ANTI-MILITARISM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1222, 2 September 1911, Page 14

ANTI-MILITARISM.

Sir,—l was very pleased to see that tho Christchureh ministers are opposed to tho ■compulsory military training scheme. ■ I think that every clergyman who believes in tiie religion he teaches ought to bo opposed to it. whether lie thinks there is fear of invasion or not. ' lor are not Christ's teachings to tho effect that ' we should put our trust in Ilim rather than the things of this earth, such as mighty navies or huge armies? A nation that puts its faith in costly Dreadnoughts and so on, rather than in a higher power, may find out sooner or later, as other nations have done, that "He scattereth the proud in the imagination of their hearts," and that "He hunibleth those of high degree. It was not force of arms that defeated the aim of tho Spanish Armada, but an act of God. Christ was an anti-militarist, for 110 said: "Love alt moil," and nobody could be so foolish as to imagino that ono could love a man and shoot or bayonet him at the smug time, The person that Christ would have regarded as a hero or a patriot is not so much tlie one that would bo ready to shoot down a l'el-icw-creatuiio either in defence or offence, but rather the ones who would risk their lives to go to the rescue of someone in danger of drowning, or to save people from a burning building, or somo other danger.—l am, etc.,