Hungarian Church Press, 1949 (1. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)
1949-05-08 / 4. szám
No 4« Socialism shall never demand anything from Christians which is contrary to the teaching of Christ.If the Reformod Church with the wi3dom and responsibility of the Gospel will show the way using the historical possibilities given by the democracy then such a revival of evangelical Christianity will follow the blessings of which were not imaginable in the capitalist order.11 FAITH AND LIBLitJY Part of the speech of Rev- Dr. Imre Somogyi,president of the Baptist Union,delivered at the occasion of the centenary of the war of independon.ee. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free,and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. /Gal.5.1./ The word liberty is forever deeply engraved into the heart of the Hungarian nation.This nation has always boon ready during her history to bring great sacrifices for liberty; it was not her fault that in this struggle for liberty she has often failed. There is hardly a nation which has suffered more from the storms of fate and yet has never given in to difficulties which the service of great ideals demand. We have long since forgiven the poet of the "Hymn" the poetical license with which he wrote the beauti ful and-touching lines,though unacceptable from a biblical point of view: "This nation has atoned for the past and for the future too." How-much of the pain of the Hungarian people must have been in the heart of the poet when he wrote those lines! The grief of the captives of Babylon comes to our mind when after a days heavy toil the imprisoned people of God collected on the riverbanks at eventide and to the t-ound of harps and cithers sang sorrowfully of liberty and of Jerusalem...One might perhaps compare with this the grief of the stricken Hungarian people,which overflow the heart and lyra of the poet... To-day the people of Hungary are celebrating together.We who have. collected amongst these walls have a trifold program: 1./remembrance 2./ thanksgiving 3,/ supplication. We remember with reverence the great day 100 years ago 1100 years ago the fight was on,the struggle for liberty was in progress.Kossuth and his government were forced to leave Pest,but in Debrecen the flame of enthusiasm burnt high and the national assembly finally broke with the council in Vienna, The first Hungarian Republic was proclaimed.later the flag fell,but the nation lives and the dreams of March - Pefofis dreams - are becoming a reality..-) The' memory of our ancestors, the heroes of the war of independence be blessed. We give tnanks to God for the mercy for keeping us amidst the horrors of the,.bloody and senseless war and for having preserved us for His holy service on the one hand and for rebuilding our ruined country on the other. - But we must thank our republican government too for securing in the constitution the freedom of religion and for doing everything possible for the uplift and rebuilding of our homeland,-5- May 8, 1949
