The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-08-04
CHRISTIANITY AND WAR.


To THE EDITOR OF THE NEW NORTHWEST:
In looking over our leading journals
from time to time, one cannot help be-
ing astonished at the preparations made
by the different European nations in
war material, as means of aggression
and defense. One nation no sooner in
vents an improvement in the art Of
slaughter than others, not to be behind
hand, sedulously strive to attain equal,
if not superior art, in the same thing, in
order to make themselves safe, and, at
the same time, prevent their neighbOrs
from being too secure.
One, in his calm thinking moments,
can hardly imagine the necessity or
even prOpriety of this emulation In the
ways and means of taking human life.
1t would also seem that if A. climbs up
a hundred feet to throw down stones on
B., and B. reciprocates the endeavor by
mounting to corresponding altitude to
retort on A, their relative positions are
about the same, plus the labor and fa-
tigue of the ascent. Then behold the
loveliness and consistency of Christian
nations protesting peace and practicing
war!
Are not "whited sepulchres" nice to
look at? But inside, what? Is it not
a heavenly idea to send missionaries
among the Hindoos and Africans to
teach them "Christ and Him crueified,"
while His reputed followers at home in
the very land where those same mission
aries come from, Christian rulers and
brethren, are daily multiplying the
most formidable engines of destruction
which art and science can possibly in
vent to rival each other in special dab
olism? Would it not be instructive
could those tawny converts raise the
curtain and get peep at the scenes be-
hind? Would they not the more read
lily appreciate the deep gratitude of
King David when he praised the Lord
so fervently that he "taught his hands
to war and his fingers to fightw
Perhaps it is necessary to rend the
heather veil with the sword and Gatling
gun, to throw the Bible in and make
proselytes sharp-shooters, even while
making them sharp Christians.
England forced her ship loads of
opium upon the resisting Chinese by
threats of bombardment, if not actual
bombardment itself, and apologized by
the sanitary declaration that the Bible,
in her regime, necessarily plugged up
the bullet hole and sword thrust +!
Catholicism, with her absurd claims,
is keeping Europe armed to the teeth
to-day, depicting still more and more
her destitute and starving poor in the
vexing and complicated questions of
Territorial supremacy, balance of power,
and dogma of infallibility.
So-called Christian nations are vast
ing more every year in the means of war
and devastation than would feed and
clothe all their needy and impoverished
citizens, if rightly husbanded and ap-
piled to the arts of peace instead of
brute force. Some may think perhaps
when we get God in our constitution we
will be more inclined to convert the
spear into the pruning hook, the sword
into the plowshare, and eschew war and
follow peace. The Jews had God in
their constitution-did they fight less for
that? The Saracens and Christians in
their fight over the holy sepulchre
caused some four or five millions to bite
the dust. Religious wars have ever
been the most sanguinary on record. I
candidly think it is about time that the
different religions, or any one of them
should come to a more careful reckon
ing with themselves under close exami-
nation, abating somewhat their oft-re-
peated pretentiOus assertion that to
Christianity or religion is due all the
civilization man possesses. Science
owes nothing to any religion. She
stands and lives to-day independent of
their erdctiORS. She breathes different
air and produces more ameliorating and
useful elements in the grand structure
of civilization than any religion what
ever. Religious devotees have had
their boast long enough. Their effront-
cry has browbeaten mankind long
enough, in view of the long array of BIZ
bic wars, Hermit Peter raids, inquisi-
torial prosecutions and butcheries,
Quaker hangings and drownings, God
INSTRUMENTATION agonies, and lastly
their silly attempt to throttle liberal
thought by those effete Sabbath Puri-
tanism at the worlds fair in the city of
Brotherly Love. w. B. RICHTER.
Tumwater, July "a, 1876.