To the Editor of the "Mobrh-Cwixn Dairy NEWS"
Sm,—The of Nations published that in 1935 £855,360,000 were spent on armaments. For 1938 ten times the above amount is considered a reasonable estimate.
The bulk of this astronomical Wealth is derived chiefly from the productive ability of Christians.
Now the interest and return on this huge sum of money will be, judging from the present trend of events, the practical annihilation of the Christian races by their indulge ing in the vilest and most inhuman method of civil war; og. Christian will be fighting Christian.
Who takes the blame? Why blame the dictators, etc? We Christians ourselves are, in my opinion, solely and entirely responsible, and Christianity, as Christ intended it, is in a state of collapse that is if the Commandments mean anything.
What is the reason for this apparent urge for Christians to annihilate one another? It is significant that this state of affairs is not to be found in Jewry or Mahommedanism.
Living in Shanghai for many years has convinced me that the most bitter of quarrels, apart from outside influenges—is to be found amongst fellow nationals more than amongst different nationalities, and in Shanghai different nationals can, and do, get along together.
Why not in Europe, which is essentially Christian? To me it appears due to the hesitant faltering weakness of Christian leaders in not outlawing war, at least between Christians.
Lets examine Christianity in its present condition. Without dispute its prestige is crumbling from its original foundations, Christianity is split up into some hundreds of denominations, all more or less hostile to one another, In Russia, Mexico and Spain, formerly considered to be strongholds of Christian belief, the most bloody of revolutions have taken place. Christians have been pitted against Christians at the instigation of and for the benefit of non-Christians. Missions convert the ignorant, but not the intellectuals, Ireland's troubles are chiefly Catholic against Protestant.
Protestants and Catholics in Germany are being led, it would appear, i" possible conflicts with other Christian countries, Christian Italy waged war on Christian Abyssinia jand thanksgiving masses were celebrated for the wholesale slaughter.
Christians in Japan have quarrelled and detached themselves from Christian leaders in England over Christian principles. Wherever one looks, it is Christian pitted against Christian, invariably at the dicta-worship of non-Christians, In the Catholic Church. it is a grievous sin to miss mass on Sunday, but a pontificial blessing is bestowed upon Catholics that slay one another of a different nationality or political belief. Take Spain'as an example. Oddly enough a bloodless cou im Austria, is received with y in Vatican circles. Is it to save their faces because of Spain, or because it is now left to dictators to arrange bloodless" changes in Christian economic beliefs. No pacifist can deny that Austria's bloodless coup is mot a triumph for Hitler. In my poor imagination I suggest we sur-lant the League of Nations with a "League of Christians."
A straw vote, obtaining the views of all Christian laymen, could be taken, deciding whether or not they were willing to stop this useless slaughter of brother Christians. Imagine the power the Pope and other dignitaries would have, if the result was a unanimous condemnation of war between Christians.
The hypnotic influence of non-Christian peace disturbers would be broken at once, and such a league would offer the only safeguard for Christian peace and security.
As a little propaganda towards this end, films and sound records depicting the agonizing suffering of our mangled youth should form a part of every Sunday service. Instead of tours of battlefields, insist on tours of human wrecks. - Don't hide them away as is done at present, but let them be an advertising special for those that believe in Christian civil war.
Those in opposition and wanting Christian civil war, could be chained
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.