Lehre und Wehre St. Louis, Missouri — Dezember 1914, Seite 566

German transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

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566 Kirchlich⸗Zeitgeschichtliches.

Krieg als Züchtigung Gottes sich selber zugezogen haben, nämlich so:
*hey are guilty of the sin of malitarism“ Darüber sei dann offenbar
geworden, daß das „Christentum“ jener Nationen nicht rechter Art ge⸗
wesen sei! Der Advance klagt: As one looks at waͤrring, mourning
Europe, he is tempted to become despondent. Cävilization has broken
down. Culture has beéecome impotent. Mankind has slipped backward.
Christianity has seemingly failed. The Gospel has apparently lost its
power. Men who should treat one another as brothers are acting like
barbarians. Darkest Africa might with propriety send missionaries to
Germany and France. They are lapsing into paganism“ — und versteigt
sich schließlich zu der Lästerung: Their leaders glibly talk about God,
but tùne God theν ονιιο ie fhνα deνiν ρ αν νεnομνι⁰ειν gοἀο èùπεν Auch
der Presbyterian erkennt nicht den Unterschied zwischen Kultur und Chri⸗
stentum, sonst könnte er nicht schreiben: Religion itself, the very Cyeris-
ti⁰ννιι we have preached, is called upon to justify its existence. Seratch
our civilieation, and you will find a savage even yet. How stupendous
our task! How little seems to have been done!“ Von den Quäkern ist
ein Zirkular ausgegangen des Inhalts: Die Kirche trägt die Schuld
an dem ganzen Unglück: The cçonditions which have made this catas-
trophe possible must be regarded by us as essentially unchristian. This
war spells the bankruptey of much that we too lightly call Christian.
No nation, no Church, no individual, can be wholly exonerated. We have
all participated to some extent in these conditions. We have been con-
tent, or too little discontented, with them. If we apportion blame, let us
not fail first to blame ourselves, and to seek the forgiveness of Almighty
God.... ToO many will come the temptation to deny God, and to turn
aWay with deéspair from the Christianity which seems to be identified
with bloodshed on so gigantic à scale. Christ is crucified afresh to-day.“
In einer andern Kundgebung der Quäker wird darauf hingewiesen, daß
der „Militarismus“ für diesen Ausbruch von Feindseligkeiten ver⸗
antwortlich sei: It cannot be the will of our mereiful Father in heaven
that this earth which He has made should suffer forever from the hideous
seourge of war; but it is possible for us to oppose His will, to be so given
over to the worship of force, to the lust for power, and to the selfishness
and vainglory of life, that we go on vear after yvear building our battle-
ships and destroyers and forts, and assembling our armed hosts, until
at last He takes us at our word, and allows us to follow our own devices.
to depend upon the sword and the right arm of inan's pover and the
shield of our o1wn making. Then come envy and jealousy, strife and
hatred, and some ery that Christianity has failed, while others invoke
the aid and blessing of the Almighty upon the success of their arms.
Militarism blights like a pestilential wind the higher life of nations,
and eats like à gangrene into the vitals of civilization. All history tes-
tilles that a republic has no peril so insidious to fear as the growth of
military power within its oπn borders.“ Der Continent (presbyterianisch)
druckt aus Seribner's Magasine diesen Satz des Schriftstellers Gals⸗
worthy ab: When this war is over, and reason resumes its sway, our
dogmas will be found scored through forever.“ Das wird von Gals⸗
worthy so begründet: „Three hundred thousand church-spires raised to
the glory of Christ! Three hundred million human ereaturés baptized

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