Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-03-06
BY the Associated Press

address today to special meet
ing OF the Federal Council of
Churches OF Christ in America.
Friends of the Federal Council of
Churches of Christ:
like to consider this conference
to which you have SO kindly invited
me, as one which represents no one
. particular sect or creed, but rather
as one which represents the spirit
of religion as whole. We are a
people who worship God in different
ways. But we are all bound togeth-
er in single unity-the unity of
individual freedom in a democracy
We have just come through a de-
cade in which forces of evil in vari-
lined up in bitter fight to Danish
from the face of the earth both
these ideals-religion and democ-
racy. For these forces of evil have
long realized that both religion and
democracy are founded on one basic
principle, the worth and dignity of
the individual man and woman.
Dictatorship, on the other hand, has
always rejected that principle. Die
trorship, by whatever name, is
founded on the doctrine that the in
dividual amounts to nothing; that
the state is the only thing that
counts; and that men and women
and children were put on earth sole
ly for the purpose of serving the
state.
Struggle Between Doctrines.
In that long struggle between two
doctrines, the cause of decency and
Righteousness has been victorious.
The right of every human being to
live in dignity and freedom, the
right to worship his God in his
own way, the right to fix his own
relationship to his fellow men and
to his creator-these have again
been saved for mankind.
The fight to preserve these rights
was hard-Won. The victory took a
toll of human life and treasure SO
large that it should bring home to
all Of us forever, how precious, how
invaluable, is our liberty which we
had begun to take fer granted.
Now that we have preserved our
freedom of conscience and religion,
our right to live by a decent moral
and spiritual code of our own
choosing, let us make full use of
that freedom. Let us make use of
it to save world which is beset by
so many threats of new conflicts,
new terror and destruction.
Forces Again at Work.
In our relations abroad and in
our economy at home, forces of
selfishness and greed and intoler-
aance are again at work. They
create situations which call for
hard decisions, for forthrightness
for courage and determination. But
above everything else they call for |
one thing, without which we are
lost. They call for a moral and
spiritual awakening in the life of
the individual and in the councils
of the world
The last five years have produced
many aWeSome discoveries in ma
terlal things. But it has been truth |
fully said that the greatest discov-
cries of the future will be in the
realm of the spirit. There is no
problem on this earth tough enough
to withstand the fame of a genuine
renewal of religious faith. And some
of the problems of today will yield
to nothing less than that kind of
revival.
If the world is long to survive, the
gigantic power which man has ac-
CURED through atomic energy, must
be matched by spiritual strength of
greater magnitude. All mankind now
stands in the doorway to destruc-
tlon-or upon the threshold of the
greatest age in history. Only high
moral code can master this new
power of the universe, and develop
it for the common good.
Reason for Rule of Force.
When the sages and the scientists,
the philosophers and the statesmen.
have all exhausted their studies of
atomic energy, one solution and only
one solution will remain-the sub
stitution of decency and reason and
brotherhood for the rule of force
in the government of man.
If men and nations would but live
by the precepts of the ancient
prophets and the teachings of the
Sermon on the Mount, problems
which now seem SO difficult would
soon disappear.
That is the great task for you
teachers of religious faith. That Is
supreme opportunity for the
church to continue to fulfill its mis-
sion on earth. The Protestant
church, the Catholic church, and
the Jewish synagogue-bound to-
gether in the American unity of
brotherhood - must provide the
shSck forces to accomplish this mo-
raj and spiritual awakening. No
other agency can do it. Unless it is
done, we are headed for the dis
aSter We would deserve. Oh for an
Isaiah or Saint Paul to reawaken
a sick world to its moral RESPONSE
bilities!
The need for this moral awaken
ing applies to all men and women
everywhere, but it applies particu-
larly to the youth of today from
whom the leadership of tomorrow
will come. The aftermath of a
major war always includes an in
crease of juvenile delinquency.
Sometimes it is the fault of the boys
and girls. More often it is the re-
suit of everything that is abnormal
in war-including the absence of
fathers and mothers in the Armed
Forces or in business or war indus
tries.
To Women of America.
We shall always be grateful to the
women of America, who have per-
formed such an outstanding service
to our country during the war. In
some cases, however, this patriotic
devotion to the national interest has
resulted in unavoidable neglect of
children. Smaller children were
taken care of through the help of
the Government in child care CEN
tiers. But this could not he done