The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-12-10
Conduct of Christian Nations
 Deters Growth of Christianity

at least with lip service their faith in the Christian religion. These young men catch vision of bet ter system of civil government than theirs at home. They unconsciously obtain an idea that Christianity spells not only democracy, but peace. They imbibe the belief that nations which govern themselves are com mitted to the principle of self-gov- ernment for the entire world and that the Christian religion is not to be imposed upon peoples by any human power. They return to their native l.nd filled with zeal for our governments and with confidence in
 the ayowed faith of the people of the west. They begin the teaching of democracy They announce the doctrine of self deter mination. They advocate the formation of people government guided and controlled by the people. They proclaim the doc- Urine of the freedom of religious thought.
 Assuming that In the human af- fairs of their own country the religi- ous view of a man has nothing to do with his right to self government, these orientals, with occidental in- sight, acknowledge with confidence 10 the fIenCn ana ElBtiSH G1 LA6 orient that they are converts to the theory of the right of people to alter and reform their government at their own will, and courteously suggest that all westerners withdrav1 and permit the customers to try as an experiment what westerners pro- claim to be an assured success
 What answer do they receive? Only this everywhere and always: that there are exceptions to all rules and your case is an exception. We have a zone of influence from which we cannot afford to withdraw lest some other Christian nation should im- medlately occupy 1t to our detriment, say the French, the British or some i, other occidental.
 And right at this point civil government as theoretically defined and practically controlled enters as a prevailing factor in the progress of the Christian religion. The man of the orient has a different mind from the man of the occident He is far more spiritual and religious in char acter, but when the oriental is asked to contemplate the truths and virtues of the Christian religion he views them for the standpoint, not of books upon religious philosophy, but from the standpoint of actual occur renee in the course of life. He can not disassociate the religion of the west from the civil governmentA of the west, He feels that democracy and Christianity go hand in hand. He cannot understand how it can be that he is denied his democratic right of government and then solemuly warned it is his duty to accept with full faith democratic religion.
 wonder that any mind that cares anything about consistency can satis- factorily grasp why a democratic Christian people should attempt to force Jewish rule upon a country overwhelmingly Mohammedan in re- lgion. The Japanese are unable to understand why we have any more right to talk about the yellow peril'' than they have to talk about the white peril. Christianity and busi- ness and statecraft may form partnership, but 1t will be a bad business it will conduct unless Chris tisnity Is the majority. stockholder and as such elects the boards of d. rcctors and controls the business Of the firm. Christianity will have it's free rein and uninterrupted course just as soon as western nations realize that they can't teach people one principle and follow another Tn their dealings with them. It demands the withdrawal from all territory Of those persons who prate about democ- racy and yet in it's name seek to es- tablish their away over others. The orient is to- be converted to the truths of the Christian religion when the men who say they believe in 1t get out of the orient and stay out.
 This is not a question exclusive ly of religion but of international politics as well. These zones of influence may widen until the people of the cast will confuse government with religion, and should that un- fortunate time ever come we shall have what some persons even now are speaking of In whispers--a holy war. Copyright. 1922. by Thomas R. Mar
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