OCR Text |
Show COMPULSION IS UN-AMERICAN By Norman Vincent Peale (Editor's Note: The Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, D. D., is pastor pas-tor of Marble Collegiate Church, Fifth Avenue, New York City. His program "The Art of Living," can be heard each Saturday at f:de p. m., Eastern War Time, over the National Broadcasting Company's Nation-wide network.) "Shall we compel children by law to go to Sunday School?" was the theme of an editorial that came to my attention. As a minister min-ister I would fight with all my heart against government's ordering children to Sunday School, for it would be a denial of individual freedom of choice a principle basic in the American Way. For the same reason, I would oppose governmental subsidies of Churches or Church organizations, for what government" supports it can later control, and a free Church is vital to free institutions. Suppose the Methodist, or Baptist, or Presbyterian, or the Catholic Cath-olic any one religion were to get over 50 percent of the American people in its membership, and then attempted to establish a "closed religious shop," forcing everybody to join that one religion. How many Americans would stand for that procedure? It outrages every basic instinct of free men. Next to man's religious faith and the sanctity of his home, is his right to work. When the majority of the workers, of the men who work with an employer decide to form an organization to deal with him, every reasonable man recognizes the right and wisdom of such a move. The employer, taken singly, is stronger than any single worker. Workers in combination equalize their strength with that of management. But suppose a man, exercising his American right of choice, does not want to join this organzation? He may not like the men who run it, may disagree with its policy, or may not know where and how his dues are spent. He may have many objections, reasonable or unreasonable. He may just have a stubborn aversion to being forced to do anything. . Is it right, then that the shop or place of work should be closed against him? Is it fair that a free American cannot get a job in an American community because he exercises his right of choice? Must he pay a tribute to the men who control the organization for the privilege of working in a coountry for which his ancestors fought, and he and his sons fight and die when occasion demands? This is no more equitable than if the Presbyterians tried to make me join them because they had the majority. One reason why I might object to such compulsion might be my distrust of the Board of Elders. Suppose they were not good Presbyterians, Pres-byterians, perhaps were Mohammedans who, not having churches of their own "denominaton" in America, decided to worm their way into control of the Presbyterian church. They would sound very orthodox, or-thodox, and would loudly proclaim their Presbyterianism, all for the purpose of fooling the regular members. This, of course, sounds preposterous, and it is, in the case of the Church, but it is not prepos-v prepos-v terous it is a fact that the Communist party "disbanded" as a party par-ty and formed an "association.' Their "denomination" was small. Perhaps they invaded many labor organizations, and because they are everlastingly vocal, grabbed many positions of leadership. Mil-Ions Mil-Ions of sincerely American workingmen fail to realize the" "Board of Elders" of their union may recite the creed of Unionism glibly, but under cover their allegiance is to Communism. Anyway, the average union member has very little to say. He i is not trained in debate is embarrassed to speak in public. The self- assertive, loud-mouthed, argument-trained Communists overbear him. However, it is a "closed shop," and to hold his job he must j continue to help pay the running expenses of the "Board of Elders," who do not represent his views any more than a Buddhist represents those of a Christian. This is not to imply that many labor leaders are not splendid Americans, but even if they all were reincarnations of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has the right to force me, or any other American, to join any organization to get a job. If it is a good union (and many are), officered by men one can respect; if it is conducted openly, my opinion is that a man should join, he should support his fellow workers in their collective bargaining, bar-gaining, but he must do it of his own free will, not under compulsion. An American has a right to join a union. He also has the right not to join a church, a lodge, or a umion, if as a free American he does not wish to do so. But, his right to worship, to fraternal fellowship, or to work, must not be invalidated because of .his choice. |