National Council of Churches

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32702, 3 September 1971, Page 14

National Council of Churches

Sir, —I will not attempt to reply to "The Walrus” regarding round and square, chalk and cheese. Most readers of “The Press” will probably agree that he is the practised master of smear and character assassination and I, for one, would stand little chance of retaliating in kind. He unwittingly, it seems, correctly stated that I could not differentiate between black and white. Any member of a multiracial society should be proud to admit that! Strong exception must be taken to the inference contrived by “The Walrus” (to bolster his own argument) that the churches have an unholy alliance with communism in southern Africa, This is pure fabrication, as he well knows. It is unfortunate that space did not allow him, while on the subject of the killings, to submit some details on Sharpville- Perhaps he could in his next letter, or would he not find that appropriate?—Yours, etc., A. R. KEAY. September 2, 1971.

Sir, —J. Dugdale must be truly remarkable; he can even claim to have hit on a water-tight method of winning all arguments. Unfortunately, his discovery is not quite as significant as it may at first seem, for the secret is really quite simple. All one has to do is quite quickly and decisively judge your opponent to be morally wrong. The art, of course, is that, having made this fundamental assumption, all arguments relevant to the subject under discussion become immediately irrelevant. This very useful rhetorical device is guaranteed to get its exponent to his terminus ad quern before he has got off his terminus a quo, and proves most useful in justifying the persecution of Dreyfus, Stalin’s purges, Hitler’s “final solution,” the Klu Klux ■ Klan, and, of course, the World Council of Churches* financial support of terrorism in Southern Africa. —Yours, etc.; FRED THE FROG. September 2, 1971.

Sir,—J. Dugdale has failed to produce one argument in favour of the W.C.C. and N.C.C. policy of supporting indiscriminate murder in i southern Africa, which is the matter under discussion. His , attempt to change the subject : by charging me with views i which only exist in his imi agination do him no credit. One comment he has made i cannot be allowed to pass. He states: “South African apart- ' heid is demonstably i immoral.” As black South African leaders support the s system of separate : development, and the system > has helped raise the i standard of living of the i South African Bantu 10 times higher than that of the Bantu lin black-ruled Africa, what i evidence has he for this assumption? "8.K.R.” accuses ,me of smear. Ulis is worthy of Goebbels! I would suggest that both “BJJ.R.” and Stuart Payne cease to reside in a glass house.—Yours, etc., THE WALRUS. September 1, 1971.

1 Sir,—lf “8.K.R.” is really against killing, as claimed, : then he or she should be ’ opposed to the National ’ Council of Churches’ support , for the “guerrillas” with their ’ burning of huts at midnight and the petrol bombs among J the sleeping children. Yes, these victims certainly have a right to fight for their beliefs—and lives—but one

might have expected professing Christians to help those at the receiving end of thuggery rather than those causing it.—Yours, etc., VULCAN. September 1, 1971.

Sir, —Few churchmen know how they are financing the activities of the N.C.C. and W.C.C or seem to care very

much where their funds are going. The record of these organisations from their inception has been one of constant left-wing activities and Communist influence. They were quick to jump with socalled world opinion regarding South Africa, and they would dearly love to see a solution similar to the pro-

posed Carnegie Peace Plan for southern Africa put into operation. This after their supported terrorist groups have softened the respective Governments. Hate and violence seem barely concealed, especially to those South African “Boers.” In spite of Paul’s clear teaching in Romans 13 and others, the N.C.C. and a few wolves in sheep’s clothing continue to twist words for their own ends.—Yours, etc., BY THEIR FRUITS. August 31, 1971.