Fraternity-Testvériség, 1964 (42. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1964-10-01 / 10. szám

FRATERNITY

3

Church in order to keep the young people, I say: “Nonsense!” You are merely covering up the inadequate training these young people had in their baptized and confirmed religion. Membership in a “big-name, strictly ‘American’ Church” does not make you a better Christian, nor does it make you a better American.

Never in my life has it been detrimental for me to say that I am a member of the Hungarian Reformed Church. My religious training and knowledge of Hungarian culture has been received from the best: The Reverends Kecskeméthy, Rácz, Bertalan and Komjáthy. I feel certain that not one of these fine men has ever been ashamed of being a Hungarian or practicing the Hungarian Reformed Religion. Nor would any one of them approach me now and tell me: “We were all wrong; we taught you the wrong things. Change your name; forget what we taught you; go practice your religion in another way. Forget your heritage. Put on a mask of false Americanism.”

In answer to those who say, “These stupid Hungarians will never change, they will never get ahead”, I say: “Yes, we have some faults and mal-practices which were thrust upon us from the beginning due to prevailing circumstances. But together we can correct them. United we can ‘clean up our own house.’ We can recognize the needs of our ministers and compensate them adequately so they can be full-time pastors. Let us rejuvenate the layman participation in Church affairs, Church government and in financial assistance. Keep the Bethlen Home going, maintain our Federation, the Magyar Református Egyesület, assume our responsibility for our aged and unfortunate orphans.”

Yes, let us more closely adhere to the teaching of Christ. There are thousands, many thousands, of second and third generations of Hungarian-Americans who have drifted from the Church, not just the Hungarian Reformed Church, but from the Church as a whole. It is our responsibility to bring these people back to the House of the Lord. Let us forget our own selfish desires and act for the good of the masses. Let us forget our minor differences and act according to the teaching of Christ.

The religious doctrines (the most important factor in these divided camps) are, for the most part, the same. There is very little difference in government. The majority of the ministers deep down in their hearts are in favor of a unified American- Hungarian Reformed Church. The members of all the congre-