Religious Reality: A Book for MenRawlinson, A. E. J. (Alfred Edward John)
Religion
Religious Reality: A Book for Men
Rawlinson, A. E. J. (Alfred Edward John)
Theology, Doctrinal -- Popular works
Much, no doubt, will depend upon the temper of the returning troops,
both officers and men. That men and officers have learnt to know and
to respect one another upon the battlefield is acknowledged, but those
who imagine that herein is contained a solution of social and labour
problems are likely to prove grievously disappointed. A great deal of
nonsense is being talked about the effects of "discipline" upon the
men. Military discipline has its admirers: but men of mature years and
civilian traditions who in the present conflict have served _in the
ranks_ of His Majesty's Army are not included among their number. They
have submitted to discipline for the period of their military service.
They are quite able to recognize that it is essential to the
efficiency of the army as a fighting machine. But they conceive
themselves to have been fighting for freedom: and their own freedom
and that of their children and of their class is included in their
eyes among the objects for which they fight. They will be more than
ever jealous, after the war, of their recovered liberties, and
determined to assert them. It is probable that one result of
demobilization will be an enormous accession of strength to the ranks
of the Socialist and Labour parties. The "class war" with which
society was threatened before the European War broke out is not likely
to be a less present danger when "that which now restraineth" is
removed by the conclusion of peace.
What in relation to these problems is the message of the Christian
Church? The distinctively Christian ethic is based not upon self-
assertion but upon self-sacrifice, not upon class distinctions but
upon brotherhood. "Let no man seek his own, but each his neighbour's
good." The principle is of corporate as well as of individual
application. In an ideally Christian society, the interests of
"Labour" would be the sole concern of "Capital," the interests of
"Capital" the sole concern of "Labour": and the message of the Church
to the contending parties should be, now as always, "Sirs, ye are
brethren."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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