CHRISTIANITY AND WAR

Stratford Evening Post, Volume III, Issue 198, 10 November 1934, Page 8

CHRISTIANITY AND WAR

Press Association—-Conyrlcht Dunedin, November 9. The Rev. F. H. Wilkinson moved in the Presbyterian Assembly to-day that a long statement on Christianity and war be read in the church on the last Sunday of November. The statement called upon the church to humble itself before God, confessing its national pride, selfishness and blindness to His will, with a prayer that His way be made plain to all.

"Only the grace of God is adequate to meet the difficulty of the situation before us," Mr. Wilkinson said. The public questions committee of the Assembly, he added, sought to avoid an extreme statement, and signs of progressive thinking were evident. International security was not as evident as it was formerly. The passion of fear was driving toward war and a policy of creating fear was in process. The question was how to cast out fear from the nations and the church, and the only. body able to do that was the church, which must awaken 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 wrath to come.It was decided to direct that the statement be read to churches.

Speaking to the motion directing that the statement be 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 onethird of the population was Christian. The Rev. Lawson Marsh moved that the Assembly felt the time had come to make an, urgent call to the nations of the world to.stand- by their solemn obligations as defined by the League of Nations and the Pact of Paris, and that the Assembly appeal to the constituted authorities of the various churches in Christendom to urge members to refuse participation in any war unless by the League of Nations.

Professor Collie said war came suddenly and this made the motion futile. The church dared not divide the nation in an hour of crisis* The Rev. John Allan said Professor Collie's thought made the church a supporter of war. The Church of Scotland approved a similar motion. A wide cleavage of opinion was evident, but the motion was carried.