Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1913-08-29
The Influence of Christianity
in the Worlds Progress

fore the students parents, and visitors who were
present, and later published in The Student,
the official school paper, to which considerable
objection was voiced by many who heard or read
it.
The author of the paper was Mr.. George
Hanks, one of the graduates, and resident OF
Pangutch. 1t was entitled " International Arbi-
tration,' and in many respects was splendid
resume of the tendencies of the times as regards
the attitude of the world on the question OF uni
versal peace among all nations instead of the mill
tarsm that for centuries has prevailed as the one
and only means of deciding international disputes.
After discussing in most thorough and in
telligent manner the awful consequences of
war, their inhumanity, and resultant loss of life
and property. the almost momentary destruction
of that which it has required the accumulated
genius of man years in constructing, he spoils
the article, by concluding with series of state
ments in which he says that the change in senti-
ment in recent years respecting war and militar-
ism and the prominent part taken in the peace
movement by the United States, is due to the alb
sence of christianity" from among the peoples
most active in the movement
He says "They may tell you that the spirit
of love, or Christianity, is the Natural law OF
life, but it is not so; war, hate lust treachery,
slaughter, rapine, murder, is the law of all life.
In this statement he is partially correct. The
animal instincts of all life. even mankind. is by
nature brutal, and it is only through the refining
and enlighteDing influences of Christianity that
this natural inclination can be changed. Mans
stobbornness. and contempt for admonitions to do
right. were manifested in the earliest recorded
period of his existence, back yonder when Adam
and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden; and
his cruel nature little later. when Cain slew his
brother Abel.
Inthe doing of these acts the perpetrators
have gone counter to the counsels and commands
of God and of his son, Jesus Christ, for always
and everywhere we find they land their chosen
aids) have pleaded with men to "be merciful''
mot cruel) ito love their neighbors'' (not hate
them, and so on, the divine commands covering
every good thing that we have in the world and
every good thing the mind can conceive. To at
tempt even inferentialy. to assert that the evils
above mentioned, or any of them. can be charged
to christianity is far from the facts as it is pos
sbe to be. 1t would be just as consistent to
state that scarlet fever, typhoid fever. smallpox,
and yellow fever epidemcs are due to the activ-
ity of the army of health officers who are busy
everywhere urging the people to clean up and dis
infect.
We haven't space here, and it would serve no
good purpose, to discuss the statement of Mr..
hanks respecting CnaC myCn OF the second COM
ing of the Savior" this being clearly an atheistic
declaration.
Again. he says that ut Is the ignorance of
natural law and superstitious belief in a future
life, that promote most of the wars in the world
today
If he had said that it was this "supersti-
tious' belief that caused most of the wars of the
"past" he would have been correct. 1t was
however, the superstition of the idol-worshipers
the heather and the ignorant of the gospel of the
Lord that engaged the peoples in war. In no
single instance can it be charged that the belief
of Christians in future life has been respon-
sible for combat between nations.
Further on he says: America stands today
where she is because she is nom Christian. and
the non-controlling orthodox authority 1t may
be surprising to some to learn that this great
republic of ours is not Christian nation and
that this class OF people are in a small min
ority* y"
If we were to base our opinions strictly on
the above statement, we should conclude that the