CHURCHES IN RUSSIA
Sir,-"F.K.T." exposes his own gullibility im the credence he gives to Kravchenko’s utterances. As one who followed the Kravchenko case closely (having a friend in Paris who kept me posted with newspapers relating to it) I know in what a poor light this individual was, shown..when -called on to defend his abuse of his native country. It is obvious that all "F.K.T.’s" ideas about Russia come from authorities like Kravchenko. If he knew anything about the history of the Church under the Czars, "F.K.T." would not be so shocked at the crude anti-Godism of early Soviet days. "There is in the U.S.S.R. today," according to the Webbs, "nothing that can properly be called persecution of any religious group." At the same time they admit that "the social atmosphere in the U.S.S.R. is unfriendly’ to any form of supernaturalism," That is because, like Bishop Barnes, they hold that "There have been many conflicts between religion and science. The latter in’ every case has won the battle." Their theory is that anything beyond the certain knowledge of science is the realm for scientific, not religious speculations. Religion, as with Galileo and Darwin, opposes to scientific: advance its homemade myths. Belief in a supernatural hinders scientific progress. Their method of combating it is not by persecution, but by setting against it propaganda for materialism and science. This does not mean, as many assert, an overthrow of "spiritual values": and on this point the Rev. Dr, Hewlett Johnson makes some very shrewd observations. And the moral integrity and popg dates of neither the Webbs nor Johnson has ever been seriously O the same cannot be said of Kravchenko. As to the Churches’ attitude to the Soviet Government, the. speech of Metropolitan Nikolai at the Paris Congress of Partisans for Peace last April, calling for support of the Soviet Union’s peace policy, tells a story. In these days it is easy to abuse Communism. But let "F.K.T." find out something about it before he rushes into
print.
C. V.
B.
(Wellington).
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 540, 28 October 1949, Page 5
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339CHURCHES IN RUSSIA New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 540, 28 October 1949, Page 5
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