The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-01-24
Liberal Viewpoint
BY DR.. HARRY ELMER BARNES

THE Christian church today is overwhelming
Il ly against war. Many of the most eminent
ministers have declared openly that they never
would support another war, and have signed
resolutions condemning war of any kind. If
they wish to get strong stimulation to further
resolution, they could do nothing better than to
reread the sorry record Of the church in the
late World war.
Hitherto, this account has been limited to
incidental references in general books on the
war and to a few splendid magazine articles
like that by Professor Hicks in the American
has now been filled splendidly by Professor
Abrams ('Preachers Present Arms" By Ray H.
Abrams Phi. D. Round Table Press, $3.50.
Calmly and authoritatively, but with deadly
thoroughness he indicates how the clergy helped
to build up the legend of holy war, represented
God as being in the thick of the conflict RECALLED
with gusto the most absurd atrocity stories, and
urged violence against resisters.
Professor Abrams also includes a very inter-
esting account of the religious conscientious OBJ
jectors, summarizes the morning after and
describes the gradual recovery of the clergy from
the war hysteria. Every minister who sincerely
hopes to be a pacifist in the next war should
keep this volume continually on his desk in a
conspicuous place.
MIR BROWNELL has written an interesting
1V1 book ('Earth Is Enough; an Essay on Re-
ligious Realism" BY Baker Brownell. Harper
& Bros So. SOD on religion which will satisfy
neither the fundamentaliSts, the modernistS, nor
the advanced thinkers like the religious human
lists. He denies the basic contention of the
fundamentalists and moderniSts that religion
should formulate and enforce morals. He as
serts that morals are a purely social problem
and should be controlled wholly by secular au-
thorities.
MIR. Brownen likewise will disappoint the
humanists who hope to utilize religion as a
social impetus to economic justice. He contends
that religion has nothing to do with economies
or politics. These must be derived from secular
inspiration and controlled by secular authorities.
He maintains that religion is purely mystical
and lyrical-it is the mystery of being and is
hence beyond words or human appraisal. His
book probably will be most acceptable to the
militant atheists who will dismiss his mysticism
as a vaggary and eagerly exploit his doctrine
that religion has no place in social life or in
situations.
HUNGANISTS and advance modernists will
l. find very useful Professor Jasper's work on
the new intellectual and social perspective which
has been created by the modern age of science
and the machine (Nan in the Modern Age. By
K Jaspers. Henry Holt & Co. $3.50. The
humanists claim that they wish to use religion
as means of improving life of man here on
earth. If they care to know the exact character
of the problem they have to face and the ma
terial they must start with, they could do no
better than to study carefully Professor Jasper
Illuminating volume 1t is a very effective
analysis of humanity on the threshold of e new
era of intellectual experience. The book has
attracted the interest Of H. G. Wells who has
referred to it as one of the gern1inal works help
ing to produce the contemporary intellectual
revolution.
Hitherto, human energy has been attributed
by many to religious impulses and the strong
emotional impetus associated with religious con-
version. Psychologists have attempted to inter-
pref religious experiences in terms of secular in
! fluences. Now, DR.. Pitkin seeks to explain
human energy and its oscillations on a strictly
psychophysical basis More Power to You. A
Working Technique for Making the Most of
Human Energy. BY Walter B. Pitkin. Simon &
Schuster $1.75). Interpreting the human body
in terms of power plant, transmission line, and
workshop. he indicates how human energy may
best be generated and applied to our problems of
work and creative endeavor The volume gen.
orally is reliable and one of the most eninently
practical and helpful of the many publications
of this amazingly energetic author.