EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMUNISM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23511, 27 May 1938, Page 15

EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMUNISM

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Sir, —Many of your readers must have been extremely puzzled and perplexed by the letter of “ Maran-atha ” in yesterday’s issue of the Daily Times, as he makes some very blaring false assertions. He says the quotation given by “Anti-Competition ” is very vague indeed. It may be to “ Maranatha,” but I think most of your readers are intelligent enough to understand it. He says Dr Stanley Jones, the author of the quotation mentioned, is a modernist and wandering in the wilderness of Communism. I have always been under the impression there is no Communism in a wilderness. “ Maran-atha's ” conception of Communism is very vague indeed, to sav the least of it. If the quotation referred to above is a fair sample of Dr Jones’s modernism. I have no fault to find with it. however much I disagree with modernism in general.

Again, he says “ it is not the job of ministers to dabble in politics." I fail to see why a black cpat, a bull-dog collar, and white tie should exclude a man from taking a responsible interest in the welfare of his own city. I suggest “Maran-atha” should apply that dictum to himself and not contaminate himself by writing to the secular press. Then he says “ the Israelites were told that they were not to plough with an ox and an ass together. This was because the ox is a clean animal, and the ass is an unclean one. .Therefore it would be very unpleasant for the ox if it were made to plough with an ass. That is one reason why we cannot couple the words ‘ Christian ' and ‘ Communism ’ together.” The only quadrupeds mentioned in Leviticus as being unclean are the camel, the coney, the hare, and the swine. It is divinely forbidden to eat these. If people were obedient to the divine injunction there would be less cancer throughout the world. 1 consider it would be more unpleasant for the little ass to be dragged along unequally yoked to the big. bustling ox. Instead of the ass being unclean, it was the honoured animal, in olden times, for carrying official dignitaries, kings, prophets, and judges. “ Maran-atha ” says “ Judas Iscariot, the traitor, was a Communist.” He was the only dissenter in the community to which he belonged. The rest of the many assertions by “ Maranatha ” about Christianity and Communism are not any more truthful than the one about the poor little ass. I would suggest to “ Maran-atha,” and to a great many more, that they turn up the dictionary and get an elementary knowledge of such simple words os Communism and Socialism. —I am, etc., James Braid. 19 Stafford avenue.