Evening star., 1930-05-03

@. If, as you have stated. the Su-
preme Being is Just God, how do you
explain His appointing six cities OF
refuge for murderers and wrongdoers,
as set forth in Joshua, xx.1-67?
A. There are few more striking illus
trations than the one you mention that
the concept of just God was begin
ming to dominate the Hebrew mind.
The Hebrews, as probably you are
aware, were Semitic people, and as
such they accepted the law of the blood
feud. This law provided that when
man was injured or killed by another,
whether Intentionally or accidentally,
he must be avenged by kinsman.
Obviously. while the law checked law
lessness in one direction, 1t often worked
for lawlessness in another. The pur-
pose of cities of refuge was not, as you
suppose, to enable murderers and wrong
doers to escape all penalty, but to give
them an opportunity, especially when
their acts we're unintentional, to plead
their case before an unprejudiced tri-
bunal. Would you call the substitution
of judicial procedure for lynch law a
reflection on justice?
The right of sanctuary" given to the
six cities of which you speak was ex-
tended in medieval centuries to Of
tenders who fed to certain precincts
which could not be violated. There
they were allowed to remain until
sufficient time had elapsed to know the
character and consequence OF their
deeds. after which they were answer
able to the demands of justice. l think
you will see that during ages when
conditions were extremely primitive and
vindictive outbreaks, cities of refuge
rendered praiseworthy service.
@. Does not history show that organ
lied religion has caused as much misery
as good? What would Christ think of
the quibbling of the sects? Would not
plain statement of facts from on high
dispel all controversy? I happen to be
an infidel and do as much good as
possible, because feel better rewarded
by that policy.
A, I assume your question refers to or
ganized Christianity. Every one knows
there are bad pages in its history. But
what else could you expect, human ma
ture being as 1t is? You make the
common mistake of judging the past by
the present and Of forgetting that the
present is the child of the past which
you censure. Christianity produces its
own canons of criticism and has inher-
ent strength for its own correction and
readiustment. The Church is more and
more convinced that the possession of
the Spirit of Christ involves mercy and
restraint compassion and service. and
because of that conviction she condemns
today many practices of the Church of
| yesterday.
have no doubt that the Church Of
tomorrow will repeat the process upon
us. It is morally certain that she will
wonder how we could have been so
quiescent in the presence of terrible
evils, just as We wonder how Christian
men century ago could have con-
| doned human slavery.
In a word, God is working out His
purposes through men, and this means
| He moves slowly. What you call sects
are simply the results of this divine
human method. So long as men are
| free they will divide into groups. The
dangers of division are great. but its
gains are equally obvious. What you
/ call "a plain statement from on high"
might, as you suggest, put an end to
1 all differepces. But who wants q?