Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-17
Are Preachers Responsible for War?

Criticism of "Russellism" is heard
nm every hand. It has been growth
of years. We are not prepared 10
nose as Judge. We have heard many
severe criticisms and many common
aa+,ons In our own mind we have
agreed and disagreed. But the writ
ings of Pastor Russell have caused US
to listen more earnestly to opposing
grounds and to think" That may be
taken as the excuse for publishing the
following at the request of a reaoer'
Pastor Russell, speaking at the New
York C,itv Temple last Sunday (recent-
lvl laid two heavy charges against the
sects of Christendom and especially
against the preachers.
He declared the present war largely
the result of false religious teachings.
The car of Russia, impulsed by the
erroneous theologies of the Dark Ages,
believes Il the mission of Russia ana
the Greek Church to control the woriu'
ana views the present war as step
In that direction. Similarly King
George V. head of the British Nation
and the Church of England, imagines
a similar destiny for his Nation ana
Church. Finally Kaiser Wilhelm III.
publicly tells his army and the Lutn
ern Church Of Germany that ne is
ordained by the Holy Spirit as the
sword Of the Lord to punish, to des-
troy opposers of German progress
whose destiny, he believes, is world
wide. Centuries ago the kings OF
Europe were told that they were the
sword of the Lord and of the Shurcn;
and they still believe it. Christian
teachers have long ago gotten Tree
from those decisions, but they nave
not undeceived the kings and the peo-
piles. Their neglect of their duty is
largely responsible for this war They
are blood-guilty,
Pastor Russell further charged the
ministers with responsibility Tor the
revolution and anarchy which will fol-
low the war. according to the Bible.
They no longer believe the doctrine
of eternal torment of all but one in
thousand of humanity, yet they have
not told the people. They have al
lowed the people to continue believing
that blasphemous doctrine of the Dark
Ages. Education has taught the min
listers that the Bible Hell-Sheol-
Hades-is the tomb, the state of death;
but they have secreted this fact from
the people. The Bible teaches that all
are to come forth from Sheol, Hades,
the tomb, during the thousand years
of Christ's Miliennial Kingdom. But
the preachers have neglected to preach
the resurrection of the dead, and have
told the people falsely that the dead
are not dead, but alive somewhere
mostly in Hell or in Purgatory. The
result has been the driving OF the
masses far away from God and from
the Bible in an attempt to forget these
horrible teachings, which, If believed
and kept in mind would have sent
them to the mad-house. AS a result,
few of the millions of Christendom
have any knowledge of the God of All
Grace, the Father of Mercies, and few
have any love for the Bible or any
particular knowledge of it's real teach
ing. Thus the masses are prepared, by
their lack of faith, for the wild I'M
reason of anarchy. They have too
good sense to favor anarchy under
favorable conditions; but in the great
stress which the Bible predicts, these,
without God and without hope, will be
the menace and the cause of the down
fall of present civilization. He rejoiced
however, that mans extremity would
prove to be Gods opportunity-that
according to the Bible, in the midst
of the greatest trouble the world has
ever known, Messiah will interpose
and rescue humanity from itself. Thus
he nf
for which we so long have prayed,
Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done
on earth, even as in Heaven"