Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-02
PRESBYTER|ANS HIT
MOVIE 'PAGAN|SM'
Hollywood and Nevada Held
Trail Blazers in Casting
Aside Marriage.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
PITTSBURGH, June 2.-Contro-
versy moved today from the path OF
the General Assembly of the Presby-
terrain Church in the United States OF
America.
Appeased by elimination Of qualified
approval of birth control from the re-
port Of its Special Commission on Mar
| riage, Divorce and Remarriage. and
assured that similar report by COM
mittee of the Federal Council OF
Churches of Christ in America carried
| no ecclesiastical weight or authority of
the council. the Assembly today took
up proposals that it withdraw from the
| council with but little doubt remaining
that the suggestions would be rejected.
It accepted the annual report Of the
council and adopted, without discus
sion, committee recommendation that
$1,000 be appropriated to the Commit
tee on Marriage and the Home of the
council, the very group which promul-
gated the controversial birth control
report.
Backs Marriage Group.
However, it tabled a motion by the
Rev. Phillips Elliott of New York ex-
pressing regret at elimination Of its
own commissions birth-control report
as marking 1.-The way in which we are
going"
After making it first the target of
criticism, the Assembly yesterday
swung solidly behind its commission
on marriage, which had been driven to
revise its original report, and agreed
with it that 'it is doubtful If anything
is wrong with marriage today that was
Messing a recrudescence of paganism,
with Hollywood blazing the way and
Nevada prostituting its Statehood and
pandering to the weaknesses of human
nature for 80 pieces of silver; that
among other things, the deplorable
competition recently noted between the
Legislatures of some States to cheaper
and commercialize divorce leads us to
conclude that no recommendations as
to reforms in divorce statutes would
bring about any general improvement"
and that what is needed more than
companionate marriage or easy divorce
or any other solution that follows the
line of least resistance is the establish
ment in our churches, schools and COL
leges of fundamental studies in mar
riage, which would teach our boys and
girls how to make a success of mar
riage."
Marriage Study Favored.
With these statements the Assembly
approved suggested courses of education
for youth. parents and ministers.
Declarations of the Assemblies of 1925
and 1880 in opposition to compulsory
military training were reaffirmed. and
the Board of Christian Education was
instructed to support any of the church's
100000 communicates holding that
1.-The right and duty of citizenship
should not be conditioned upon the test
of ability or willingness, contrary to
conscience, to bear arms or to take part
as a combatant of war"
Communicates of the church in the
United States Of America will continue
to say, in repeating the Lords Prayer,
"* Forgive us our debts as we
forgive ur debtors" rather than For
give us our treaspasses as we forgive
those who trespass against US"
Told that Greek scholars insisted that
debts" was the correct translation, the
General Assembly of the church APP
proved a revised book Of common wor-
ship maintaining the old wording,
though some members expressed the
view that it was Every confusing" In
union church meetings to have Presby-
terians say debts" while Methodists,
Baptists and others say "trespasses."
ASSEMBLY WEIGHS VJNI0N