| Show T Most Soldiers Agree to fo Need For IFor Fighting Faith in War By DeWitt MacKenzie l Associated Press War Analyst About ten days ago I recorded l in et this column a growing demand f for or more spiritual and moral guidance guidance guid guld- a ance nce in helping win the war and andI I cited the declaration by United i IS S States tates S Senator Harry S S. S Truman i that t there re is 18 need for fora fora D D. Mo I Ia a a fighting faith Sunday being E Easter a s t e r this this' time to make s seemed like a good sa a report port on the r reaction to that a article Letters from as far away a as s Ca California have been arriving I. I a at t my desk and all of them with o one ne exception agreed with the general thesis The exception was a friendly a and nd cleverly phrased epistle from froma I a chap in Minnesota He put up upa a stiff battle the gist of It being Religion and its part in victory phooey The value of re religion religion re re- l ligion In war is debatable To the Russians and to other millions who are not Russians it is of no great moment There is as much cussing as praying In the foxholes fox tox- holes Well Scott I like a man who speaks his mind and you sure talk right up In Im I'm not goIng goIng go- go gong i Ing ng to argue the point with you because my business Is analysis and not debating or yet preaching However despite your sk skepticism on religion in war its it's Interesting to see you along with the rest writing me a letter about it This can only mean that religion has hasa a a. news Interest for readers and that's why I deal with It in this column the same as with other categories of ot news Apropos of the remark about religion being of no great moment to Russians the Associated Press the other day carried a little dispatch dispatch dispatch dis dis- dis- dis patch saying that the 26 Greek Orthodox churches of ot Moscow open for tor Palm Sunday were crowded to a degree that their members said was unknown since before the bolshevist revolution Saturday a Moscow dispatch said the Moscow churches were preparing for Immense throngs of ot worshippers on Easter What's the meaning of that Apparently it supports what Ive I've been saying that saying that a spiritual and moral wave Is running through many countries Religion still has plenty of meaning to a host of Russians and they show it when the church doors are open Speaking of religion in ire the foxholes foxholes fox fox- holes Captain William E E. Taggart army air force torce chaplain stated re recently recently xe- xe at a meeting of religious leaders in New York that the war has rekindled kindled a desire for religion in the hearts of American soldiers In the combat areas He said They need a religion which they can use In the foxholes in cockpits in jUngles or on rubber ber rafts They are axe asking for the comfort ot of a religion which will wUl help them conquer to conquer fear ar and to Skilled withstand i the test of seeing ing budIn buddies buddies bud- bud dies killed In other words the boys feel the need of a a. practical religion After all aU whatever you think of religion it cant can't be bo claimed that theres there's very much comfort in Ina a atheism theism |
