Magyar Egyház, 1976 (55. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1976-12-01 / 12. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 11 Then there is this sleeper: “...whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends (life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, etc.) it is the right of the people to alter or to abolisli it.” Would you sign that? How destructive would the government have to become to invite legitimate retaliation? It is the right of ívhat people to alter or abolish it? How many people, indeed, are “the people”? Furthermore, as a Christian, how do I deal with “all authority is ordained of God”? Is it only a general operating principle or does it apply down to the last comma of a village ordinance? I’m not at all sure that I would or could have signed. I think I might have poised my quill pen at the words, “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves ...” and politely have offered the pen to the next man in line. What is a light cause and what is a heavy one? When does the sufferable become insufferable? Where is the battle line on which one must uncompromisingly stand? How do you know when you are on that precise ground of history? Despite our certainty in retrospect, there are no clear directions for reaching a world-changing turning point, or for recognizng it beyond all doubt when we get there. Out of resources of the spirit, out of peer pressure, out of public mood, one is right or wrong, perhaps without ever being sure of either, or sure enough. And that’s the way it was—and is. * * * • 500 Top Scientists Believe That Bible Story of Creation Is True A group of 500 scientists in seven fields declares that scientific evidence supports the biblical story of creation — not evolution. The scientists, banded into the Creation Research Society, admit they cannot furnish proof that the biblical account is correct — but insist that available evidence points that way, and away from evolution. “All our 500 voting members are scientists with a master’s degree or higher,” said biologist Wilbert Rusch of Ann Arbor, Mich., membership secretary of the society. “All are in the fields of anthropolgy, geology, physics, chemistry, biology, biochemistry or medicine,” he went on. “All are convinced the biblical account of creation is correct, and sign a statement of belief as part of their application for membership.” Why do they believe the Bible story is true? The most dramatic evidence comes from fossils, said biochemist Dr. Duane Gish of San Diego, Calif., a prominent member of the society. “Fossils tell us the story of the past,” he said. “And they tell us that hundreds of kinds of plants and animals appeared suddenly on earth — as suddenly as if something, or someone, had put them there. “If the theory of evolution were correct, we could expect to find fossils of their primitive ancestors. But no such fossils have been found. This holds true for birds, insects, bats, jellyfish, 49 families of plants and many other living things — including man. “The evidence is so overwhelming it has convinced me as a scientist that God created life and the universe.” Other evidence cited is the age of the earth. Hydraulic engineer Dr. Henry M. Morris said: “We have used 76 different scientific methods to establish the age of the earth. And we find its age to be far closer to the 10,000 years implied in the Bible than the billions of years claimed by others.” Rusch said the society also includes 1,400 sustaining members, with or without master’s degrees, and 2,100 student members and subscribers. * * * Churches and Pastors Under Communism The case of a Protestant pastor who set himself on fire to protest Communist repression of religion has focused fresh attention on the conflict between church and state in East Germany. Hundreds of persons watched in horror as the Rev. Oskar Brusewitz poured gasoline over himself and lighted up in flames on the busy market square of Zeitz, an industrial town in Saxony. The pastor, who suffered critical burns, carried two posters condemning Communism. One said, “The churches accuse the Communists of oppressing young Christians.” The event and its aftermath indicated that a wave of public protest was under way. Two clergymen, friends of Pastor Brusewitz, appeared at the East Berlin studios of West German television networks to explain how desperation had driven their colleague to his step.
