Evening star., 1941-01-05
War Forces Worlds Peoples
To Change Ideas on Religion
On Whole, However, Temptation to Call European
Conflict a Holy One Has Been
Suffering Resistance
By WinfreT Ernest Garrison,
Associate University chicaso

story, University Of Chicago.
Its enactment, thought turned to methods
of making it best serve the desired ends
and the welfare Of the men called into
the service.
Foreign missions throughout the world
have faced Unprecedented problems.
Funds have been reduced, personnel has
been depleted, war measures and the
ravages of war have unsettled the condi-
tions of life on mission fields.
Christianity abroad has passed through
many trials and has undergone changes
not without interest to Americans. In
Japan, the National Christian Council
(under native control, and against the
protest of many misSionaries) stresses
"the harmony between Christianity and
the national objectives"-that is, the
new order" of Japanese domination in
Eastern Asia and the war policy.
Return to Religion" in France.
In Germany, even the churches which
struggled bravely for their liberties in
time of peace seem to be Loyalty support
ing their government in the war. Me
moeller, whose petition for release that
he might go back into the navy was de-
MED, is still in confinement France is
having return to religion" under the
Vichy government, which has ended the
36-year-old rift between church and state
with the repeal of discriminatory meas
ures passed in 1904 to restrict the in
fluence of the Roman Catholic Church
on education, and the PRONUNCIATION of a
law providing for instruction in morality
in the schools. In Spain, Protestantism
has been virtually suppressed. Bibles
sent for distribution by the British and
Foreign Bible Society have been confis-
Gated and destroyed; divorce and civil
marriage have been abolished. Rumania,
after pursuing a cat-andmouse policy
with sectS other than the official Eastern
Orthodox for the past two years, has
lately suppressed some minority groups
including Baptists, Adventists and Jewish
congregations.
European Jews, after a little more
than year of war, enjoy full freedom
and equality only in Great Britain,
Switzerland. Sweden and Greece, though
it is reported that the Danes are resisting
anti-Semitic measures, and in the Ger
man-occupied Netherlands, on one Sum
day in october, a protest against recent
anti-Jewish DEGREES was read from every
Protestant pulpit.
Not for many years have the problems
of church and state, religious liberty and
the equal treatment of all faiths by the
government presented so many difficult
ties both at home and abroad.
Jehovah's Witnesses Attacked.
The refusal of Jehovahs Witnesses to
salute the flag, on the ground that this
is an act of idolatry has led to the ex-
clusion of their children from public
schools in many places. The Supreme
Court declared itself incompetent to give
them relief against any measures which
local authorities might adopt in the in
terest of school discipline and for the in
culcation of patriotism even if these
seemed to involve an infringement of re-
ligious liberty Many communities seem
to have regarded this decision as a license
to employ mob violence against the Wit
nesses even when the flag salute was not
an issue. Authentic reports of such vio-
lence in 43 States have been collected.
The Presidents appointment of Myron
c. Taylor, on Christmas Eve, 1899, to
be his personal representative with the
rank of Ambassador" to the Pope as
head of the Roman Catholic Church
stirred storm of Protestant protest.
Mr.. Taylor's recall was urged by the
first united Methodist General Confer
ence the Presbyterian General Assembly,
the Northern and Southern Baptist Con-
vent1ons, the Reformed Church of Amer
lea and many State and local conven-
tions. Most Catholics and some Prot
estants defended the appointment as
either not constituting the establish
ment of diplomatic relations between the
United States Government and the head
Of church, or as a good thing If 1t was.
Church unity projects have made
measurable progress. Several denomin-
ations, including the Quakers, have de-
clared their adherence to the World
Council of Churches, which is still in
process of formation. The American sec
tions of the continuation committees Of