Baptist principles of religious liberty applied to Sunday laws (Religious liberty library)

International Religious Liberty Association, 1897-01-01. Unknown Binding. Acceptable. International Religious Liberty Association, Religious Liberty Library,No. 46, April, 1897. Pamphlet, paper covers , 51 pp. Black and white illustrations. In acceptable condition. Front cover is completely separated from pamphlet and has a 1/2" square chip on the bottom of the front cover near the spine and both covers have several other chips and tears and creasing along edges. Remainder of pamphlet is securely bound (staple bound). Pages are lightly creased but otherwise unmarked. NOT Ex-library. An argument against the existence and enforcement of Sunday laws as contrary to the separation of church and state. Rev. George B. Wheeler, a Seventh-day Adventist from South Lancaster Massachusetts, made it his cause to fight against these laws. He later authored a bill entitled "an Act to Provide for a Civil Sabbath" in order to show the purely religious purpose of the Sunday-laws. [from page 4] The Sunday agitation of the present time has brought into existence a movement that is widely extended and very aggressive. Its object is to enforce all existing Sunday laws, and secure the enactment of new and more stringent ones. The Baptists, as well as members of other religious bodies, must take a position upon this issue. In view of this fact, the important question for Baptists to consider is, What is the character of these Sunday laws? Are they religious? or are they simply civil or sanitary measures, which come properly within the sphere of just civil legislation? In order to ascertain whether such laws are religious or civil, one must study (i) their origin, (a) the sentiment supporting them and the object for which they are enforced, and (3) the results of their enforcement. It is a well-known fact that the Sunday laws of the several States of the Union, had their origin in the Sunday laws of the state-church regime of colonial times; and these in turn originated in the Sunday law of Charles II, which was enacted by the religious establishment of that period. . .