A DANGER NOW

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20619, 21 November 1941, Page 2

A DANGER NOW

PREACHING PACIFISM A DIVERSION OF EFFORT The danger of. evangelising in', the interests of pacifism was referred, to by the chairman of the Armed Forces appeal Board, Mr. W. F. Stillwell, S.M., in Wellington during the hearing of an appeal by a Seventh Day Adventist, Clifford Roy Emery, carpenter, on conscientious grounds. The appeal was dismissed, subject to the performance of non-combatant duties. In his statement the appellant said he had joined the Seventh Day; Adventist Church two years ago, after attending lectures by Pafitor, Burns in Wellington theatres. He became a full member of the church 18 months ago. It was not until he was called up that he thought about his attitude to war. . . . i Mr. C. O. Bell (Crown representa-j five): That’s honest enough. The chairman: You would be surprised how young some appellants are' when they have attained these views. Evidence in support of the appel-, lant’s views was given by Pastor Burns. I Chairman’s Warning j The chairman remarked that, the. appellant had no particular views on, the matter until he attended the.' public lectures. “He. now comes before us as a Seventh Day Adventist, having an outlook in regard to. the type of service he should render, his country quite different from what! he had before he joined your church,”, he continued. “I pointed out to you; some time ago the danger of evange-j lising in the interests of pacifism.” The witness: We are not pacifists, i The chairman: You have evange-j Used in a way which has the effect of ; diverting lads who join the church j from the service the State normally.! •would expect of them, because their ! outlook has been changed by public lectures. That is actually what has happened in this lad’s case. The witness said that aspect had. 1 never been stressed in a public way..! Young men were told the views of the church. . j Mr. Stilwell said it was a question | as to the advisability in time, of .war’j —bearing in mind the responsibility'; that rested on each member of the | community—of bringing about any: diversion of effort. “There is no doubt that the Seventh Day Adven-j tist is not as useful a soldier as the’ ordinary man who is prepared to go,”;' he added. I The witness said that never had the church discouraged its boys from donning khaki.