CHURCH PEACE MANIFESTO
CRITICISM BY DR. ERWIN,
Christchurch, May 8. “You may propagate your resolution and gather your men around you and deck the mount in olive leaves, but let any one touch the liberty or even the territory of the British Empire and in a moment you Avill find your peace uniform change to khaki. You ministers may accept this resolution, but your members never Avill.”
These remarks were made at a meeting of the Christchurch Presbytery to-day by the Rev. Dr. R. JErwin, Avhen he attacked the peace manifesto which Avas draAvn up by 'a committee from all churches, and was passed at the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Erwin took exception to portions of the manifesto —“It goes too far,” he said. He needed no conviction about the evils of Avar; he thought that the Great War had put back the advance of civilisation of every nation but the United States, Avhich avus not in it long enough to be affected to the same extent as the others. He needed no persuasion about the attitude of the Christian Church towards Avar. He believed that the Avhole weight of the Christian Church Avas behind any movement that went to eliminate Avar. “We have lost the cream of the generation through Avar, and therefore I have no time for the eA’ils that arise through it,” said Dr. ErAvin. “Futility is something that fails to accomplish the end.” He thought Avar Avas the means of making degenerate races and that people should not endorse false statements as those in the manifesto. “I am not prepared to endorse it,” he said. “All Avars, with the exception of civil Avars, have been Avaged in settling disputes between nations. The Church can have no say Avitli anything that is in connection Avith Avar.”
Dr. ErAvin referred briefly to the young man at Auckland avlio. being a conscientious objector, refused to do military training. “If the position taken up by this man is , correct, then everyone in the Presbytery should be behind that conscientious objector.” Dr. ErAvin pointed to the history of the Empire and the memace of Russia, and concluded: “Does any mas say that a man is not justified in standing up against the menace Avhich obliterated the aristocracy, the middle classes ancl the intellectuals? W|ouhl a man be justified in bearing arms to resist a power like that?” The remit Avas eventually referred to a special committee.
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Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3790, 10 May 1928, Page 3
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408CHURCH PEACE MANIFESTO Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3790, 10 May 1928, Page 3
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