DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | George C. Burmeister diary, 1864

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1864-03-20

Sunday 20.  Arranged my business early this morning and visited Mrs. Nicolas and family.  I remained with them all day, had a very good dinner a very fine social time and read a good novel based on facts called: “The Conspirator”,  portraying the life and scheme of attempting to revolutionize the government of the U.S. and Mexico in order to found an empire of his own, but he signally failed and came very near losing his life as a traitor to his country  All the churches in the city except the catholic church were closed today, it appears the clergy are too much engaged in the political convulsion of the country to permit them to attend to their religious duties properly.  It is a fact verified by the history of previous ages and nations that the clergy always exacted a powerful influence on every people, sometimes dictating to them their laws and religion, may the time speedily come when the people of every country will divest themselves of the superstitious yoke that binds them to the juggernaut of fanaticism and learn to think and to act for themselves; it is certainly a wise ordinance in our laws to have church and state separate, because religious doctrines, connected with other laws of the state are the most dangerous to any people, for may they be ever so conflicting the different believers of them will sacrifice everything in their defense, and suppose to be doing God’s will.

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Sunday 20. Arranged my business early this morning and visited Mrs. Nicolas and family. I remained with them all day, had a very good dinner a very fine social time and read a good novel based on facts called: “The Conspirator”, portraying the life and scheme of attempting to revolutionize the government of the U.S. and Mexico in order to found an empire of his own, but he signally failed and came very near losing his life as a traitor to his country All the churches in the city except the catholic church were closed today, it appears the clergy are too much engaged in the political convulsion of the country to permit them to attend to their religious duties properly. It is a fact verified by the history of previous ages and nations that the clergy always exacted a powerful influence on every people, sometimes dictating to them their laws and religion, may the time speedily come when the people of every country will divest themselves of the superstitious yoke that binds them to the juggernaut of fanaticism and learn to think and to act for themselves; it is certainly a wise ordinance in our laws to have church and state separate, because religious doctrines, connected with other laws of the state are the most dangerous to any people, for may they be ever so conflicting the different believers of them will sacrifice everything in their defense, and suppose to be doing God’s will.