The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-11-23
WHY NOT TRY GODS PLAN?

Sunday is 10 be observed as day Ui
special prayer in many churches through
out the country. The people OF the church.
es are proposing to give thought to the
countrv's problems and to devote time 10
the seeking of divine direction for the wei
fare and progress of what is said to De a
Christian country, although it is difficult
at times to convince oneself that the Unit
ed States in the year 1884 is less pagan
than Rome at its fell or heather civlIlzd-
tons that have disappeared from the
earth.
OF course the appeal to an unseen and
higher power for direction in the present
crisis is a course which will seem to NIL
lions of the country's citizens as nothing
short of foolishnesS The church and all L
stands for is claSScd as an abSurdlty by
many of these people. They have no faith
in the things which are not Seen-ln fact,
they have no faith. All they can under
stand is comprised in the pitiful, perish
able material things they can zee and grasp
with their hands It is to be hoped this is
not the mental and spiritual condition q
the population affiliated with the churches,
which amounts to something near half 81
the people of this country; but it is sus
pected by students of conditions that many
thousands of church people are today in a
spiritual state little better than that of the
great body of citizens outside the church.
Undoubtedly a large proportion of the
eOuntry's people have not been looking for
divine wisdom for direction out of their
difficulties. They have been depending on
human wisdom; taking course which be-
lies their belief in an all-wise and all-pOw-
erful creator and director of the universe
and the affairs of mankind. Nearly all Of
their man-made devices having failed alb
solutely, it seems that many Of them by
this time would be willing to try other
means; but that remains as a later devel-
opment, if it comes at all.
y The church people are going TO adopt
the church's authorized plan and see if
81 any light and wisdom are to be obtained
in that way.
The church has a challenge which it can
fling in the teeth of the world with absO-
lutte confidence. That is the challenge to
adopt the chuch's plans and program, now
that it has been clearly demonstrated that
the program of the world, the flesh and
the Devil has failed.
After all has been said that may be
said in criticism of the church, nobody
can prove that the principles of the Chris
tan church do not contain the solution o:
an the problems which vex the country
and the world today. Suppose that these
principles were the standards of all the
people of the United States and that they
We're practicing these principles and living
by these standards, what would be the
condition of the country?
1t is certain that the principles and
teachings of the Christian church do not
make murderers, thieves, liars, kidnaper2,
aracketeers and all the vast horde of law
breakers that infest the country. When
the church prevails in this country or any
other country, crime will disappear, viola,
tions of the civil law and the moral law
will cease, and men will live according tx
the Golden Rule.
If the lives of all the people were suci
lives, would not the majority of the coun
try'S problems be solved, and the people
:, find the solution of those that remained