THEIR RELIGIOUS SIDE

Levin Daily Chronicle, 1 October 1918, Page 1

THEIR RELIGIOUS SIDE

♦—/— — The most striking feature of the Kaisers speech, reported in Saturday's papers, was liis liberal use of Scrip-' turo. In this connexion, there is much interest in the following article in the '' Christian World" of July 25th, contributed by its former Berlin correspondent: — The German Kaiser sets the fashion in' paying extravagant tribute to the highly developed and intense religiosity of the German nation. Every.now and again, either in spcechos or in epistles to various public bodies, he draws attention to the deep sentiments of piety animating his peojplc,*"fO' th'felr confidence in the leadership of God, as well as in his and Hindenburg's, to their praycrfulness, to their: marvellous submission to the Divine will even>.in times of stress, to their high religious ideals in comparison with the baseness, sordidness, and self-seeking of their, enemies who worship only one God—r Mammon. An eminent Court preacher, Dr von Dryander, goes "one better" in a recent sermon in the Berlin Cathedral. This divine is the Kaiser 's

confidential spiritual adviser, and has been recently honoured with the insignia of the Prussian Black Eagle, a distinction which carries with it hereditary nobility. He said: — " As I look back into history and -regard the attitude of nations ,passing through the fires of affliction I see no examples of fortitude, lofty and enduring courage, and firm reliance on the Divine Will fit to be compared with ours. "When I think of it —and when am I not thinking of it?—l am profoundly touched, and, the tears fill my eyes, tears of gratitude to the Aldighty that He has created me a German and called me into the fellowship of a nation supreme above all others in every quality and endowment of the Christian life. Although' we are, surrounded by a world of enemies, although we arc the objects of the most cruel calumnies, although our noblest qualities are reviled/and our simplest words distorted, we bear our burden with the fortitude of Christian knights, and in our inmost hearts the nation says, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." We rub our eyes. We ask ourselves, Does this man really believe these statements to b e true? Does his reading of the history of this war lead him to the conclusion that his fellowcountrymen are supreme in every quality and endowment of the Christian life He has some intimacy with the character of the British, French, and •American people. He knows how the war has been conducted hitherto. He has read President Wilson's noble utterances. He has road Prince Lichnowsky's memorandum and many another document of revelation, and yet he regards his countrymen as acting with the fortitude of Christian knights, as a nation humbly waiting on the Divine will! > • We pass 011 to another exponent of German religious sentiment. This is D. Conrad, of the Kaiser Wilhelm Me.morial Church of Berlin, and, like Dryander, one of the Kaisers' chaplains. Every week .Conrad writes a homily in the "Kreuz Zeitung," the leading Conservative and Junker journal. He usually employs a text of Scripture as a peg on which to hang his thoughts. A s exposition it is poor stuff and always irrelevant, but as light on the mentality of those classes in Germany who regard themselves as Christians these hebdomadal excusions of the Court chaplain are extremely valuable. The first of Conrad's homilies to which I would draw attention is headed, "Tbi s Man receiveth sinners. " He proceeds thus:— "Among the weapons with which oar enemies seek to destroy us and our national character is the aspersion of our aims and objects in this war. Long before the die was east England had been systematically at work poisoning the public opinion of the world against us. using licr far-reaching influence in ascribing the s most incredible political immorality to the actions of our Government. England told the world that we wore a retrograde people, an t onslaved nation living without freedom, The world was told by England that an insatiable earth-hunger prevailed among Germans, and that we were seeking to extend .our frontiers in order to dominate the-whole world. The world was told that German militarism was the ■'lie standing menace to the world's • peace. It: was--in this\iiefarious manuei i th-it the ■ground .'was prepared, and | v. hen dire; .-necessity- com polled us to break-through/,the British policy , of encircling u-i by marching'-inro Belgium the cry was raised throughout the world that the Germans respect ncithei laws nor justice. .Our enemies wrapped themselves in a mantle of -virtue and proclaimed themselves tho pro tectors of threatened small nationalities. As a matter of fact, as a mattci of historic truth, wo were and- still art fighting for the Christian ideals oi righteousness and of freedom for the oppressed. It will be long before the eyes of the world arc opened to the deceit which has been practised upoi it, and wo receive back again our good and honourable German name." One asks what all this has to do with Jesus receiving sinners. One asks in vain. We are told at the end of the homily that Jesus, just like the German nation, did not retreat one solitary step before the attacks of His j numerous enemies, before the . vile in- : rtigucs of "those who hated Him and sought to destroy His influence among I His own people. "And it is this Jesus I 011 whom we rely." Just like the Ger- ' mans, Jesus did not reply -to His 1 enemies with words, but with deeds. His deeds are His own. "We shall know how to justify our deeds before God. Our armies show us the direction in which the entire nation must move. We would abide in the service of our highest Lord." Note that this homily is intended to deepen the religious sensibility of the German nation. Note, moreover, that it is a tissue of falsehoods, and Dr Conrad, the Kaiser's Court chaplain, is using his authority not only to blaspheme true religion, but. t.o assert as truth what the rest ofc the world, including a large section of his fellow-countrymen, know to be absolute falsehood. In another recent number of the "Kreuz Zeitung" the same writer hangs his weekly exhortation on the text, "Judge' not that ye be not judged." Here again, as in all those extraordinary homilies, we miss every connexion between text and sermon.' We are left -.vondering at the selection of the text —that is all. In this homily Dr Conrad is indignant that a sentence of condemnation has -fallen, "on the good name of Germans

as Christians." He ia ''burning with wrath ' that threats -of excluding Germany from the comity of civilised nations are heard on all sides. Tho bans 'and ex-communications fulminated by the Catholic Church in ithc Middle r Ages are child's play, he says, compared with the threats of the present enemies of Germany. And his ' burning wrath is intensified to a, white heat when lie that it is England which• is directing aAd inspiring the [ noble company of -ex-communicators— [England I He laughs in justifiable j scorn. "Wo are asked not to judge, not -to condemn, .we are even aske.d to forgive a nation which palliates the Baralong. murders, jwhich. uses the horrible Dqm Dum bullot, which : employs its •brown and yellow troops with their poisoned weapons against honourable Gorman soldiers, which tortures and : drives out > harmless,Jattd. man missionaries; from' their fields, of usefulness. Too much is demanded {from, us. Tho demand is too ha.rd! Dr Conrad turns his : attention 'to i this in and asks whether is is binding on German Christians under present circumstanccsy - but WO; get r no. guidance from : Jiim. 1 His

conclusion see.ms.to, be, .that,' Germans ■ 'can. only ' foigivc thoso who ' ask for forgiveness, and asked in the proper spirit. If Germans instead of waiting for a-request fpr forgiveness, marked by .the necessary humiliation'of spirit, .were to run after . their: enemies and .beg them to.conclude a-psace disgrace- ' ful for the'' Fatherland, they * would iprove. that thcyvhad--iioti*ia- breath • of the spirit of Christ. On this point Dr Conrad is most emphatic. God does not' forgive those w}io do not im•plore His forgiveness; neither doas Germany. -God makes''- peace with the sinner on God's otsti terms; Germany makes • peace with: the" nations sinning against her on Germany's own terms. He concludes as follows—tho Court chaplain and " Kreuz Zeitung'homilist this spiritual leader 0f... the German people:,. '• " When, under,, the hammer blows of Hindeuburg, the audacious ;.,Bpirit of our enemies has been smashed, when their eyes have been opened to sac tlie wrong they are doing to God and man, when they come to us .beseeching for- j giveness and pardpn, we shall not rc-J fuse forgiveness, vjust as ■we ourselves I are thrown on God for His grace. The j p,eace must make an end to all war and all rage. Wo would plough a new furrow." Wo notice throughout these homilies ( and similar,-deliverances the red thread of hatred towards this country. . Early in the war it'.w.asv one of tho most painIful factsV presented to us that among tho leader? of .the Gott strafe England movement, among the. inspirers of the rabid and malevolent- agttation against this country, .part was taken by the.leaders of ■ .the*' German churches.. This intense . hatred of England has been checked- .in ■•■many Quarters. . Writers , .have confessed V themselves .. ashamed, of- its brutish- fe- | rocity, -and J)««th in- the- Press; and' in •j various Federal Diets men: have been I found sensible enough and civilised enough to -.deplore. its worst majxifesta- ' tionp. But it is sad to reflect that among the Church lctuJcjs the jpld ani■mosity "continues to hold, and. tliat they ..among i the last, to abandon a pas-, sion which had so debased .their nation. At a -recent gathering of . .representatives of all -the - German-iMissionary Societies; speaker affcsfj'epeakor rose to denounce 'tho-iniquitouk policy iwhicli, it was alleged, England was pursuing towards the foreign missions. Only the Society of Friends was singled out as deserving approval. It - had protested we are told, against the action of the British Government, and ( had given its voice in favour of tho principle of '' supra-nationality " in foreign .missions. Speaker after speaker spoke of our brutal couduct. : Great . Britain, Germans were told, employed its missionaries in India and Africa'to do recruiting work, to drum up the natives of these countries," to; enlist in tho armies fighting against Germany. At the- International Church Conference held at .Upsala, German speakers repeatedly denounced the couduct of England towards? German and Swiss missionaries, declaring jtliat such con- ' duct cried aloud to heaven for redrew. One German orator concluded as ful- ■ lows--1 "We know all about British zoal for ; foroign missions. Our people have had • their eves .opened. Agnation of huck- • sters opposes a nation and i ... what cnii you expect bub,;b'rutality,V'til- ; Vgarity. and cruelty? Where ;is 're.i « li.gion in allrtJuitsßriti.-ih '\Empiro? !jj [• lusfc- wheret . I; get. no answer. " I" ' ~ ) 1 1 r r c E B 0 B 1 1