Evening star., 1948-12-05

. CnurCn yesterday lSSucQ SIdtC"
ment criticizing a recent report on
. Communism in Religion" by the
House Committee on Un-American
Activities Committee. The "appar-
ent effect Of the report they said,
'is to create the impression that
the Churches have been infiltrated
by Communists and that responsible
leaders of the churches follow the
party line"
Enacted and signed by the Count
Gil of BISHOPS meeting In Cincin-
natl, the statement was released
by Bishop James c. Baker Of Los
Angeles, president of the council,
through the office Of the councils
secretary. Bishop G. Bromley Oman
of New York.
The House committees report was
issued November ~, and was pub
nshed widely with comment by
editorial writer's and radio announc-
ers. The statement of the bishops
follow:
THE Committee on Un-Ameri-
can Activities of the United States
House of Representatives has issued
q report entitled 100 Things You
Ought to Know about Communism
and Religion The declared intent
of the report Is to inform church.
men what will happen to them and
their church If Communism ever
takes over the United States OF
America. The apparent effect OF
the report is to create the impress
sion that the churches have been
infiltrated by Communists and that
responsible leaders of the churches
follow the party line.
Attack by Innuendo Cited.
"The news stories, editorials and
commentator broadcasts have CEN
tered on those sections of the re-
port that by innuendo seek to dis
credit such. noble Christian organi-
zations as the Young Mems Chris
tian Association and the Young
Women's Christian Association. One
of the great theological seminaries
of the Nation is named by the
clever device of asking, DO Com
munist propagandists ever actually
get before Church groups as speak
ers?' The answer Is given. Yes. For
example the head of the Communist
Party, on one occasion at least.
spoke at the Union Theological
Seminary in New York City
Another question asks Is the
YMCA a Communist target?' The
answer is Yes. So is the YWCA.
Also, church groups such as the Ep-
worth League In this catechetical
form no evidence is presented. The
incompetency of the Investigators
is revealed in the reference to the
Epworth League which has not
been in existence during the last
nine years.
The Epworth League was one OF
the youth organizations Of the for
mer Methodist Episcopal Church
and the former Methodist Episcopal
Church, South. When the reunion
of the Methodist churches occurred
in 1899, the youth organizations OF
the uniting churches were discon-
tinued and a new organization
known ss The Methodist Youth Fel-
lowship was established. But the
report of the Un-American Activ-
tiles Committee affrms the Com
munists have dug into the Epworth
League and are at 1t today Thus
the Nation is Informed than an or
ganization not In existence Is being
infiltrated today. As the Bishops Of
the Church, we desire to afhrm our
full confidence in the patriotism
and religious devotion OF the hum
dreds of thousands of Methodist
youth and to express our deep re-
sentiment of any attempt to question
their loyalty.
No Comment on Procedures.
1--WE do not here comment on the
procedures of this committee and
the way its hearings at times have
been conducted. We do declare that
the publishing Of falsehood concern
ing individuals who have never been
interviewed, who have had no op-
portunity to refute allegations, in a
word, for a body to act as court,
Jury and executioner, without the
individual or organizations con-
cerned being heard, is contrary TO-
American tradition and in effect Is
to jeopardize our freedom. Nor. DO
we, at the moment, do more than
call attention to the strange fact
that only Protestant organizations
are attacked in this report. We have
far more confidence in the pains
taking and patriotic procedures of
the Federal Bureau Of Investigation
than in the hearsay and un-Ameri-
can procedures of this committee
that now enters the field Of religion,
regardless of its disavowal Of that
fact.
I'VE expressly deny that commu-
nism has infltrated our Protestant
churches. In the Episcopal Address
signed by all the bishops OF the
Methodist Church and read before
the General Conference of the
Methodist Church in Boston last
May, it was declared In an hour
when totalitarianiSm threatens free
dom, it Is imperative that we our
selves do not adopt the practices OF
the totalitarian state in order to de-
stroy the totalitarian threat. The
totalitarian has conquered when the
defender of democracy discards the
civil liberties that are the essence
of democracy We are deter
mined that free preachers, occupy
ing a free pulpit, preaching to free
laymen in a free land shall proclaim
the freeing truth Of the religion OF
Jesus"
In an extended section dealing
with Communism, apparently un-
known to the Committee on I'm
American Activities, the bishops said
1--WE reject communism, its materi-
slism, its method of class war. its
use of dictatorship. its fallacious
economics and its false theory OF
social development; but we know
that the only way to defeat 1t per-
manently is to use the freedom OF
our own democracy to establish
economic justice and racial brother
hood. 1t is the man who is not ex-
plotted who is deaf to the slogan
abolish the exploitation of man by
man It is the man who knows he
b treated justly who refuses the