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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (May 28, 1939)
Vv stv;t3Si TLt OIXXOK STATESMAN, Sakfl, Orerca, Sunday Mornias, ilaj ti Pin- "TT . A - ' . . IS Salem Ministers Ponder; Question X)f What Stand of M W " Be : If War Should Come Tomorrow .;; . -:' .-. ! r.-,:y ". i.Ht i'i ." j ' .V . , I", , Editor's Note: With European troubles bringing recurring threat! of war across the seas, Americans are wondering: "Will we set in? ' So The Statesman is asking a number ot Salem minister this ues Uon: "Under what circumstances, it any, should th e churches ot the United States sanction participation of the United States in a general European war?" H ere are the first two of a series of answers to this question: , ,. . " ' By ARNQ Q-' WENIGER Factor; Calvary ' Baptist 'Church War Is a terrible monster. I hate It because it : makes beasts out of men, it robs the. home ot - Its most precious Jewels the children; it impoverishes nations and peoples, and yet, 1 beliere there are some things worse than war. The butchery and brutality such as.' has been practiced In Russia for the last decade and In central Europe by tho-j in places ot power and authority, with strong men and nations looking on and doing nothing about, it. . in my humble. Judg ment, is a condition worse than War, . ',. It has been the - writer's con tention for years, and those -to whom he has ministered hare heard him say this upon more than one occasion, that the so called Christian nations of the world United States Included, should have long ago banded themselves together and' told Russia in . no uncertain way to cease her persecution and op pression of the Christian peoples within her borders and be pre pared to enforce the deuaud by resorting ; to arms I if : necessary. i i Racial Hatred Bad , The same attitude applies to ward Hitler In Germany. Long ago he should have been stop ped in his campaign of brutal ity and oppression ot the Jewish people. The germination and promulgation of racial hatred such as has been i and - Is being disseminated from; Germany in sight of God is as bad as war. "He that hateth his brother hath already committed r murder In his heart, Jesus said. The United States would be justified at any time to resort to arms la. the protection and well being of the Jewish people whether in Europe, 4 Palestine,; or our own beloved country.) Wei would never need . to worry as -to the ultimate security .of our nation with such an objective. Almighty God made a promise long aro concerning Israel,? "I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curseth the." Read history for the fulfillment ot that promise.. , It still ) stands Happy . and secure therefore Is mat nation that throws a pro tecting arm around Israel. Side With "Right :-. ui,u iitciu unto nun self." we read In 1 the Bible and the same applies to a! nation, especially In this day. Could the United States, one of the sad ; ing. nations of the world. - herself into a shell and say, "let Europe fight her own bat tles," and feel justified, when an , immediate entrance ; Into a European conflict upon ! UK- Side of right and righteousness be yond doubt would bring to a speedy conclusion a war that might drag on for years, slaugh tering millions of lives? I think not. The . writer does not take a belligerent attitude , towcrd this question but attempts to look at world conditions sanely end In the light ot the Word of Cod. He Hates; war but there are some things worse than ar. REV. ARNO WENIGEB war. . Many Christians, ministers and laymen who sanctioned the last World war , repented their action and pledged that they would never sanction another, They renounced the war system. not only as inherently and ut terly evil, but as sinful and un christian. Should ehurches give their sanction to that which Is un-Chiistian? War Satanic Business . If the United States should go to war again, we should recog nlze war as a mean, base, grisly. satanlc business. ' . The mantle , of the church of Christ should not be used as a cover for it. The church has no right to call men to follow , Jesus and then send them from her altars r to hate and kill. The pulpit is a place where God's love is made known to all men. It should never be used as a recruiting station for war nor . for' the expression of hatred against anyone, even our enemies. He who ' said, "Lore your enemies, cannot bo pleased with the words "hate rnd kill them." The Methodist church' has an swered this question in unequivo cal terms. During : the current month Methodism has spoken from the . Uniting Conference at Kansas City In these words. 'We insist that the agencies ot the. church shall not be used in the preparation for war, but -in the promulgation of peace. We believe - that war Is utterly de structive .and ls our greatest col lective sin and a denial of the ldealg of Christ. -. We stand upon this ground: That the Methodist church aa an institution cannot endorse nor , support nor partici pate la It." Report Ship Slink, Crew All Drowned GEORGETOWN, British Gflla- na, May 27-UP)-A police consta ble's message from an outpost on Caves Attract Uoiorloggers, to Fort Rock Above,- two of the . motorloggers examine rabble fa the - F jdian cave; right, View from inside the care tooting eat. - r . . . o tne venesueu-British am ana boundary reported today that the I 4-ton steamship France had ex ploded and i unit with the lost of all but one ot her crew. ' The Ion survivor was washed ashore on the beach at Moruca river, from where the constable tiled hla brief report. He gave his name as Simmons and said the Franco, which was enroute from Trinidad to Georgetown, had sunk 11 miles off the month ot the De merara river, the report said. The France, - commanded by Capt. James Plumpton, carried 320 cases of dynamite and fOe drums of gasoline. The crew was believed to number between six and ten. -t . - "ii4 H v v i r . - -' Good Highwaysand Fair Coimtry Roads Jadtqo -":Mutof"IntePMt Is Found There This i newspaper !b co-oper , L atias; with the Oregoa State Motor association, uo Oresjoniaa ia preseatia rles of QOtorlogs designed to stimvlate travel ia - the Pacific . northwest and enjoyment of OitBw'i i recreational areas. h The following article is coa- doased from a ruu-page ar tlcle appemring ia c.The Ore gonia May S8. i A half-day cruise by automo bile from Bend and return took an - Oregonlan-Oregon Motor as sociation motorlog party to the Interesting Fort Rock country, 70 miles south of Bend, over good, highways and far-from-bad country roads, Highlights of the trip were Fort Rock, which stands alone and" fort-like on the flat valley floor, once the bed ot a huge lake, and an ancient Indian care In another cinder cone a Short distance from ' Fort Rock Charred sandals, made from sagebrush bark, found in the cave last year, indicate that In dians lived there from 1000 to S00O years before hot pumice was deposited over the -area by rolcanio action. Scientific Interest Finds In this care and two others in southeastern Oregon have given scientists Important evidence in their attempts to fix the date when man first appear ed on the American continent. The party, .escorted by Phil F. Brogan. Bend newspaperman and amateur geologist, also vis ited Lava butt. few miles south ot Bend, and Hole-in-the Ground, a hnge depression near Fort Rock which may have been made by a meteor ctriklng the earth or by volcanic action. Human interest was added to the motorlog by Miss Beatrice Menkenmaler, 20, who runs an ISOO-acre ranch all alone at Fort Rock. Her parents are both dead and Miss Menkenmaler keeps the ranch going and at the same time takes care ot a 12-year-old brother. She favors shorts, rather than chaps, as ap parel for the modern rancher- ette, and she was wearing them when the motorlog party arrived ar her home. From Portland the drive to Fort Rock is about 270 riles. The motorlOg group made the trip to Bend from Portland, 200 miles, by moonlight the night before the Bend-Fort Rock" cruise. Many snow-capped peaks were visible in the moonlight. Schttudeke, Slack, Freed of Chars c es SILVERTON The case against Charles Schmldeke, charged with dumping rubbish on road side, was dismissed Friday morning when testimony appeared that the alleged dumping was beyond the road's right-of-way and on 'the farm of young Schmideke. The defendant admitted he had dump ed the material under discussion. Harold IX Slack, tried on a Jury trial, charged with larceny from bailee, was found not guilty. This case was transferred from the Salem court and drew consider able . attention. Appearing as witnesses for the state were Vera Dowe, complaining witness, and Sophia Robertson, George Brauer and N. P. Webb. Witnessing for the defendant were Betty Slack, Harold Slack, Luey Sigmore, Joe Moxley and M. J. Showers. Joe Felton was state's attorney and Weed, ft Rohde defended Slack. Jurors were Mrs. A. P. Solie. Mrs. Dewey Allen. Mrs. A. B. Weissner, Birdie Hauck, 8. P. Rose and John Wilson. : i By LYNN A. WOOD ... . , j Pastor Jason Lee Chnrch j "Under what circumstances. It ! any, should the churches of the ! united sutes sanction partidpa j tlcn of the United States In a general European war? It", would be very difficult to 1 answer this Question as stated ia the brief space allotted. The euallfylng words, "under what circumstances, if any.", call tor hypothetical . reasoning which leads to confusion. . In mvttA. ally any real situation truth and I virtue are not on one side, falsehood and evil on the other. Certainly in the present" Euro-1 peaa struggle this is true, ven me issue of democracy is wash ed out. This Is seen bv Enrllsh and French betrayal of it In the cases of Spain t and Czecho-Slo- raaia, and their present' alll- aacea with totalitarian powers. .Why not let ministers ar-er a question' which , is certainly i witnm tneir field, -, nauely: "saouid the , churches of the United States sanction the par ticipation ot this country in a general European war?' Let them speak tor themselves and their churches! Most churches . la their general assemblies have made pronouncements - on the war anestion. , r r Answer Is "No" Should the churches ean'tlon the entry ot the ; United ; States ta a general European war? The answer 1 "no."" The spirit and method of war are diametrically opposed to the spirit of Jesns and His way ot life. War Is a "denial and a betrayal ot Jesns and -His principles. Nay. fur ther, it Is practical atheism of -the rankest sand. 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