“This Changing World”

ONE of the noted sayings of President Roosevelt was, “It is given to this generation to hold a rendezvous with destiny.” No truer statement was ever made than this, yet all of us are slow to grasp the reality of what is actually taking place in the world around us. Events are occurring today which would have been thought impossible a decade ago. Old and revered institutions, whose right to exist in the earth has been considered irrevocable, are now being challenged, and in some instances their very foundations are tottering.

In one of our recent broadcasts we called attention to statements being made by news commentators to the effect that the battle between Catholicism and Communism is now joined; and since that time the tempo of this battle has increased. To a great extent it is still a war of words, although in certain instances, particularly in countries behind the Iron Curtain, the struggle has flared into open violence.

The nature of this battle between these mighty opposing forces is such that both sides are being forced out into the open and compelled to reveal policies and viewpoints which hitherto were held more or less as a sacred trust by those on the inside. This is particularly true with respect to the Catholic Church. For example, to the Protestant mind, the word excommunicate has never been a very familiar one. Catholics knew more about it, but even they did not have occasion to think too much about the possibility of being excommunicated from their church.

But how different it is now! Because the Vatican became painfully aware of the inroads Communism was making into the membership of the Catholic Church, and because the Pope considered that there was no other way to hold back the forces of this evil, an edict of excommunication from the church was issued and made applicable to all Catholics who were Communists or who supported the Communist cause. In addition to this, all Catholics were forbidden to read Communist literature, and told that those who disobeyed this order would be denied the sacraments of the church.

Before this edict was issued, probably most Catholics supposed that they were free to be associated with the political party of their choice; and certainly very few realized that their church had the right or the power to step in and tell them what they could read and what they could not read, and at the same time remain good Catholics. Thus has the desperate position of the Catholic Church on the field of battle forced her to reveal these unpopular methods of holding her children in line.

When this edict was issued, some of the questions which arose in the minds of millions were, To what extent will it be obeyed? and if disobeyed, will it result in the actual excommunication of millions of Catholics? Or will Communists within the church go “underground” and carry on their activity secretly? The world did not have to wait long for the answer. The Polish government issued a directive forbidding Catholic priests in Poland to excommunicate Communists from the church. Immediately the Vatican replied that this order revealed a lack of understanding of the intent of the church’s edict of excommunication, explaining that no action by local leaders of the church was contemplated, that each Catholic was left to decide for himself whether or not he should leave the church on account of being sympathetic toward Communism.

In other words, the church was quick to realize that this edict could not actually be enforced, and took this method to ease itself out of a difficult situation. It was what would be called in military circles a “strategic retreat.” But strategic retreats seldom strengthen the position of an army or bolster the morale of the soldiers; and probably when all the points are considered, it will be found that this particular encounter with the Communist enemy did not result in any visible gains.

What the excommunication order has done is to place millions of Catholics on the defensive in their association with Protestants; for it has brought out into the open a viewpoint and practice of the church which, as the non-Catholic world views it, is not at all praiseworthy. To many Protestants this viewpoint of the alleged right of the church to excommunicate and to forbid the reading of whatever literature church authorities may deem not good for Catholics, is not new. One of the causes contributing to the birth of Protestantism was the forbidding of church members to read the Bible.

This, of course, was back in the Dark Ages; but it is well to remember that one of the things which made the Dark Ages so dark was the fact that vital information concerning the Bible and mar other important subjects was kept from the common children of the church. It was then thought essential to impose these restrictions; and now, in this twentieth century, it is again considered necessary to tell Catholics what they cannot read and still continue to receive the benefits of the church. In this respect history is repeating itself.

We call attention to the meaning of this battle of ideologies not for the purpose of taking sides, but to emphasize the fact of the world-changing events which are taking place, and to help us all realize the importance of acquainting ourselves with the prophet significance of what is occurring. The word “Communism” has in our day become synonymous with dictatorship. As we see practiced, it is totalitarianism in government—cold-blooded and ruthless totalitarianism. It is a system of government which the enlightened world of today will not for long tolerate.

It is because of the totalitarian nature of present day Communism that the Catholic Church is so opposed to it. And one of the reasons for this opposition is that the church itself is totalitarian. Obviously, two systems of totalitarianism cannot coexist in any country, nor, in fact, in the same world for very long. The totalitarianism of the church is not so complete now as it was in the days of the church-state systems of Europe, when the Pope crown and uncrowned kings at will. But this is only because of circumstances brought about through the increase of knowledge. The philosophy of the church is to rule in both civil and religious matters, to be the total and final authority in all the affairs of life.

Protestants, on the other hand, are hopeful that if they keep out of politics, and attend strictly to their religious affairs, they will be able to get along with Communism. We know of some cases where seemingly the Communists are particularly favoring certain groups of Protestants. We think, however, that this is largely because they look upon these groups as being anti-Catholic. We are inclined to think that whenever and wherever the Communists come into full and undisputed control, even the Protestants will not find them so easy to get along with.

And while we have no sympathy for the methods of the Communists, we can understand how their philosophy makes them feel as they do about religion in general, and the Catholic religion in particular. They are taught to believe that religion has been used as an opiate of the people, meaning that in the name of religion—a religion that instills the fear of endless torture in hell-fire—the common people have been kept in line with the powers that be—that is the capitalistic powers—and thus made the slaves of the wealthy and ruling classes. With this understanding of the matter, what they claim to be trying to do is to liberate the people and make them free to think and act as they wish without the restraints imposed by the fear of future torment.

How can this effort to destroy religious influence be most successfully combated? Well, in the first place, we think that every Protestant minister and every Catholic priest should re-study the Word of God and discover that it does not teach the cruel doctrine of eternal torture. If the leadership of the entire professed Christian world would come forward and tell the people the truth about hell—that according to the Bible it is merely the state of death, and not a place of excruciating torment—one of the most effective weapons of the Communists would be taken right out of their hands.

The vast majority of the people want to worship a higher power, but not many in these enlightened days are willing to worship a god of torment. The enlightened public mind of today conceives the great Creator of the universe to be a God of love and mercy, and they have not learned as yet—with the exception of the very few—that the God they want to worship, the God of justice and love, is the God that is revealed to us in the Bible. They still think that the Bible teaches that God is a demon, waiting to torment those who do not please him. If this gross misunderstanding of the Bible could be cleared up, and the people told the real truth concerning God and concerning his wonderful plan of salvation for a sin-cursed and dying world, the anti-God theories of the Communists would not be nearly so effective.

If the churches are to defend Christianity in this war of ideologies, let us first of all make sure what Christianity stands for and what it teaches. And one of the most damaging misunderstandings which all of us sooner or later will need to unlearn is that God-dishonoring theory of eternal torture for the wicked.

But this is not enough. In addition to refusing to believe that a God of love would torture sinners, let us get acquainted with what the bible really teaches on the subject, and then tell our friends and neighbors about it. Let us tell the truth about hell in our Sunday Schools, in our Bible Classes, in our Epworth Leagues, from our pulpits, and in every other way possible. This will be one of the most effective ways of putting Christianity where it belongs in the ears of the people, and at the some time, of helping to disarm the Communists in their anti-God campaign.

The “Hot” War in Religious Circles

RELIGIOUS dogmas and practices are now being paraded before the public on a scale which would have been thought impossible a half century ago. The controversy rages along lines, from the Catholic Church’s efforts to secure public funds f the support of its parochial schools, to the question of what happens to people after they die. Nor is this exposure of religion to the eyes of the world limited geographically to America, for it is taking place wherever professed Christian churches are endeavoring keep themselves alive, and to stem the rising tide of materialism and atheism.

And in this controversy a great deal of plain speaking is being done. We all remember, for example, the expression, “apostle of bigotry,” coined by Cardinal Spellman and applied to Congressman Barden because he wrote a bill for Congress which limited the use of public funds appropriated for the aid of education, to pubic schools. The Christian Herald, a well known Protestant magazine with a circulation of more than a quarter of a million, features article by Frank H. Mead in which he quotes the Congressman from North Carolina as saying:

“I took my family abroad last year; we traveled all over Europe, from Scandinavia to Spain. I saw countries in which everything from the government down was dominated by the Roman Catholic Church, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the ruthless manner in which they got rid of anyone who dared oppose them. I saw other countries in which the Protestants dominated the governments—and I didn’t like that, either. Maybe that’s why, from the start, I was a little suspicious of the Federal Aid to Education business. I just don’t want any Federal control over American education, any more than I want any church to control it.”

Here is what seems like a forthright statement of fact as to the conduct of organized religion in Europe, both Catholic and Protestant, and it’s not a bit complimentary. Apparently the situation has not changed there much from what it was when the Founding Fathers of America crossed the Atlantic to these shores to escape the intolerance and persecution which was then being practiced in the Old World. Perhaps this helps to explain somewhat the growing opposition to the church in many European countries.

What Congressman Barden has said in explanation of his insistence on maintaining in America the separation of church and state, is not new to most of us. What is new about it is the fact it has been given so much publicity. Years ago none but an anti-Catholic paper—like the Menace, for example, or other unorthodox and unrecognized periodical—was willing to publish facts of this sort. But now these facts are appearing more and more in the popular Protestant journals, and to some extent in newspapers and over the larger radio stations. Bishop Oxnam’s attacks against the practices of the Catholic Church, for example, are frequently given wide publicity. No longer is the “hush hush” policy being adhered to so rigidly in Protestant circles.

We think this is a healthy sign. One outstanding fact to which both Catholics and Protestants agree is that today religion is on trial, and is fighting for its life. A world that is becoming increasingly enlightened along economic and scientific lines should become increasingly insistent upon knowing the meaning and background of the religion which it accepts. No longer is the thinking public willing to take its religion for granted. If the people are expected to worship a Supreme Being, it is logical that they should want to learn all they can about him—whether or not he is just and loving and kind, or whether he is vengeful and cruel.

Seemingly the Catholic Church is more keenly aware of this trend of the public toward wanting to understand religion better, than are many of the various Protestant denominations; for Catholic groups are spending millions of dollars in national advertising to explain Catholic doctrines to the public. Though we must disagree with many of these doctrines, we can all be thankful that we are living in a free America where all have equal rights to present their beliefs for public scrutiny.

Recently a Catholic advertisement appeared in a number of national magazines, including Collier’s, dealing with the question of what happens to a person after he dies. This is a topic of universal interest; for, sooner or later, we all die, and most of us agree that there would be much satisfaction in having a fairly definite conviction beforehand of just what becomes of us after we draw our last breath.

Basing their understanding solidly on the Word of God, many thousands of earnest Christians throughout the country believe and publicly teach that death is a temporary cessation of life, and that the sleep of death—this state of complete unconsciousness—continues until the return of Christ, when he will establish his long-promised kingdom on the earth; and that then, divine power will be exercised to restore the dead to life as human beings and all will be given the opportunity to live forever on a perfected earth.

The statement is made that if the dead are not dead at all, if they are more alive now than they were before they died, wherein is the necessity for a resurrection of the dead? This is sound reasoning; for certainly the Bible teaches, and all professed Christian groups believe, that there is to be a “resurrection of the dead.” (Acts 24:15) Now these who believe that the dead are unconscious until the time of the resurrection, also find in the Bible abundant testimony to the effect that those who have died in unbelief because of never having heard of Jesus, or on account of the confusion in their minds due to the conflicting creeds of men, will, when restored to life, be enlightened concerning God and concerning his beloved Son, Christ Jesus, and given an opportunity to repent, believe, and live forever.

Those who are opposed to this viewpoint of the mercy and love of God have dubbed this interpretation of his promises the doctrine of a “second chance.” In the Catholic advertisement mentioned, the people are specifically warned against accepting this viewpoint, and emphasis is laid on the erroneous claim that the opportunity to believe and to receive salvation is definitely limited to this present life.

Back of this warning is the age-old theory that in order to keep people in line with righteousness the whip of fear must be held over them through continual warning that if they do not walk in the strait and narrow way the consequences will be terrible, that a wayward course persisted in will surely result in their being tortured forever in a fiery hell. Many will remember that a while back the Pope revived this viewpoint by his directive that the doctrine of hell-fire be preached more vigorously as a deterrent to the increasing godlessness of the world.

But how does this actually work out? Is it true that the threat of hell-fire must be held over the heads of people in order to make them live righteous lives? Is it true that if one believes that there will be an opportunity for salvation after death—a “second chance,” as the opponents of this viewpoint have dubbed it—he will become careless and drift into sin?

These are questions which the public should consider, and in order that those who are interested may have an opportunity to make comparisons upon the basis of actual occurrences, we recite an incident which has recently come to our attention. It relates to a national convention of Christian believers which was held on the campus of a State University in Ohio.

There were nearly a thousand delegates at this convention. They occupied the dormitories of the University and were fed in the huge cafeteria provided for the students. The sessions of this convention were held in the spacious auditorium located in the University’s Administration Building.

After this large group of Christians had been the guests of the University for nearly a week, the President of this state institution of learning asked for the privilege of addressing the delegates for a few moments. He was, of course, granted the opportunity, and during the course of his remarks he said that he was pleased to report that during the entire time the delegates had been on the campus not a single whisky bottle had been found, nor had it been necessary to sweep up a single cigarette butt.

Furthermore, this University President told the delegates of the convention that one of the deans had remarked he wished fifty million Americans belonged to this organization; and another dean had said that if all the people in the world were like these people, here would be no wars nor rumors of wars.

This was an unusual testimony to be given concerning any group of religious people. But the interesting part of it is that every delegate at this convention—without exception—had discarded the Dark-Age theory of eternal torture, and every delegate believed in the doctrine of which some call a “second chance.” The question, then, is this: Upon the basis of what this University President had observed concerning a group of people in whose hearts the love and mercy of God had been exalted, can it truthfully be said that people must be held under the constant fear of being tortured after death lest they drift deeper and deeper into sin?

Could a convention of believers in hell-fire and purgatory offer a testimony such as this? We doubt it. Surely to any thoughtful, rationally minded and unbiased person this should be proof that a knowledge of the love of God is a more powerful influence in the hearts of people than are the misconceptions concerning him which are embodied in the doctrines of torture that have come down to us from the Dark Ages. The great Apostle Paul wrote that the “love of Christ constraineth.” (II Cor. 5:14) It was the love of God that was held out to the people during the days of the Early Church, and we can be reasonably certain that as the people today are given an opportunity—which they are through these religious controversies to select the God they would prefer to worship, the vast majority of them will turn to the God of love and mercy, the God of the Bible, the God whose Spirit inspired the writers of both the Old and New Testaments, the God who is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the God who sent his Son into the world to redeem the human race from sin and death because he loved the people and wanted to shower his blessings upon them.

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