Amerikai Magyar Reformátusok Lapja, 1932 (33. évfolyam, 1-53. szám)

1932-08-06 / 32. szám

AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA

7

AZ IFJÚSÁG KÖRÉBŐL.

C. E. Topic for August 7.

HOW DOES NATURE SPEAK TO US ABOUT GOD?

Scripture: Psalm 19:1—6.

“The man who can not wonder, who does not habitually wonder and worship, were he the President of innumerable Royal Societies, and carried the ‘Mecha- nique Celeste’ and ‘Hegel’s Philosophy,’ and the Epitome of all laboratories and observatories with their results, in his single head,—is but a Pair of Spectacles behind which there is no eye.”—Thomas Carlyle. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” Whenever I hear of an atheist I am filled with pity for him, and the prayer of Jesus on the Cross comes to my mind: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” Once I went to an art gallery with a friend; the priceless masterpieces bored him, he was color blind and could not distinguish between the delicate shades of color fo the pictures, therefore he received no enjoyment from this source. I pitied him, too. — The grandeurs of nature do declare the glory of God, but we must have eyes to see it. The trouble is, that some of us do not live close enough to nature to read in it the glory of God. We drive through beautiful fields at sixty per hour. What have we seen? A blurred, gray road, while the beauties on the side of the road go unnoticed. I think, it is impossible to live close to nature and disbelieve in God. — Our fathers and mothers were simple people; they lived in small villages and worked on the fields, or in the vineyards. Well, how did they feel about God. Wasn’t God a great and glorious reality to them? If they had one thing it was a deep and abiding faith in the Almighty and ever good God. If some of you have a tendency toward scepticism, why not try long walks over the fields, alone with your eyes, your mind and your heart all open before the beauties of nature that declare the glory of God. Rev. Daniel Bodor.

NEM TŰRIK A HITEHAGYÓT.

A fairfieldi egyház Ifjúsági Köre szép bizonyságát adta annak, hogy mily komolyén kell vennie egy öntudatos református ifjúságnak a hithüséget s általában véve a vallásosságot.

Legutóbbi gyűlésén kizárta a tagok sorából az egyik fiatalembert. A kizárásra az adott okot, hogy az illető fiatalember, kinek nevét megfelelő formában nyilvánosságra is hozták, uton-utfélen hiresztelte, hogy áttér a római katholikus vallásra s ezt a hirt a lelkész felszólitására sem cáfolta meg. Ellene nem léphetett fel az egyházi bíróság hivatalosan, mert az illető sohasem volt az egyház rendes tagja, de az ifjaknak joguk volt arra, hogy saját kezdeményezésükből leszögezzék azt a tényt, hogy aki vallását, amelyben született és konfirmál- tatott, nem becsüli meg: nem érdemli meg azt sem, hogy az egyház egyik testületének tagjai sorában

és termeiben megtűrjék. Az egylet tagjai között többen vannak róm. kath. vallásuak is és azokat az alapszabály kötelezi arra, hogy saját templomukat rendesen látogassák. Az ifjúságot tehát nem felekezeti gyűlölködés vezette, mert hiszen ez az intézkedés igazolja, hogy tiszteletben tartják mások vallását és szívesen látják maguk között a más vallásuakat is. A hitehagyó vagy vallásukkal könnyelműen játszó református ifjaknak azonban nincsen semmi helye közöttük. Őszinte szivvel gratulálunk a fairfieldi ifjúságnak azért, hogy öntudatos reformátussága mellett ilyen szép bizonyságot tett.

RECREATION AT THE CONFERENCE.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! I am to assume the role of a soothsayer! And, as every successful fortune teller does, I too, have first learned a little about your future activities before I should venture in reading what is in store for you. My augury is concerned with the coming National Conference in Lackawanna. N. Y.

It is no secret that young people get tired after attending conference sessions (and I do believe that even our austere ministers enjoy a little recreation after a few hours of serious talk,—but, maybe, I’m wrong?!) So, with this in mind, the Recreation Committee in Lackawanna recently met —put their heads together—actually overworked their mental faculties (rumor, of course!) and finally drew up a very new proverb that “all work and no play makes anyone dizzy.” This diligent body of Committeemen therefore resolved that a cure for this “dizziness” could come about only by having a grand time on Lake Erie during the second free afternoon of the Conference.

Their plans so far -were very good until one thoughtful member asked the question how strangers could become no longer strangers and thus really feel at home with one another. More thought! The light-headed committee (all blondes!) then solved this question by drawing up a “get acquainted game,” which would be played the morning before the trip to the beach. They are confident that after every delegate of the Conference has participated in this game everybody shall have become acquainted with everyone and vice versa. The said committee then chose a beach called Hamburg-on-the-Lake for the decided afternoon outing. Those who do not wish to swim will play games such as: “Mixed Tug o’ War,” “Balloon Volleyball,” “Softball,” etc. (Those who do not wish to swim or play games can get special permission to write love letters in the sand.) All this will be followed by a free trip to Niagara Falls on the following Friday afternoon.