AGAINST THE CHURCH

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10729, 29 October 1928, Page 6

AGAINST THE CHURCH

THE EVIL INFLUENCE OF PROHIBITION.

(By the Rev. Frederick J. Melville.)

The Rev. Mr. Melville is the Pastor of St, Matthew's Lutheran Church of \Yhhe Plains, New York.

lie wrote an article for the magazine “Plain Talk” entitled “ProluLit.ion v. The Church,” in which he expresses the belief that if file Churches contiaue to sustain prohibition their dcors aie in grave danger of being banged shut.

In the course of the article, which appeared in the May issue of tho magazine named, he asks, "Why are thousands of Church pews empty? If the Church wants to make an honest confession it will have to admit that among various causes for-dev creased church attendance and lukewarm interest in church affairs, the preaching of prohibition in the pulp'ts of the churches takes the lead as tho outstanding cause for the condition. It, is not only that thousands of church members have boon deprived of what they consider no bo an honorable means of livelihood, nor is it that they resent any sermons that are delivered against the Demon Rum —but that they, like the majority of our American people, are enemies of what is the outstanding sin in our country to-day—hypocrisy. They are not. easily fooled. They have seen Elmer Gantry in the pulpit' and his deacons in the pews. TBey have li/nrtl prohibition espoused#bvj-rant-in the pußiC^T Ilon(es'BrJpind self-respect keejjfthem outof tafte church where -it S preached thajf drinking is stf.fuj?/ Hiving been forebej/'emt oL.th# oli(firoH * oi'/ t.hoir I'adiets/ j' l atefto If o i ther, th&kipgf tnaV'fal ß elwrcfies are alike agfi ait? TWiniijfccls Jfintf deacons are PROHrßljri <fs IS SACRILEGE TO f Nfe NATION.

It i 4 injurious to tho the individual and of the natjdrn It is abnormal in concept as iti practice. It is the mpitx unintelligent, un-American, unchristian, unreasonable thing Hjtfc has ever been injected into tho/'life of this nation. The clmreh»«hat is, the sections of the that- have labored so long atnly frantically to make this eountTj/na.uorless—still seems nnwilUufg to admit that it has brought jtbmit a condition which is worse "than any that existed in pre-Pro’nibi-tion days. Furthermore, it realises that the cause is not a popular one any more. Can it ever be said that the adherents of prohibition are eti'l enthusiastic about it ? If anything, they are gloomy, disappointed and afraid. Yet they hold on. They dead for sunport.’ Tliev condemn, in language.unbecoming Jesus Christ, men and women who give expression to their honest opinions concerning prohibition. THE MISTAKES OF THE CHURCH'

The Christian church lias made many mistakes, as history so clearly tells ns. Many of its doctrines have been formulated by the over-throwing of false doctrines. It is possible that some of the fundamental doctrines adhered to by the Christian church in our times will meet w'th the snme fate. Thousands of our Christian ministers who have given thought to the prohibition question are convinced of the mistake that the church has made in allving itself, as great sections of it have done, with the political prohibition proponents. But. the greatest mistake that the church has made is the fact that prohibition has been allowed to usurp the place of the Christ'an gospel of neaee and goodwill toward men. And right here is the answer to the question why the church has lo*t ground during the past decade. That R eertairlu~ has, everv honest minister ami church-goer will