1936-04-09 — Page 18

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1986.

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Gordon Beckles

wrote this article, just before Easter

last year. It is an article all Christ- ians will ponder over deeply

THEN I go to church I usually have a distressing senso of my own hypocrisy and/or that of too many of those around me in the pews..

I feel it worst at weddings and funerals. Perhaps the regular-

HONG KONG HOTELty with which so many of my

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friends have subsequently brok- en their marriage vows has made me cynical at weddings.

Even in the cases of happy Stubbs Road marriages, the subsequent hiatus in the church-going careers of so many professed Christians has been too often in my mind at their funerals.

That because of the passing of one I love-I should find my-

Hongkong Telegraph.self attending a divine service

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1936.

AMERICA AND WORLD PEACE

Although the United States, by its policy of avoiding en tanglements, is not directly in teresting itself in the problem of establishing and preserving European peace, it is beyond question that the

American people as a whole are anxious that concrete steps to this end may emerge from the present discussions in the capitals of Europe. Dr. Nicholas Murray,

that I so seldom attend when happiness smiles, strikes me as a rather cowardly sheltering behind an instilution to which I do not whole-heartedly sub-". scribe.

To-morrow is Good Friday are you going to church? throughout the world will go be

Millions of Christiane cause they believe it is a sacred duty to go.

But millions more will stay away through laziness; millions will be there merely as a sanc- timonious habit; and yet mil- lions more will stay away-be- cause they have no Church.

I number my-

Why have we no Church?

Are there not enough. Chris- Churches for us to choose from?

Why are they

As President of the Carnegie self as one of Endowment for International that last legion Peace, is, however, concerned of the tempor

arily lost. over the lack of leadership by the Government on this issue, for he fails to find signs that any important group now in exercise of official power in the life of the tian nation recognises that United] States participation and even leadership in collective security measures is vital at this junc-

Yes, too many: nineteen hun- ture. He does, however, per-dred years after the first Good ceive that public opinion is Friday mas finds not one united- moving ateadily, with increasing Christian Church, but a hundred strength, toward an understand-sectarian rivals, each interpret- ing of the need. According to ing Christ's words in a different this well-known international way, figure, it is little short of amaz-

Yes, too many: nineteen hun-

*

Ek

not going to

church?

**

*

*

*

NOTES OF THE DAY

to

are

consider that modern psycho- logical research throws any now light on sin?.

Why do they think-and tho answer must be in specific terms -that their own donomination is the best?

What do they think of the other great Churches of the world? Of the Buddhists? Of the Confu- cians? Of the Mohammedans?

Is it possible over to reconcile Christianity with theso other religions?"

All of which may sound as if I wore an infidel with a destructive bont. I am nothing of tho kind. Priests with whom I have occa- sionally raised such questions as these have scomed most inter- ested; they have observed that I had a most inquiring mind, and have accepted with politeness my assurance that I consider myself « Christian.

But they have falled to answer the questions..

And then for the lost millions there is the question of "doubt."" Perhaps the chief doubt aroused in their minds is by the fashions and fancies of the Church in the past, and the widely differing points of view current in the Church of to-day.

"It's this way," you hear some one say. "How could I join a Christian Church which conalders

it a sin to celebrate Christmas with a children's party! Or on- other Church that frowned on the use of anaesthetica 'at child- birth? Or birth control in the slum areas?

"Take Sunday. Surely, after all these centuries, it should be settled whether or not it is wrong to go to a theatre? Or whether it la right or not to stay Indoors all day and read the Bible. Con't they have a conference and settle these points among themselves?"

They will point inquiring to the horrors of the Inquisition, when cruelties of incredible- feracity were practised in the. name of One Who preached gentleness and mercy; only to be matched by the sadistic orgica in- stituted by the Protestants-alsa in the name of Christ.

•

On a less Intense note they point to such fashions as the one for bodily Alth which enslaved Christian priests for several centuries. In what exact way saintliness came to be confused with dirtiness I find it difficult to say; but so it was, and there is some appalling evidence of this odd vogue, Is the use of alcohol, for instance, n deadly'sin, as one Church preaches? Or something to gladden the heart of man, as another implies?

Then I have myself listened to a Christian preacher enlarging with considerable gusto on the doctrine which would damn the soul of an unbaptised baby, And, in a eity with thousands of half-hungry people -living-in-conditions of health-wreck- ing squalor, I have attended a zer: vice so opulent in colour and ritual texture, In raiment and choral splen- dour, in material magnificence and air of triumph that I could only wonder what it all had to do with the Son of the pear Nazareth carpenter, Who

**

Yet of the personal sincerity of all the priests and clorgy there is no of their views that puzzles the last shadow of doubt: it isn't the sincerity

millions, but the direction of them. All are inspired by the same Word: Baptists, Anglicans and Catholics Presbyterians, Lutherans and Methe- dists-Calvinista, and Quakers Salvationists, Uni

Congregationalist Unitar- ians and Cristian Scientists; and all coming to different conclusions,

But is it

it really possible that the essential words of Christ were so loosely

na to be capable of phrased so many opposing interpretations?

Certainly it never seemed so when I was first told the story of His life,

Which is strange when you

There are also large numbers To say nothing of answering consider the simplicity of ing that the Government of a Christ's teachings as recorded of clergymen who sincerely be questions dealing with the exter- never had a church to preach-in. people which, through President in the New Testament.

lieve that in couching their nal aspects of the Churches. McKinley and Secretary Hay in

language in an archaic medium Saddening, too, when you re- they are being rather devout. 1899, through President Theo- flect that the world still stands This inability to express them- tions think of disunión between

What do the various denomina dore Roosevelt and Secretary sorely in need of an accepted selves in comprehensible Eng; the Churches? Root in 1907, through President standard of moral judgment and fish results in an inability to Wilson in 1919, and through faith in the divinity of mankind. answer questions which it seems discord is bad--then what

If they agree that such factional President Coolidge and Secre:

to me the duty of a minister of they doing to rectify it? tary Kellogg in 1927-28, made

Do any of the Churches officially such outstanding contributions Are all eyes on the leadership the Lord to be able to answer. to the building of those inter-of the Christian Churches? national institutions and policies Ask yourself; perhaps your which alone can take the place of answer is "Yes." But there are international war and make it millions of Christians whose increasingly unlikely, should answer is a sad "No." now show itself so largely in- A veil of vagueness and doubt different to these matters. In-not doubt of Christianity, no!

Turkey wants to fortify the sort of queen-gambit In Austria, literally at my mother's knee. Then this connection, it is pertinent to-hangs for these lost millions

it seemed that everything He said Ger- was extremely simple: not until recall the part which the United between the voice of the Master Dardanelles. Just as Austria de- threatening checkmate States played in the Pact of and Sunday morning service. cided she needed to conscript a new many's allegedly aggressive moves was first taken to church was my original conception obscured by Paris, which renounced war as Take the "vagueness” first. army, Turkey feels she requires towards Vienna. At the same time the ritual and ceremonial of the sor- an instrument of national policy. They wonder why it is that so

vices, that being probably my first According to Dr. Nicholas Mur-many clergymen indeed, the something to reinforce her secu-he has moved a pawn or two to introduction to the knowledge that ray Butler, the American people majority-seem unable to speak rity, Europe's post-war treaties wards Geneva where developments mankind seems never able to loave

well enough alone. are "substantially unanimous" the language of the common are crumbling about her ears. may embarrass his game in Ethio-

That

Is why my three children, In their desire to avoid inter-people.

Some blame Germany for all this, pia. We must not forget the Far Whom I am bringing up, will be conscripted into no, denomination. national war, but he takes the: You can count almost on the

able to choose for view that something more than fingers of one hand the Christian Baying had she acted rationally and Eastern game of wits, either, with until they are

themselves, not flouted the agreements she this is needed that they must publicists who can preach a ser-

I find Christ's religion simple, When I made that remark only join in preventing war, whether mon in print without resorting signed after the Armistice all might Japan and Russla duelling for a

yesterday to a man, the reply was, economic or military. It has to in almost every other sentence, have been well. Others blame the predominating position in the coun→ be realised, of course, that the to quaint ecclesiastical jargon. men who made the treaties in the try Immediately north of China's "Oh, but you're so wrong; Christ is

frontier. Their amazingly complicated and subtle.” United States is at present That there are ministers cap-first place. But all of us, no matter perambulating

But then that man, like so many largely preoccupied with domes-able of intelligent self-expression whom we blame, lament the fact game is mere nolay than that play others, dates on the technicalities of tic problems of considerable makes one feel sorry that there that the carefully built peace ed in the highly civilised Occident, religion as a scientist is absorbed by magnitude. There is the further la not some Holy Order dedicat-structure in Europe, which we had but it is no less dangerous. And the number of combinations offered factor that some of the treaties ed to the pursuit of expressive hoped would tower somewhere near finally, in the Philippines, there is a designed to preserve world language.

to Heaven, is toppling like a verit-new International contest, concern-

In the Japanese homp industry and There will be milions of empty TO-MOBRÓW is Good Friday-and peace, in which the United

able Babel. States has had a hand, have been:

Inn Investment of some 80,000,000 seats in hundreds of thousands of treated with scant respect in The pressure of events may, in- There are a number of games of pesos which is in danger of destruc. Christian churches: surely one of the certain quarters, a circumstance deed, ultimately force America political chess worth watching at tion because the Japanese land addet sights in. Christendom.

But will there over come a Sun- which may raise in American) to assume a more prominent role minds doubts as to the value of than is hers at the moment. the moment, even for those of us leases are legal and the Philip day when service in a church is further effort along these lines. Meantime, however, it is evident who scarcely know a bishop from pines want them surrendered. But chared between a Roman Catholic, a

Calvinist, and an Anglican?

No? Yet, when all la sald and done, that the policy of comparative alght, or a diplomat from a this really ranks only as an amateur the fact protrudes that there are isolation will remain the domin- dumb-bell. Signor Mussolini op- contost and apparently is only international ating role of the United States pears to be playing two games at dignified by threats against the life situation which are of very vital until some marked change occurs once, or maybo more, like any of ono man, the Secretary of concern to the United States. in the world situation.

champion. Just now he is doing a Agriculture.

Lane, CRAWFORD, LTD. aspects of the

by A formula,

It's impossible?

Millions of Christians, to whom ritual and ceremonial mean little and ecclesiastical tradition less, will still live in hope.