The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1948-12-23
How far is a journey

How far is a journey
from here to a starr"
These words from a popular
song pose a problem in spiritual
computation that is as old as
Christmas and like to endure for
as long as the world shall endure.
And the answer lies within the
heart of every living person .
How far to the star, the Star of
Bethlehem?
Certainly its light has. radiated
without lessening from the hum
BILE birthplace of the Christ
Child to our land and our democ-
racy. For 1 have of late been in
trigued by the premise that de-
mocracy would have been impos-
sible without Christianity.
It's reducing religion to prosaic
terms, isn't it, to suggest that
Christianity. has made possible
both the church and the polling
place-that these institutions
could only have begun and have
flourished in the light Of the
star of Bethlehem? ~...
Yet, look about you. In what
officially Goddess lands may we
discover democracy? And in what
democratic lands lands may we
discover official Godlessness?
No, am personally certain
that the birth of Christ was also
the birth of democracy.
Again and again I have noted
how fearlesslv and how unut-
terably forcefully Jesus expressed
the doctrine that led to his death.
He came into a world of special
privilege; world in which the
many served the few. Indeed the
very priesthood Of the time
buttressed the outrageous inequity
by their teachings that the humble
existed only to contribute to the
ease and luxury of the exalted.
It incurred the figure of Christ
to challenge the spurious indoc-
trinations with such power that
his influence could not be IGNORED
with such power that only his
could satisfy the
priveleged groups he attacked.
For he said, in effect, to the
rag-clad beggars in the streets:
You're as good in the eyes of
my Heavenly Father as the rich
man who lives on the hill"
And to the incendiarism of that
revolutionary statement. he added
overt thrusts that were furnishing
20 the entrenched weath-holders
of the day. Their prospects of
entering the kingdom of Heaven.
ne told them. were almost nom
existent. Still the humble folk
we're given hope of salvation.
Once the genius of Jesus had
'iven that belief to the common
,eople of the world, they were
nstoppable. Christianity could not i,
'e extinguished: it could only be .
nodified. Finding themselves un-
BILE to conquer it, the rich and .
he favored could only divert it.
S they ofttimes did, to their own
dvantage.
Thus, we read Of ages during
which representatives of the
hurch preached to the downtrod-
len of the virtues of humility and
observance. Hunger and want
nd Slavery in this life were
aught to be desirable since they
would lead to glory in the next.
That's why believe that Christ
anity has reached its government
] expression in the form of de-
nocracy. Here is the living doc
rine that wealth and privilege is
ot God-given to fortunate few,
nut rather that excellence and
lonesty and industry begets its
wn rewards both spiritual
nd material.
And so the light of the star
f Bethlehem has travelled to us
through the ages and across the
lobe. Today we enjoy the fruits
f the teachings of Jesus, which
re, l submit, expressed in our
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