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Show A GREAT RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT One of the great religious movements of modern times is the Federated Council of Churche's of Christ in America. In it are associated all of the Protestant denominations. Its purpose is to bring about closer accord between the various sects, who are all working toward the same end. It has been remarkably successful success-ful in ironing out prejudices as between denominations. denomina-tions. A few years ago some of the leaders in the Council became concerned over the growing prejudice pre-judice among Protestants against Catholics, and of Christians in general against Jews. They foresaw fore-saw a condition developing which might lead to serious consequences if it were not checked. But the Council, as a distinct Protestant body, could not do anything about it alone. So some eminent Catholics and efqually eminent Jews were invited to a conference, out of which grew what is perhaps the most active, as it certainly is the most completely undenominational, religious move-; move-; ment of the present day. It is called the National Con- 1 f erence of Christians and Jews. It is headed by a com- mittee consisting of a Protestant minister, a Catholic j priest and a Jewish rabbi. Its active director is a Presbyterian minister. The Conference works in literally thousands of communities, through volunteer workers of all sects concerned. Its purpose is to bring members and clergy of all religions together under conditions condi-tions which will help bring all to realize that they are the children of the same God, aspiring to the same Divine ends. Jewish rabbis speak from Protestant Pro-testant pulpits, Catholic priests lead meetings in Jewish synagogues, Protestant ministers of all denominations preside over religious gatherings of Catholics and Jews. There are about 75 million Americans who are members of Protestant churches or of Protestant families. There are about 40 million American Catholics, Catho-lics, by the same manner of counting. There are about 5 million Jews. All have an equal right to try to convert con-vert the others to their particular creeds, but that is no part of the work of the Conference of Christians and Jews. It is striving to bring them all together as Americans, first of all, to submerge their religious differences in the common faith in the destiny of America Am-erica and the democratic ideals of our nation. That seems, in these troublesome times, to be something which needs to be done. |