| News and Views | June 1946 |
The World’s Challenge to Churchianity
THE WORLD must return to God or else civilization is doomed, say top-ranking religionists of all faiths. The Catholic Church is saying it; Protestantism is voicing this thought; and so is the Jew. And it is more than a campaign of mere words. These major groups of “orthodox” worshipers are endeavoring to make their influence felt in the field of politics, both in America and abroad. Millions of dollars are being raised for home and foreign missions. Youth movements among both Catholics and Protestants are appealing to the growing generation by many and varied methods in order to turn their young minds in the direction of religion. And all of this is being done to save civilization from the utter collapse which otherwise—it is claimed—is sure to come.
Sincere efforts to make the world a better place in which to live should always be appreciated and commended, but it would seem that more than sincerity is needed on the part of religionists in order that the rank and file of the people in this upsetting period of human experience pay serious attention to their back-to-God pleas. Churchmen themselves might well take stock of their own affairs and if possible discover why, in the twentieth century since Christ was born into this world of sin, it is still a selfish, warlike world whose uncured inhumanity to man now threatens such dire calamity.
Those who are now campaigning for the world to return to God would do well to explain just what they mean by this slogan. At what point throughout the march of time since Christ was born have the nations been in harmony with God that they may now return to the ideal state of righteousness and thereby find security from the ever-rising tide of human selfishness? High-sounding platitudes alone will not convince the practical and semi-agnostic minds of the people today. The world wants to know—we all want to know—just what is meant by the return-to-God philosophy.
The Prince of Peace
THE PLEA that the world should return to God is being made in the name of Christ and Christianity. At what period in the Christian era have the nations actually adhered to the teachings of Christ, and by adherence to those teachings experienced peace and happiness? When we read Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, we are forced to the conclusion that no nation on earth has ever adopted the moral code therein set forth, as a guide in its home and foreign policies. In that sermon Jesus taught that we should love our enemies and do good to them who despitefully use us. He said that when we are smitten on one cheek we should turn the other cheek and not retaliate. Have these rules of Christianity ever been applied in national and international politics? Has it not been true that only here and there have there been individuals who took Jesus’ teaching seriously, and that usually these have been looked down upon by their neighbors as cowards, and unpatriotic?
Certainly the professed Christian nations as a whole have never practiced these Christian ethics, hence they cannot return to such a standard. Today, of course, some of the most powerful nations of earth do not profess to be Christian. But there was a time when all the nations of the so-called civilized world did so profess. That was back in the Dark Ages, when Europe was ruled by church-state systems of government, and kings claimed to reign by divine right. For a few hundred years there was just one church and it was allied with the civil governments of all Europe. That was the Catholic Church. It was not a united church, however, because it had its eastern and western divisions—the Greek and Roman Catholics of today.
Do those who now are urging that the world return to God mean that the nations should return to church-state forms of government, and to the inhuman practices of those governments which existed back in the dark days of a priest-ridden Europe? If we mistake not, the vast majority of people today would say that any move in that direction would be “reactionary,” and somehow “reactionaries” are now looked upon as being about the same as Fascists; and the United Nations are pledged to destroy fascism.
Even if the world did return to the standards of Christianity which were practiced under the European church-state systems of government, would that assure peace? History holds out no such promise. Back in those “good old days” nations not only went to war with one another, even as they do today, but they did it “in the name of Christ.” Some of the wars of that time were called “holy crusades,” the crusaders fighting under the banner of the cross. Ah yes, there were wars then, even as now, for while the nations professed to be Christian, their professions were not genuine. Actually, they were not Christians then any more than the nations of today are Christian. The world will need a better example of Christianity than any which history is able to produce if it is to take seriously the present-day hue and cry to return to God.
Here in the United States we can talk freely about the evils of the church-state systems of Europe, and without fear of being misunderstood, because the Founding Fathers of this country recognized those evils and in drawing up the Constitution attempted to safeguard this section of the new world from them. We cannot suppose for a moment, then, that any branch of churchianity in this country would advocate a return to those evils. We deprecate the intolerance of fascism, and are horrified at the cruelties practiced throughout Europe during recent years. This modernistic manifestation of unchristianity is but a sad reminder of equally if not more heinous crimes which were perpetrated in the name of Christ at the behest of the church-state systems of government from which many of our Founding Fathers fled when they came to the shores of America in search for liberty. A mere mention of the so-called “Holy (?) Inquisition” of Spain is sufficient to remind those historically alert of the evils of that awful time.
Superstitions Now Dying
IN SOME respects the world has made great strides forward since the days of the “Inquisition.” The Prophet Daniel said of this “time of the end” that there would be a great increase of knowledge. (Dan. 12:4) This prophecy has had a remarkable fulfillment in our day, and knowledge is still increasing. People are becoming more and more enlightened from the standpoint of science and literature. This enlightenment has not softened their hearts nor destroyed selfishness, but it is dispelling the fogs of superstition. That is why the rank and file of the people today are demanding a reason for what they believe—and this applies to all fields of human thought and endeavor.
There are still a few who are content to belong to the church of which their parents or grandparents were members, but the philosophy, “What was good enough for mother is good enough for me,” is fast losing its appeal in the minds of those who are more inclined to say “Show me,” than they are to follow the easy way of halfheartedly assuming that what their church teaches must be right. It is this semi-skeptical viewpoint of the vast majority of the people in this day of enlightenment which makes it necessary for those who are urging a return to God to explain what they mean.
We think it is logical to assume that any return to God being advocated by churchmen would of necessity mean the adoption and the practice of the creeds which allegedly interpret God and the divine will for laymen. But in this too there is difficulty. There are many good points in denominational creeds, but there are some which are not so good. Take, for example, the creeds which prescribe the torments of “hell fire” for all who die outside the church. The thinking public of today are in revolt against such a grotesque superstition. It is seriously believed and taught by only a small minority.
It is conceded, of course, that the mere fact that eternal torture is today believed in by so few does not disprove the theory. It is the Bible and the character of God which disprove this blasphemous doctrine. But the enlightened masses of the public have rejected it in their own minds simply by the fact that they are incapable of believing that a God of love would be more cruel in the treatment of his enemies than European dictators have been. But these humanely thinking people suppose that this creedal superstition is taught in the Bible, hence many of them have lost faith in the Bible. This fact alone seriously hinders such from taking a deep interest in an effort which, so far as they know, may lead to a revival of fear concerning the awful fate awaiting the unfaithful.
Another point for consideration is the “end of the world.” The Bible foretold that the world would come to an end, but these prophecies refer to the end of an evil order of things, not to the burning up of the earth. Close students of the Bible are convinced that it is this foretold “end of the world” which mankind is witnessing today in the crumbling of our boasted brain-age civilization. In view of this it would seem futile for anyone to try to prevent what God has prophesied as being inevitable. The Bible portrays better conditions for mankind in God’s new world than anything we could hope to return to through our own imperfect efforts.
But until the people find out about the biblical end of the world, the traditional misconception of the subject which is spread upon church creeds is another superstition which stands in the way of wholehearted interest in religion on the part of thinking people. It is bad enough, they say, to be frightened out of our wits by the atomic bomb without professing belief that at any moment this whole planet may suddenly burst into flames and in twenty-four hours or less be reduced to a charred ruin, with most of its inhabitants consigned to an eternity of torture in a fiery hell while the saintly few, carried to heaven, would gleefully rejoice in the salvation that had come to them.
The thinking public of today might well reason that there is little use in wondering whether or not, from the humane standpoint, atomic bombs should be outlawed as weapons of war, if we are to believe that God will one day spring a surprise attack on all nations a thousand times more destructive than atomic bombs could possibly be. And by the same token these might well reason, Why should we bother to investigate the after effects of atomic explosions upon those who are not actually killed, when we believe that God, in destroying the whole earth in a few hours, will put nearly all of its inhabitants into a torture chamber and keep them there forever?
To speak thus plainly is not with the thought of making light of others’ views but is done with the intent of arousing some to the awfulness of the things with which Dark-age creeds have charged God, and to emphasize that not until those creeds are recognized in their true light and are set aside to permit the Bible to have its rightful place in the heart and mind, can individuals or groups make genuine progress in true godliness and righteousness. The late President Roosevelt referred to the great Creator as the “good God of love,” and of the right of the people to worship such a God, but we must recognize that the shackles of superstition are just as effective a barrier to the worship of the true God as are the intolerant laws of ruthless and atheistic dictatorships.
Neither those who are held in abject fear by the threat of future torture, nor those who refuse to believe such superstition but suppose it to be taught in the Bible, are truly free to worship God as they would like to worship him. It is only as the enlightening rays of truth from the Word of God dispel fear and superstition from the heart and mind that one is genuinely free to worship as he will. Concerning those thus enlightened the Scriptures declare, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”—John 8:32
What Is Truth?
“WHAT is truth?” This question was asked Jesus by Pilate. The Master did not reply to Pilate, but on another occasion, when praying to his Heavenly Father, Jesus said, “Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17) One of the outstanding texts in the Bible states that “God is love.” (I John 4:8,16) Yes, he is the “good God of love,” and the more we understand his Word of truth the better we will be able to comprehend the length and breadth and height and depth of God’s love. It is through God’s plan for the blessing of all nations with peace, happiness, and life, that his love is revealed.
In the divine plan God created this earth to be man’s home forever; and in creating man to live upon the earth he made provision whereby he could have continued to live everlastingly. This does not mean that man was created immortal and cannot die; but it does mean that, had he not disobeyed God’s law, his life would have been sustained everlastingly.
But man sinned against God and the penalty of death was pronounced upon him. Death simply means the cessation of life. It does not mean torment. Through death the human race lost the privilege of living forever upon the earth under conditions of genuine peace and happiness.
However, man’s loss will not be permanent, for at this point in the divine plan God’s love provides a way to escape the death penalty. That way is through Christ and his sacrificial work of redemption. Christ came “to seek and to save that which was lost,” the Scriptures tell us. (Luke 19:10) In the divine economy the death of Jesus on Calvary’s cross provides a corresponding price—called in the Bible a “ransom”—for Adam and for the entire race which lost life through him.—Matt. 20:28; I Tim. 2:4-6
This calls for the release of the human race from the condemnation of death. The Scriptures abound with promises to assure us that this restoring of the ransomed dead to life is to be accomplished during a thousand-year period—frequently called the Millennium—during which Christ will reign over the earth. This follows. Christ’s second advent, and the restoration work to be accomplished by Christ during that time is described by the Apostle Peter as “times of restitution of all things” which, he declares, were “spoken by the mouth of all God’s holy prophets since the world began.”—Acts 3:19-23
During the period between Christ’s first and second advents, the work of God in the earth has been the calling and preparation of a small group of ardent followers of Christ who, because of their faithful adherence to the Word of God, and their zeal in the divine service, qualified through faith to be associated with Jesus in the heavenly realm, and to reign with him during the thousand years of his kingdom here upon the earth. The calling and testing of these has been accomplished by the gospel message of God’s Word as it has been promulgated throughout the earth by faithful followers of the Master. This—instead of ruling the world by means of illicit alliances with the civil powers—has been the work of the church militant during the present age.
But there is every evidence now that God’s work of the present age is nearly completed. Prophecies relating to the change of dispensations; when the old world dominated by selfishness is destroyed by the weight of its own sin, and the way prepared for the beginning of Christ’s reign, are now in course of rapid fulfillment. Jesus said that when his people would see these things they should lift up their heads with encouragement and rejoice, knowing that their deliverance, and the deliverance of the whole world from death, would be near.—Luke 21:28
This, then, is not so much a time to save the old world as it is to rejoice in the prospects of God’s new world. It is not a time to interfere with the plan of God by trying to save that which he has condemned, but a time to proclaim to all the nations that Christ, earth’s new King, is soon to be manifested to all nations in power and great glory; and that his kingdom of righteousness will salve all the perplexing problems of the present, even the problems of sickness and death.
Let us then together lift up our voices in telling the whole sin-blighted and dying world this hope-inspiring message of Christ’s kingdom now so near! Let us tell the people that the Bible does not teach those crude misconceptions of God which have been handed down to us from the Dark Ages. Let us sing it out in no uncertain terms that “God is love” and that he has designed a wonderful and most harmonious plan for the blessing of all the nations of the earth. Those who are church members might do well to ask their ministers why they do not also come out boldly and tell their congregations the truth about hell, and about the end of the world. Suggest to them that this is the only real way to combat the growing skepticism of our day.
The World’s Conversion
WE ARE not to expect, though, that anything which can be done now will check the rapid deterioration of modern civilization. The most that we can expect is that one here and there may come to learn and appreciate something of the love of God and be inspired thereby to give their hearts to him. This is not God’s time for the world to be converted. Not knowing this, many have lost their faith in God and in the Bible because that which they thought to be God’s program has turned out to be such a colossal failure. Think of it! Nineteen centuries since Christ came, and the world in the condition that it is today! Is it strange that serious-minded people wonder what it is all about?
But there is no need to wonder once we learn that God’s time for the conversion of the world is during the period when Christ’s kingdom will be imposing its laws upon the nations. Then the world will truly return to God. And what will that mean? It will mean a return to the point where the human race first turned its back upon God, at the time of Adam’s fall. There man disobeyed divine law, and has been a rebel ever since—all except the few in each age, who through faith, have reverenced and served the Creator.
But—and here is why man is lost except for God’s grace—the human race is now so far from God, and so helplessly bogged down in the miry clay of sin and death, that a return to God and to righteousness is impossible without divine aid. But this aid will be forthcoming because it has been promised by the Creator, and provision has been made for the necessary help through the redemptive work of Christ.
When man sinned and was driven from Eden, he not only lost contact with God, but he lost life as well. The dead cannot return to God unless divine power restores them to life. But this is exactly what God has promised to do. The dying world of mankind today, and all who have gone down into the tomb through all the ages of the past, are to be given the help they need to retrace their steps back to God, to righteousness, and to life. Should there be any who refuse thus to retrace their steps, they will be “destroyed from among the people.”—Acts 3:23
So, the world will return to God. To appreciate the meaning of this it is necessary merely to consider what conditions upon this earth would have been like had man not disobeyed divine law. God told our first parents to be “fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.” (Gen. 1:28) Had these commands been carried out without interruption this whole earth would have become one vast paradise, filled with a perfect and happy human family, free from sin, sickness, and death. They would have known nothing of all the evils which afflict us today.
This was, and has continued to be, God’s plan for man, and it is yet to be realized; for this will be the happy lot of the entire race, when, in the age now near, the world is converted and returns to God. The Apostle John describes it as a time when the tabernacle of God will be with men, and when he will dwell with the people and be their God. Concerning that blessed time the apostle also assures us that “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”—Rev. 21:3,4
Today the world is challenging churchianity to point the way out of the darkness and gloom that has settled down upon the discouraged and starving of all nations. But because the Word of God is not given its proper place of authority in the philosophies of those who profess to believe it, they, too, are caught in the “encircling gloom” now darkening the vision of all mankind, and are unable to give light to the world. Truly, “darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people.”—Isa. 60:2
But it won’t always be thus! Soon the knowledge of God’s glory will fill the earth. (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14) God will turn to the people a pure language, or message, and they will all call upon him to serve him with one consent. (Zeph. 3:9) The veil of ignorance and superstition will be removed from off the faces of all people. All tears will be wiped away. Death will be swallowed up in victory.