AGAINST THE CHURCH.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5345, 31 October 1928, Page 2

AGAINST THE CHURCH.

THE EVIL INFLUENCE OF PROHITION.

(By the Rev. Frederick J.. -Nfeiville.) The Rev. Mr Melville is the Pastor of st. Ma.tthew’s LutherapL Church of White Plains. New York. . -. ; He wrote an article for the;magazine “Plain Talk,’’ entitled! “Prohibition v. The Church,” in which he expresses. the belief i that if the Churches continue tq sustaip prohibition their doors ar'e?in grave danger of being, banged shut* In the course oft he article, which appeared ip, the May tissue of the magazine named, he asks, ‘‘Why are thousands of Church pews empty ? If the Church wants tq make an honest confession it will have to admit that among various pauses for decreased, ,churc,h ; attendance and luke-warm interest in church affairs, the pteaching fdf prohibition in the pulpits of the churches, takes the lead as the outstanding cause for the condition. It is not qnly that thousands of church, members have been deprived of what .they consider to be a ri f honourable of nor is it that they resent any sexmops that are delivered against-the Demon Rum, but that they, like the majority of American people,' are enemies of what is the outstanding sin ip ° ur country today—hypocrisy. They are not easily fooled. They haye seen Elmer Gantry in the pulpit and his de,acons in the pews. They have heard prohibition espoused by ranting mountebanks in the pulpits. Honesty and self-respect keep them qut of the church where it is preached that drinking is sinful. Having beep forced out of the church of their fathers, they hesitate to join another, thinking that all churches are alike, and all ministers and deacons are hypocrites.

PROHIBITION IS SACRILEGE TO . THE NATION.

It is injurious tq the well-being-of the individual ahd of the nation. It is abnormal in, concept as well as in practice. It is the most uni.ntellig,ent, un-Ampriean, un-Christian, unreasonable thing that has ever been injec.ted into the life of this nation. The church—that is, the; sections qf tlie church that have laboured so long and . fanatically to make this country liquorless—still seems unwilling to admit that it ha,s brought about a condition which is wqrse .than any that existed in pre-Pro'hibifion days. Furthermore, it realises that the cause is not a popular one any more. Can it ever be said that the adherents of prohibitiqn are still enthusiastic abbut it ? If anything,, thej' are. gloomy, disappointed, and afraid. Yet they hold oh. They plead! for support. They condemn, ip language unbecoming followers of Jesus Christ, men and/ women; who give expression to thei,r honest opinions concerning prohibition.

THE MISTAKES OF THE CHURCH.

The Christian, church has made many mistakes, as history so clearly tells us. Many of its doctrines have been'formulated by the over-throwing of false doctrines. It is possible that some of the fundamental doctrines adhered to by tlhe Christian cjiurch in our times will meet with the same fate. Thousands C;f our Christian ministers .who have given thought to the prohibition question are convinced of the mistake that the church has made in, allying itself, as great sections of it have done, with the political prohibition proponents. But the greatestmistake that the c.hurch has made is tlhe fact that prohibition ha.s been allowed to usurp the place of the Christion gospel of peace and goodwill toward men. And right here is the answer to the question why the church has lost ground during the past decade. That it certainly has every hon- ; est minister and church-goer will admit.*