"DELUSIONS OF PEACE"

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21319, 12 November 1934, Page 12

"DELUSIONS OF PEACE"

REV. E. DRAKE'S SERMON

CHRISTIANITY'S GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

That to live up to Christianity was the only sure method of securing real peace, was the tenor of the sermon, "Delusions of Peace," given by the Eev. E. Drake at the East Belt Wesley Church last evening, when the special Armistice Day service was held. Many were asking whether war was worth while, whether there was no other way, said the preacher. Secret treaties had been entered up since the war, and it was now found that although the Allies won the war they had yet to win the peace. And on the Christians of the world rested the great responsibility of winning the peace. Even high failure would transcend low success.

One of the most striking features of the Old Testament was the conflict between Jeremiah and the religious leaders of the time; they said that the reformation had been successful, while Jeremiah contended that it had not, and prophesied the overthrow of Jerusalem. Jeremiah knew that men could be perfect in forms of worship and yet not in their own hearts. The priests had said there was peace when there was no peace—and the same condition ruled in the world to-day. Our leaders and ourselves were not sincere, and did not probe deeply enough. The day was one of remembrance of the men who sacrificed themselves for this country, and yet note the activities which had been carried out. It was necessary to examine the conditions of the so-called peace, to get at the roots of unrest, or else would soon ccme disaster such as the world had never known.

Sacrifices of Peace . Peace demanded its sacrifices as well as war; and yet it was only a secondary thing in our progress—righteousness, justice, purity, and love came first. The effects of righteousness, we were told, were peace, and then came quiet and rest. Christ had not promised political peace, nor had He condemned the enforcement of the law within a people, but to render unto Caesar the things that were Caesar's, and unto God the things that were God's. The foundation of Christ was love and righteousness, and if we placed the building of peace before righteousness, before the defence of women and children, before the; abolition of slavery, we were reversing Christianity. The ever-increasing econom.c problems made the maintenance of peace more difficult, for injustice could easily be done and there would De times when it would be a crime to insist on peace. "A Constructive Venture" Yet peace was not the mere absence of war. It was a constructive venture which gave us greater strength than war ever evoked. If peace were sought in God's right way the other things would come. When men learned the love of Christ war wou/0 become repugnant. Such was the laudable object of the League of Nations, which had been crippled all along because some powers had been thinking nationally instead of internationally. What was needed was greater force of insight, and Christianity as a standard of life would bring this regeneration in men's personalities. T'v nil was not to an acquicscive peace, however, but to a new way where wo could turn our fforts to God's will. We must war against the principalities of selfishness and hate and evil—and this was not done by sword, or tongue, or pen, but by making ourselves better men.

The anthem "What are Those?" (Stainer) was sung by the choir. Mrs W. P. Pearce was soloist.

DEMONSTRATION FOR PEACE

SPEECHES IN LATIMER SQUARE TWO RESOLUTIONS PASSED A hundred persons attended a peace demonstration in Latimer square yesterday afternoon, and after listening to six speakers, passed resolutions urging the cultivation of conditions which may help the cause of peace. The demonstration was organised by the United Peace Demonstration Committee, which consists of a number of church organisations as well as the No More War Movement. Mr N. M. Bell Dresidcd. Cr. J. Mathison drew attention to the lessons to be learnt from the Great War. and denounced the policy of the armament manufacturers, in the various countries, whom he declared collaborated and stimulated any will to war wherever possible. He considered llvt the people should refuse to sutler Ijv the interest of private enterprise. The Rev. M. Ayrton (Tai Tapu) urged the fostering of fraternity, and spoke of the power of faith. Mrs S. S. Page said that women could prevent war. In the schools children were taught nothing but reason, but in the home the mother had the opportunity of training her children spiritually and emotionally, and by this she could bring them up opposed to all war.

The Rev. PI. Ryan declared that there was plenty in the world to-day to give encouragement to those who were lovers of peace. There was something bigger than the armament firms and the dictators; there was a cloak of sentiment against war.

Other speakers were Messrs C. H. Cole and N. M. Bell. At the conclusion of the demonstration the following resolutions were carried:—

"Believing that those 'who take to the sword will finally perish by it,' and further, that the only sensible way to obtain peace is to prepare the conditions which will ensure it, this meeting of Christchurch citizens solemnly reaffirms its continued belief that there can be little real hope of peace:— "(1) Till world economic competition has been replaced by world economic co-operation based on the common possession and use of the material means of life, land, machinery. and capital, operated on the spirit of the principle, 'To each according to his need, from each according to his power'; (2) Till the private traffic in armaments has been abolished; (3) till the equal freedom of all peoples to determine their own destiny as corporate members of the whole family of mankind is assured; (4) till the teaching of history in schools from the point of view of the social history of man and of international co-operation is established; and (5) till all those restrictions on freedom of speech in regard to social problems and public criticism of the same whether through the public press public meetings, and ever the air. which hinder the intellectual, moral, and hence social development of the people of the Dominion, are abolished. _ "At the same time, in view of the ever-increasing danger of war this meeting calls on all peace-lovers to redouble their efforts to secure personal and organised collective resistance to war through all non-violent means available."