Evening star., 1923-12-21
Unitarian Pastor Wins Debate,
COntending Bible Is Fallible.
ShOiCs Mixed Dates,
inaccuracies and
Contradictions.
"WOuId God Order
Children, StO1,ed?"
MOdernist Asks.

Fy the Associated Press.
NEW YORK. December 21.-Re-
ligious modernists have won their
first victory in the series of debates
between Rev. Charles Francis Potter,
pastor of West Side Unitarian
Church. and DR.. John Roach Straton,
pastor of Calvary Baptist Church
and one of the most prominent lead
ers of the so-called fundamentalists.
or conservative element, among Prot
estant denominations.
Rev Potter was awarded the
judges decision in the first debate
last night. when he upheld the mega
tive side of the question. Resolved
That the Bible is the infallible word
Of God His victory. however. was
won on presentation of his argu-
ments. for the judges did not base
their verdict on the merits of the
question itself.
Vote Two 10 One.
The vote of the judges-two Prot
estant Episcopalians and a Christian
Scientfst-was two to one. They an
nounced, however. that they regret
ted the debaterS had not defined the
lucSllOi more nearly dIlhe III tlelT
respective minds, so that the subject
might have been approached from
the same angle.
Rev. Potter's arguments We're
based largely upon three premises:
That the Bible was inaccurate, his
torically and scientifically; that it
contained obvious contradictions and
that 1t represented God as having
morally degrading ideas" To prove
that the Bible was not infallible, he
said. he had only to show that any
one part of II was not infallible, and
he quoted passage after passage
from the Scriptures to support his
contentious.
Insists on Laws.
Dr. StratOn argued that God, as a
sovereign, most certainly would have
formed code of laws to govern his
subjects, and he held that the Bible
was given to mankind as that code
"A maj authority is necessary in any
walk of life. he declared, and unless
that authority exists for the re
iigious man, then that man is a re-
Iigious anarchist.
If the Bible can be DESTROYED at
one point. he said in his rebuttal,
then it can be destroyed at all points.
the Ten commandments are useless,
ana men might as well throw them
away and follow their own desires ;
Dr Straton argued on the Bibles
miraculous preservation and increase;
its unique universally, in that it be-
honged to all ages and creeds; the
fact that one spirit breatheS through
1t all. despite the fact that it was
written by forty different men over a
period of 1900 years
No other book has stood the test
or literally fulfilling its prophecies,
he asserted, and many instances were
quoted in which the words of the
prophets were borne out by later hap
Renings
4 Shows Inaccuracies.
In support of his first premise.
Rev. Potter quoted, among other
passages, phrase from Leviticus,
Il. 6, And the hare, because she
cheweth the cud." Scientists have
long since proved. he said, that the
mare and rabbit are not ud-chewing
animals. although they make motions
which the unscientif1c observer might
mistake for such an operation. The
same sort of mistake was made, he
said, when grasshoppers, cricn rs
and locustS were spoken of is
going on all fOurs," when all these
insects have six feet
Three errors of history occur. he
said. in the second chapter of Luke
which relates that a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that all the
world should be enrolled"
Mixed Dates Shown,
This. he said. was the first en-
roilment made when Quirinius was
Governor of Syria" Joseph and Mary,
lhlS passage says. went up to Bethle-
hem for enrolment and there Jesus
was born. while in Matthew the
event is described as taking place