Hungarian Church Press, 1949 (1. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)

1949-05-08 / 4. szám

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"Applying the words of Gamaliel to the present,I say unto you: If Communism, as an inadequate,had ideology,does not find followers among the millions of humankind,why need the enemies of Communism turn to the atom bomb and,defiling their hands with the blood of millions,submit their own people to the horrors of war and to ruin? On the other hand, if,after all,humanity finds truth in Cormnun.ism:.if it sees therein a liberation from social injustices ,and if it desires to live already here on earth in a community filled with love, - then it is madness to count on the atom bomb.

"let us see closer what our true relationship is to our government,to our new regime? First of all,we,the Russian clergy, live at complete peace with our government.Of course,not only because of these peaceful relations,but for geheral Christian reasons as well,in our country a priest engaged in counter-revoluzionary activities could not possibly be ordained.We have no reason to be inimical toward our government since this government has guaranteed full freedom for our Church ana does not interfere in its internal affairs.Of course,materialism,which is the ideological basis of Communism,is quite alien for us. We are spiritualists,but this cannot prevent us from heartily welooming all the good,all the social justice provided by the new regime.After all, if the regime is identical in its operation with Christian ideology,as a brotherly community for helping the helpless and enlightening the unenlightened, why, should we not stand,with the greatest joy and love,by this regime? 'For not the hearers of the law are just before God,but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles,which have not the law,do by natura the things contained in the law,these,having net the law,are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the lav/ written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.' "

THE TRUE A HD THE KOM INAL CILIIG gJANIIY

The Hungarian Federation of Free Churches'broadcasts a 30- minute religious programme every second Thursday at 8:00 A.M.The Reverend Béla Gyarmati said the following on one of the re*ent programmes:

"Christianity spent much effort in the past on things outside the-sphere of real life.Its wasted its strength on sacrifices, endless prayers,pilgrimages,ascetism,and a multitude of similar things which had nothing to do with the examples set by Jesus and the social relationship of man to man.Many centuries had to pass before humanity came to see that work done for our fellowmen is the true divine service.If we consider the unsolved social problems all over the world,we must realize that when one-third of the population of the world - 90 percent as far as weight and power go - are nominally Christian,3ore fatal error must exist in the interpretation of Christianity.Otherwise it seems impossible that millions of the follower's of Christ could have lived in peace for so long a time without solving these immensely serious problems.

"Those who declare that the life of every single person is infinitely valuable to God must be a3ked whether they truly believe this .in« purpose of such a faith is not happy submersion in its enjoyment ,but.first of all,unselfish service toward putting this principle into practice-> One cannot condemn severely enough the kind of self-docception which,although it wishes to enjoy the consolation o£ the Gos pel,at the same time escapes the sacrifices that go with it."-7- May 8, 19 49