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MARCH

28, 1624 --New Amsterdam. “The colonists shall within their territory practice no other form of Divine worship than that of the Reformed religion as at present practiced here in this country and thus by their Christian life and conduct seek to draw the Indians and other blind people to the knowledge of God and His Word, without, however, persecuting any one on account of his faith, but leaving to every one the freedom of his conscience. But if any one among them or within their jurisdiction should wantonly revile or blaspheme the name of God or of our Saviour Jesus Christ, he shall according to the circumstances be punished by the commander and his council.”
“Freedom of Conscience”, however, is to be interpreted as meaning dissenting worship can be conducted within the family, but not in public.

28, 1849 --Madagascar. Ranavalona, one of the reigning monarch’s twelve wives, has murdered her rivals and established herself as Queen Ranavalona I. She has attacked the church forbidding baptism, banning use of Bible, banishing European missionaries and closing churches. She has further forbidden her subjects to learn to read and write.
          She has charged the church on six counts: 1.) Christians do not tolerate idolatry, 2.) They pray without ceasing, 3.) Their women are chaste, 4.) They refuse to make oaths, 5.) They observe Sunday as a holy day, and 6.) They are of the same mind regarding their basic creed.
          Sixteen hundred suspected Christians have pleaded guilty to these charges and are offered the opportunity of worshipping the Queen’s idols or of being chained in dungeons or even murdered. Today, nineteen influential Christians are condemned to death. Fifteen are taken to the top of a cliff and are individually lowered by ropes over the edge and are asked whether they will worship the Queen’s idols or Christ. As each refuses the Queen’s religion, the ropes are slashed and the saint plunges to the rocks one hundred fifty feet below.
         Queen Ranavalona I will become known as the “Bloody Mary of Madagascar” and will continue her persecutions of the church until her death in 1861. Her successor, however, will profess herself to be a Christian, and will open a church in the palace. She will proclaim Madagascar a Christian kingdom.

28, 1888 --0hio. In Cleveland, the first Bohemian Congregational Church in the United States is organized with fifty-nine members. The church building was named “Bethlehem” on January 1, 1885, after the name of the church in which John Huss preached while in Prague.

28, 1979 --Washington, D. C. The Evening Star, a newspaper here, reports the Army has ordered chaplains to eliminate all reference to God and religious philosophy in lectures aimed at instilling moral responsibility in its soldiers. The American Civil Liberties Union has also called upon the United States Air Force and the Navy to adopt similar measures. An army spokesman says, “Anything that could be construed as teaching religion will be removed.
 

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