Magyar Egyház, 1968 (47. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1968-04-01 / 4. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ László Hunyady Faith And Common Sense in the present era of dialogue, rapprochement, and ecumenism, when the problems of human relations are daily topics, it is fashionable to present views and opinions with a dangling approach by assuming the role of a “Devil’s Advocate” whose duty is to tear to shreds and to smash to pieces all offered, advocated, or promulgated solutions. Not so long ago it was a favorite passtime of the elderly savants to tease the younger titans of knowledge with the challenge: “I offer you a wager that I can tear to pieces and refute any statement and argument you are able to muster, amice.” And so it was, in the vein of good clean fun. Nobody was hurt and everybody had a pleasant diversion listening to the sparkling and flying wit of the erudite challenger as well as to the sincere but inadequate counterarguments of the younger antagonist. It is still a mental feast to listen lo a dialogue where knowledge and common sense convincingly prevail to bring about the desired end provided that the ensuing debate is in fair play. In ancient times Zeno’s denial of movement was such a fascinating play witli words: a logical and irrefutable argument; nevertheless, in spite of such a logical presentation of an impossibility we have sent Surveyor 3 on its journey and it is digging in the surface of the moon today. A few years ago in one of the science magazines an acknowledged physicist made a theoretical presentation concerning the acceleration of the speed of light claiming that if a great reflector revolves rapidly on its axis the arch coverage at a distance can double or triple the velocity of light (c), just as easily as we do it in the equation, E=mc2 without trouble —on paper. Curiously I followed up this preposterous presentation and to my knowledge nobody refuted this naive, not to say absurd, theorizing and I humbly confess that most of us are guilty to some extent of using this sort of ploy. Into this category belong many human endeavors and enterprises, to mention only the recent 0E0 effort to grant $208,741 to teach the Zuni Indians how to make jewelry. The argument for the grant is that such an investment will eventually yield for the 5,300 Zuni Indians a yearly income of $150,000, ignoring the fact that at present 15 private stores are buying over $2 million worth of Zuni jewelry yearly from the same Indians. In the dialogue concerning war we often hear awful presentations. Experts and learned men vie for the glory of champion’s laurels. Often the gist of the presentation runs on this favorite line: The enemy is not really hostile; those who have seemed to be enemies are really friends in disguise, let us therefore take courage and go forth to talk peace with those good people who are ready to . . . (shoot us on sight). Not so long ago after such an argument a great Guru aptly said: “There it goes down the drain.” At a recent young people’s meeting the question of Faith was discussed. A young man candidly approached the heart of the dilemma saying: There was a man who said he believed in God. One day he was walking along and slipped off the edge of a cliff and grabbed some branches as he slid on the side of the precipice. Hanging on for dear life he noticed underneath a thousand feet deep abyss. In this precarious predicament he called: “God, I believe in you. God, I have faith in you. Save me!” In his agony he heard a small voice saying: “Sam, do you really believe in me?”—“I do, God, I really do,”—was Sam’s reply.—Then the small voice asked: “Do you really have faith in me?”—“I have, God, 1 have,” was his answer. “If it is so,” the small voice said, “don’t hang on to the branches. Let go, Sam.”—Now what should Sam do?—the speaker asked the audience. One of the acknowledged anthropologists relates that in his field studies of the anthropoids he observed in Africa that the gibbons live in societies. Each group stakes out a well defined territory and often only an imaginary line constitutes the boundary between adjacent tribes. Under ordinary circumstances eacli tribe religiously acknowledges and honors each other’s sovereignty. If occasional stealing occurs, it is regarded either as a prank or mischief and the intruder is driven away with grating grunts. Sometimes it happens that the crops fail and famine compels a whole tribe to line up on the borderline with the intent to invade the neighboring territory. In such a case the threatened tribe aligns on his own side of the border to defend his land. Usually there are a few feet between the two lines, a small no-man’sland. From morning to evening the two adversaries holler to each other often for days on end until one of the tribes loses heart or gets tired of noise-making and turns bis back to the other and gives up either the attempt to invade or to defend the territory. There is no fight or bloodshed, not one of the antagonists crosses the borderline until the other tribe moves away in broad daylight. Unfortunately mankind no longer has such an amiable quality to settle border disputes. The same anthropologist relates another incident he witnessed: A mama gibbon peacefully fed her young under a tree. In the adjacent bush a hungry tiger loitered; sighting the tranquil and happy family scene, the tiger cautiously approached lest to alert them and lose such a succulent meal. Two gibbons were playing on the tree and they noticed the impending peril. ______________________________________________11
