The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
BISHOP BROWN
GOES ON TRIAL
FOR ATHEISM
If Found Guilty Will
Appeal to Scientists

CLEVELAND. May 9S.-Bishop Will
liam Montgomery this afternoon
pleaded not guilty to charges of
heresy before the tribunal Of eight
bishops trying his case in Trinity
Cathedral here. The plea came after
Browns counsel had lost every mo-
ton to have the case dismissed.
A sensational challenge was hurled
at the tribunal of bishops by Joseph
STARTS, attorney for Brown, when he
demanded that the bishops take the
stand and confess their faith in the
doctrines of the church.
There would be eight different
opinions and you know it," he thun-
dered at the bishops.
CLEVELAND, Ohio. May 2s.-If
Bishop William Montgomery Brown
Of Gallon, Ohio, is found guilty of
heresy by the tribunal of the Protest
ant Episcopal church here, he will APP
! peal to noted scientists of the world
to try his case.
Bishop Brown, charged with heresy
for alleged hereto utterances in his
book, Communism and Christian
ISM" published in 1920, went on trial
here today before nine bishops of the
Episcopal church.
Brown, few hours before his trial,
said he had wired several noted scien-
fists, asking them to try his case and
that several had accepted. He re-
fused to make public their names
IF the church throws me out, the
scientists shall try me, and / will
abide by their results" he said.
Browns big hope of the trial is that
he may put to the bishops who try
him his celebrated list of questions
on the virgin birth and miracles Of
Christ
The rebel bishop hopes to get his
trial judges furrowing their theolog-
ical brows over the following ques-
tons:
That God made the world in six
rays;
That He caused vegetation to grow
on the earth before creating sun,
moon or stars;
That He made Eve out of Adams
rib;
That the serpent tempted Eve to eat
the forbidden fruit;
That God made coats of skins for
the guilty pair;
That the sons Of God married the
daughters of men;
That God gave Noah instructions
how to build an ark;
That Noah took into the ak pairs
Of all living creatures;
That the flood covered the earth
and drowned all except those In the
ark;
That God came down and confound-
ed mans speech at Babel;
That God performed the wonders
and sent the plaques on Egypt record
ed in Exodus;
That Jesus was literally born Of a
virgin;
That He raised Lazarus literally
from the dead;
That He literally performed such
feats of magic as walking upon water,
turning water to wine. and feeding
5000 people upon five loaves and two
small fishes and leaving twelve bas-
kets of broken pieces.
That He literally descended into
hell and then literally and bodily, in
the sight of many who watched him
going up, assembled into heaven.
The bishop, not satisfied with the
prospect of seeing his former com.
rades in the army of the Lord with
ing in agony over the above fifteen
questions, wound up with this heavy
wallop:
"The church, to survive, must adapt
itself to human life. It must cast of
bravely its Anticipated and out-growI
stuff-its bloodthirsty anthropomor
phic gods made in mans barbarou
image; its Widowed heavens abov
the earth from which angels fit dow
to control our affairs; it's tire-heated
bells underfoot from which devils
jump up as thru trapdoors to snatch
sinners; its miracle mongers. II must
tear or all these frowsy and thread
bare old trappings of the dark ages.
1t must broaden its religious concep-
lions to conform to the advance of
modern knowledge. 1t must formu-
late a satisfying answer to the pres
ent days social and intellectual un-
rest"
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