THE CHURCH AND WAR

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18551, 10 November 1934, Page 5

THE CHURCH AND WAR

ASSEMBLY DISCUSSION SUPPORT FOR LEAGUE “DIVIDING THE NATION” (Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN, this day. At the Presbyterian General Assembly yesterday, the Rev. F. 11. Wilkinson moved that a lengthy statement on Christianity and war should be read in the church on the last Sunday of November. The statement called upon the church to humble itself before God, confessing national pride, selfishness, and blindness to liis will, with a prayer that His way be made plain to all. Only the grace of God was adequate to meet the difficulty oi the situation.

Mr. Wilkinson said that international security was not so evident as formerly. The passion of fear was driving toward war. The question was how to cast out fear from nations, and the church was the only body able to do time. The church must awaken to a sense of the barbarity of warfare and rob it- of its glory. Mr. L. Stoddart urged that it was futile to pass motions against war. Members should pray to be kept from the wratli to coine. It was decided to direct that a statement be read to the churches.

Speaking to a motion directing that the statement on Christianity and war should he printed and handed to all members of the church, the Rev. L. M. Rogers urged the futility of such a step in view of the fact that but one-third of the population were Christians. The Rev. Lawson Marsh moved : “That the assembly feels that the time has come to make an urgent call to the nations of the world to stand !>v their solemn obligations as defined by the League of Nations and the Pact of Paris, and the assembly further appeals to the constituted authorities of various churches in Christendom to urge meinhoi's to refuse participation in any war unless it is endorsed by tile League of Nations."

Professor Collie said that war came suddenly, and this made the motion futile. The church dare not divide the nation in an hour of crisis.

The Rev John Allan urged that Professor Collie’s thought made the clmreli a supporter of war. The church of Scotland had approved a similar motion. A wide cleavage of opinion was quite evident, but the motion was carried.