Magyar Egyház, 1968 (47. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1968-04-01 / 4. szám

12

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

When the tiger leaped for the prey the two observing gibbons simultaneously jumped on the tiger to frustrate his attack. The surprised tiger was enraged and furiously turned against the two unexpected intruders and caught one of them with his teeth; while he was pressing his fangs into the neck of one of the challengers, the other gibbon did the very same deed to the tiger and to the amazement of the observer both operations were a complete success and the net result he saw was a dead gibbon and a dead tiger. Why did the two gibbons interrupt the tiger’s attempt? The only logical inference can be that they felt duty-bound to do so. The first Christians called it Faith in sacrificial love and they gave ample proofs of such a faith in the Arena in Rome and elsewhere.

When the Pilgrims in the 17th century left England they let go of the branches and trusted God; they did it because they valued their religious freedom more than the meager branches they had clung to for decades under persecution.

When our forefathers faced the same problem, they chose the galley rather than grasp the branches offered to them as conversion contrary to their faith; they believed what Jesus Christ taught: “For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” They trusted God; they had faith in God.

In the present era of dialogue, rapprochement, and ecumenism many a presentation is sheer verbosity. Today ethics, which is in general the science of desirably human relations, is used as a substitute for morality, which is the science of universal values of conduct and its pertaining duties and obligations on which a peaceful brotherhood of mankind can be established. Now-a-days even the teaching of moral character building is taboo; people rather cling to the teacher, believing it is safer to touch his garment, than follow the teaching of Jesus: “trust in God.”

Textbooks on philosophy and ethics impress the idea that “morality is organization of interest” and “religion is an enthusiasm.” The advertisement of a cereal-maker exhorts people to “feel like a healthy animal.” Even if we are conditioned by the steady beats of broadcasts and telecasts, Beatles and miniskirts, for a brainwash to accept such teachings and we will grow fangs and tusks for self-realization, it is doubtful that these new ornaments will serve as sufficient deterrents in the struggle for life for us unless we also add to them at least as much faith and courage—moral responsibility—as the two gibbons had had.

The immigrants coming to this land refused to cling to the meager branches their native land could offer; they let go of the branches and brought in their hearts only the faith in God. They trusted God

and believed themselves duty-bound to be worthy of their religious convictions and inheritance. They built houses to worship God before they had a roof over their own heads. They were not enthralled or enticed and fooled with the new environments; they knew that our faith is the purest and simplest which agrees with the teaching of Jesus Christ and with common sense.

listening and partaking in the dialogues, rapprochements, and ecumenism let us compare the fancy ploy of the advocators of enthusiasm, organization of interest, etc. with our pure and simple precious religion which is faith in God and a way of life that Jesus taught and exemplified.

Another topic of discussion at the young people’s meeting I referred to above was Life After Death. Frankly, we know no more about it than what Jesus taught us: We live in the palm of God. We may choose to stay there or jump out of it. While we are in it trusting implicitly in God’s love and care for us: it is a safe place no matter what happens, even the hair on our heads is numbered. If we jump out of His palm, which is our privilege, we forfeit even our right to ask questions; then we are on our own; period. Jesus taught us that each of us is responsible for bis own life and has to give account to God as a child to a father, and there is no escape from this reckoning (with LSD and such). At the summon you’ll be on your own as Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord’ shall enter the Kingdom of God, but he who does the will of my heavenly Father.” In the dialogues you are on your own. (Your pastor, of course, will be happy to answer questions concerning our faith which we profess.)

Up to the 15th century the prevailing belief was of a geocentric universe; from then on our little world became heliocentric; from the beginning of history men have tried desperately to bend God in their favor. Jesus taught mankind to trust God as a Father. We are living in an illusionary anthropocentric world with slogans: human rights, freedom, dignity, and without clear definitions of these terms. The religious controversies likewise ride on slogans that few understand and fewer care to define. It is due time to apply in the dialogues, rapprochements, and ecumenism the Law of Parsimony lest history will name our age a loquatious period, a ploy, when many arrived where they never intended to go: down the drain.

KAREL HRUZA, who has been the head of Czechoslovakia’s state office on the churches, has been relieved of his duties. Since his office had been responsible for considerable repression of churches over the years, the move is considered a sign of the recent thaw in church-state relations.