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Show EARLY CHRISTIANS HAD TO BE MILITANT If Christians in the beginning had been pacifists there would have been no Christian religion, declares the National Republic, in commenting com-menting on Edward Bok's lament to the effect that so many "militant" "mili-tant" hymns are sung in the churches. Edward Bok laments the use in America, and especially in American churches, of songs which speak of battle. He deplores the repetition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and hymns such as "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and "The Son of God Goes Forth to War." He believes it inconsistent for Christians to be fighting men. If Christians had been pacifists from the beginning, there would now be no Christian religion. All Europe would have been as completely com-pletely Moslem as were eastern Europe and southern Spain centuries cen-turies ago but for the fact that there were warriors in Christendom. In a world of strife non-resistance means extinction. Confucius taught a pacifist philosophy, and centuries ago it was accepted by China's teeming millions. It might be assumed from this that the career of China has been peaceful, yet in no other area of similar size in all the world have so many people met death by violence and nowhere else have men suffered more from oppression. Peace has been purchased in China at the price both of safety and of justice. The Chinese passively accept oppression; oppres-sion; therefore they have been oppressed. They have not formed the habit of fighting for their rights; therefore their rights have been ignored. Government has been by the strong; the armed. Military Mili-tary chieftains ravage the land, because the people have never learned learn-ed to resist. Government has for centuries been notoriously corrupt cor-rupt and unjust, because the Chinese have been taught stoical submission. sub-mission. And yet China is not a symbol of progress, and the level of human welfare is lower there, perhaps, than anywhere else in the world. |