The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-11-08
True Armament and
Disarmament

kUCH is said and written these
M days about armament and dis
- - armament. Right-thinking in
dividuals the world over favor peace
and conclude that war is not the best
way to accomplish constructive set
Element. In spite of the yearning for
peace and righteousness there seems
to be constant clamor, by lawmak-
ing bodies, for larger armies and
navies. The argument is that nations
must continue to protect their rights
through a means that Is itself wrong
"a paradoxical presentment often
promulgated through false propa-
ganda.
What then can peace-loving indi-
viduals do to correct this falsity?
Every Christian knows that the soiu-
ton to all problems can be obtained
through an understanding of the
Bible, particularly of the teachings
of Christ Jesus.
In the Scriptures is the command
thy neighbour as myself" Could one
love his neighbor as himself and hate
or wish to harm him? Could one love
his neighbor as himself and contin
ually fear and distrust him? Could
fear and distrust occupy thought to-
gether with love? And if we all loved
our neighbor as ourselves, could
there possibly be desire to attack
or harm one another? OF course the
answer to these questions is forever.
No! The solution, then, is to arm
ourselves with love and to disarm
every phase of error that would OPP
pose love.
In Science and Health with Key 20
the Scriptures Mary Baker Eddy
writes (p. 29): christians must take
up arms against error at home and
abroad. They must grapple with sin
in themselves and in others, and con-
tinue this warfare until they have
finished their course" The only bat
tie possible, then, is in individual hui
man consciousness, where suggestions
of hate and distrust of our fellow
men are to be replaced with love and
confidence. Paul says, "The weapons
of our warfare are not carnal, but
mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds" I'll Cor. 10:4).
We must grapple with sin" in our
selves and in others-must know that
sin belongs not to any child of God.
Each one needs to know that hatred,
envy, greed, and malice are not from
God; hence are not expressed by
Gods man. We must know that there
is no law to govern these false sug-
gestions, and that they lose their
seeming power when denied entrance
into our thought. We must know that
sin cannot govern or control our fell
low men or ourselves. To separate
the lying claims of sin from our
thought of our neighbor will enable
us to love him as Gods child, and
will thus help him also to destroy
hatred and distrust in his own con-
seriousness.
Nations are comprised of individ-
uals; therefore the thinking of indi-
viduals constitutes the thinking of
the nations. Since many individuals
Gasire peace with their neighbors,
whence does the argument for war
Use? Through a false sense of pa
triotism, wave of propaganda may
80 forth leading some to believe that
they have been unjustly treated. and
that they must shoulder arms and
XIII Lnelf I6liOW meH Ill OIuSI W SS(-
tie the difficulty and protect their
government and their personal prop
ertv.
vt the base of this misinformation
" often be found sense of greed
claiming to influence groups who
think they may gain something by
stirring up strife between nations.
Certainly this lie and its effects can
be neutralized by the consecrated eff
fort of Christians to eliminate from
individual consciousness the belief In
haired and to replace it with love.
At our present stage of thinking it
may not be feasible to dispense with
navies, but there should be no rivalry
be ween nations as to- this method of
armament. Good will does not ex
plot fighting equipment or ability. If
we are to exemplify the Scriptural
teaching, Love thy neighbour as
myself" competition, rivalry, hate
must cease, and love must be estab-
lished in individual human conscious
ness in order that disarmament may
be accomplished on sound basis
THE Christian Science Monitor.