The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1952-05-09
Churcll-Stat
Barbs Hurled
AT Catholics
Protestant Group Attacks
School Religion Classes;
Arguments Contradict

WASHINGTON - NC - Prot.
estants and Other Americans Unit
ed for Separation Of Church and
State staged its annual one-day
conference on church and state
here-and it turned out to be a
carnival of contradictions and in
congruities, with some unsubstanti-
sted charges against Catholicism
thrown in.
DR.. A. Powell Davies Of All Souls
Unitarian Church here at the after
noon session attacked released
time religious instruction for pub
lie school students. He called If "a
disguised attempt to coerce the stu
dents into taking religious instruc-
ton on weekdays (which they find
unattractive on Sundays" Or. Da-
vies added that "there is not a
shred OF evidence" which shows
that released time "compensates
for the damaging effect of sectari-
anism which it has injected"
AT the night session in Constitu-
ton Hall, Dr. John A. Mackay,
president of Princeton Theological
Seminary and vice president of
POAU, took directly opposite
view. He said: 1T is perfectly
clear that in some way or
other the most adequate provision
should be made within the public
school system for the inculcstion
of the great spiritual principles Of
religion at some time and place
not in the schools precincts. but
within the regular schedule Of a
pupils working day"
Lest anyone get the impression
that he did not agree with POAU's
general anti-Catholicism, DR.. Nc
Kay finally got around to asSailing
Roman clericalism," which he de-
fined as ''the pursuit of power,
especially political power, by re-
ligious hierarchy, carried on by
secular methods, and for purposes
OF social domination.
A Catholic and woman who has
been called an atheist but denies
this, saying she's "humanist, :"
spoke at the first meeting-in the
National City Christian Church.
The Catholic was Thomas Su-
grue, who plainly bored his listen
ers with long discussion of mys-
ticism and the rigid staticity" of
religious formality. Mr.. Sugrue,
who has been criticized for mis-
representing Catholic teachings in
/ his recent book "A Catholic Speaks
His Mind" stated his opposition to
"sectarian rigidity" He said mo
group should have a point of view
because this would be opposed by
some within il, whereas the group
exists only for its members.
Mrs. Vashti McCollum of Cham
paign, H., housewife whose suit
led to the Supreme Courts McCol
lum decision barring religious in
struction on public school proper,
: ty stepped into a new field-movie
censorship. She said the Legion OF
Decency is more concerned with
suppresSing non-Catholic ideas in
films than in preventing obScenity
in them. She also objected to NOV.
les like Bing Crosby's showing
priests as genial, full of senti-
mental charm, indulgent." Protest.
ant ministers and rabbis have been
denied these friendly" portrayals
the self-styled "humanist" declar-
ed.
Mrs. McCollum reported that ev.
en- though Catholics had forced
film distributors to cut and alter
"A Streetcar Named Desire" the
Legion of Decency classified it OBJ
jectionable in part for all and
priests were stationed in theater
lobbieS TO take down the names OF
parishioners going to see the film.
Where this name-taking happened
or when she did not hother to Sav