World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Young Men's Christian Associations
"On the whole, I venture to say, there is not a great revival of the
Christian religion at the front. Deep in their hearts is a great trust
and faith in God. It is an inarticulate faith expressed in deeds. The
top levels, as it were, of their consciousness, are much filled with
grumbling and foul language and physical occupations; but beneath lie
deep spiritual springs, whence issue their cheerfulness, stubbornness,
patience, generosity, humility, and willingness to suffer and to die.
There is religion about; only, very often it is not the Christian
religion. Rather it is natural religion. It is the expression of a
craving for security. Literally it is a looking for salvation."
It may be asked, To what extent are the men thinking of religion and
discussing its problems? One friend of the writer, a young Anglican
chaplain, says: "The men are not thinking at all. They are 'carrying
on.' They spend hours in playing a game like House because it requires
no thought." However, it would probably be fairer to say that at times
all of them think about religion, although they do not talk very much
about it. It is not, however, consistent thought leading to action.
Rather they have moments of deep impressions, vague longings, intuitions,
and hunger of heart. But the minute anyone starts a discussion or begins
to attack religion, men show that they have been thinking, or that they
have ideas of their own in private.
Most of them believe in God, although they do not know Him in a personal
way. They believe in religion, but have not made it vital and dominant
in their lives. They have a vague sense or intuition that there is a God
and that He is a good God, round about and above them. He is looked
upon, however, not as One whom they are to seek first, but rather as a
last resort; not as a present Father and constant Friend, but as One to
whom they can turn in time of need. They have a vague feeling of
unworthiness, although no clear sense of sin. Yet they also have an
inarticulate belief or intuition that they have tried, however brokenly
or unsuccessfully, to live up to such light as they had or to some
standard of their own. They feel that somehow, though they have often
failed, at bottom they are not so very bad, and that God is very, very
good. Their vague feeling would probably find its most accurate
expression in Faber's hymn, "There's a wideness in God's mercy, like the
wideness of the sea."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account