Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-08-16
OFFICE IN TRIBUNE BUILDING.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16, 1899.
God an Expsnsionist.
Editor The Rams Horn:

zoo an exponSoonoSc.
Editor The Rams Horn:
May I express few thoughts
through the columns of your paper
thoughts which crowd my mind daily?
I have been for some time past, Gin
heaviness through manifold tempta-
tions," and perhaps I may strike a
responsive chord in some readers
heart who is having the same trial.
The church's defense of the present
mode of expansion-the utter lack of
sympathy for those who are bearing
this burden,-and the disregard for
the lives of our volunteer soldiers who
went a year ago to relieve the oppres-
sed as they supposed from Spanish
cruelty, but are now held captives to
Cypress a people and compel them to
surrender to the government of these
United States-this, indeed, is trial
of faith, especially so when the argu-
ment is used in defense of this war,
"God is an expansionist, and, "This
is Gods way of civilizing them, and
establishing Christianity among them"
I cannot reconcile this with a God of
love, "whose mercy endureth forever, :"
and who ''hath in these last days
spoken unto us by His Son." and the
first message to earth after His birth
was, "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward
men," His last message was, $50
We into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature" mot "shoot
civilization into every creature. y
You would think some ssChristians'
misinterpret the message in their de-
Tense of this war. God is an expan-
sionist, but His way of expansion,
and mans way are widely different.
Am I to believe that ''God who is
rich in mercy" requires me to give
the life of my boy (who is now in the
Philippine Islands in the First South
Dakota Volunteers to increase the
wealth of this nation? Am I to be-
lieve that God looks upon his being
kept there illegally 1.-THE war being over
for which he enlisted with approval,
because president Mckinley ap-
proves?" AS we'll might I believe
that God approved of Judas selling
his Master for thirty pieces of silver,
because the high priest approved of
it.. But Christ said: ct were better
for that man (who betrayed him) if he
had never been born.'
The church paper that takes up
Gods promise about the Canaan land,
and applies it to the Philippine Is
lands, as a land promised our "Chris-
tian nation" has failed to remember
that wars of conquest do not belong
to these new covenant times. They
belong to the dark ages. I believe as
Elder William DEAFNESS said at the
annual session of the Reformed Pres
byterian Church Synod held in New
York few weeks ago, ''It is time we
learned to civilize men without killing
them. 1--WE should approve of no
war except one brought in strict self
Defense"
My boy writes: SIT makes me fair
ly faint and sick to see the wounded
Filipinos who are brought into the
hospital, all shot to pieces with our
rapid fire guns
Must believe that the teaching 1
gave my little boy twenty years ago,
was wrong, when I taught him not to
be cruel to any of Gods creatures,
not even worm? This teaching
seems almost to unfit him for the cruel
work he is now engaged in, he enlisted
in the cause of humanity, to save men
from oppression, now he writes: II
did not enlist in war of conquest,
the object for which we enlisted is Just
the reverse" and he wants to come
home, but is compelled to stay & as all
the volunteers are) and help kill the
Filipinos to "civilize them," and
bring them under American rule. The
boy we taught to honor the Flag that
of liberty and independence,
must now, against his convictions, fol-
low that Flag as it leads our Ameri-
can boys on to trample down a peo-
pie for daring to ask for liberty and
independence, cultivating spirit in
them which blunts all moral sense to
the rights of others, and "President
Mckinley approves" Do not tell me
this is Gods way of expansion. Let
the church use any other argument
but this, for it dishonors the name. of
Christ and destroys the 'faith which
worketh by love-" cannot find any
thing in the teachings of Jesus Christ
that justifies this Philippine war, and
to 'keep the faith": Il must abide in
the doctrine of Christ. =. ( IT,.
=. MRS. E. M. AKERs, -.
Pipestone, Mimi:
...~ Me alw>A n>.S.>..L3.. =. ~