The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-17
PEOPLES FORUM
Whence con,cth Wars ?"

Sr.-The Grafton of Rev, DR. MaclachIan re-
calls this inquiry; does every days news
from Europe: so does the recent sinking of the
l.usitania. When the world beholds the spec.
tacle of nearly all It's civilized nations plunged
INTO one of the wckedest wars of history the
above question of ST James seems to be writ
ten across the sky in letters of human blooo
We all know his answer: we know ST. Paurs
definite destaction between carnal warfare on
the one hand. and spiritual warfare on the
other: We understand perfectly the whole New
Testament attitude toward war: familiar
with the Masters commands on that subject:
why. then. do we witness such a spectacle today
II Christian nations? Wny are educated Chinese
heathens commenting upon the dismal failure
Of Christianity in Europe? Is his the logical
climax of two thousand years of Christian teach
ing? Where is the explanation? Where are the
reasons? They are lurking somewhere. Bring
them forth.
] going to beg permission to present one
reason, and lot II strike where it Will Since
the day, sixteen hundred years ago, that the
Roman Emperor Constantine. adopted the
cross the symbol of his wars the ministers
Of the church have apostacized from the Mas
ters teaching, and have preached the moral
necessity of wars rs to please their imperial
patrons. IT would be easy enough TO fill volumes
with this attitude os theirs in past centuries,
and today the fact remains that nowhere in the
world Is the church, Represented by the
great evangelical denominations. raising its
voice against On the contrary are told
by high authority that Christian character and
intelligent faith make the best qualifications for
soldier That is TO say for the kind of work
which is now going on in the German trenches,
presume. We have 1t stated with APP
proval, and ir religious papers that Protestant
ministers and divinity students in large num-
bers from all the countries involved have gone
to his post. What has a minister OF the Gospel
the trenches.
Now not discussing right or wrong in
particular instances. what the duty of a civil
Zed people would be in the event OF unwar
ranted aggression, There will always be plenty
cf people and plenty Of time for that side of
the subject What are concerned to know
is the mind of the Master. and the attitude of
his representatives. the ministers OF His church.
Can conceive of Jesus Christ delivering DIR.
Maclachlans oratonc He declares that he is
no pacifcist. Certainly not. That is very plain.
But it is his business to be a pacificist And
that is the business OF the church. Every man
to his post. What ha minister of the Gospel
OF Jesus Chris: to do with the raucous periods
of Belona?
The evangelical attitude toward war in Eu-
ropeau nations Is traditonally sympathetic The
church has never raised it's voice against war.
1t has never taught that the slaughter OF hu-
man being in war may be equivalent to muroer.
II has never sought to create world conscience
against in all it's hideous aspects. Its ora =
tors have rather glorified it No wonder, then.
that each nation involved in that Armageddon
over there regards his a holy war"
They have been so taught from their youth up
The greatest moral and spiritual agency for toe
awakening of n moral conscience against war
has been silent. It's wiCkedness is hid a it
were from their eyes, and the spirit of ii mas
become an obsession. fortified by the traditions
of sixteen centuries.
One word mere concerning the Psychological
effects of wars. The popular teaching this
subject by our churchly orators pitifully un-
scientific and untrue. 1t is not true, and never
was true. that a devastating brought any
kind of moral excellence In nation whole.
In the presence of such uttermost distress and
calamity as war will produce, men. perhaps
great numbers of them, will be conscious of a
I reaction toward righteousness. will develop the
qualities of patience. endurance faith But this
is not to the credit Of the II is account
of the existence of those qualities In spite OF
the war and due to that Gospel and to that
Holy Spirit which Christian ministers sup
posed to teach. It is not necessary for me to
go into detail here to the sources and agencies
for the development of our moral nature. There
is class of citizens who supposed to be
experts on this subject. Their textbook is the
New, Testament. And they know that Is
neither a source nor an agent of moral excel
lence.
On the other hand every reader of history
knows that wars produce recrudescence of
wickedness often of a most appalling character
o. materialism coarse self-seekng, brutality of
many kinds indifference to religion. physical
and moral degeneracy. How they be ex-
pected to do anything else? That Is their natu-
raj and logical fruit
But no It must be all mistake Bursting
sarapnel ami bloody Iayonets make noble men,
Ravase. destruction. strocity come down from
heaven. Good God: when will there be an end
OF this driveling apology for wars from the
mouths of the ministers of Jesus Christ?
BENJAMIN C. MoOMAw,
Barber, Va