, spontaneously and voluntarily: in his duty to his Creator, and in the manor of discharging that duty.

Since God has created man, in the nature of things the first of all relationships is that to God; and the first of all duties could be nothing but duty to God.

Since God has created man, in the nature of things the first of all relationships is that to God; and the first of all duties could be nothing but duty to God.

Now: Though that is the first of all possible relationships, and the first of all duties; though that relationship and duty are inherent in the very existence of intelligent creatures; yet even in that inherent obligation, God has created every intelligent creature free–free to recognize that obligation or not, free to discharge that duty or not, just as he chooses. Accordingly it is written: "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Thus it is absolutely true that in religion–in the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it–God has created man entirely exempt from the domination of others and from restricting circumstances: has made him free to make his choice, and decide his conduct for himself, spontaneously and voluntarily. Thus religious liberty is the gift of God, inherent in the gift of rational existence itself.