Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 20
October 10, 1968
NUMBER 23, PAGE 6b-7

Overseen And Overheard

Jefferson David Tant

LOST CONTROL — Reader's Digest recently carried the story of the man filling out an insurance report explaining how his wife damaged the family car. The report went something like this: "She backed through the garage door, ran over our son's bicycle, knocked over a bush, drove through the flower bed, and then lost control of the car..." Laughable though it is, it rather poignantly parallels the religious situation today. The denominational churches have for years and years been careless with the Bible They have debunked its claims for inspiration, denied its miracles, questioned its relevance, ridiculed its accuracy. Having thus undermined faith in the word of God, and having removed its moral restraints from society, they have now "lost control" completely, and we are seeing an ever swifter breakdown of morals. "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." (Hosea 8:7)

BIRD IN HAND — Some time ago we gave notice to a rather bizarre "drive-in funeral home" in the planning for Atlanta. But it seems that the "American Way of Dying" is not confined to the human population. From California we note the advertisement of the Interfaith Parakeet Funeral Chapel: "When Sorrow Strikes, Put Your Bird in Our Hands." (Some clever remark would be good here, but I'm speechless.)

THIS IS FREEDOM? From Christianity Today we quote a bit emphasizing the oppression of the Greek Catholic Church when it has power: "An aged man and his grand-daughter were sentenced to two years in jail and fines of $166 each for proselytizing for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Greece." We have also heard of the case in Mexico of a Presbyterian preacher who was sentenced to seven years in jail simply for selling Bibles door to door. If the Catholic hierarchy can keep the people in ignorance, so much the better. Do not be deceived by the soft talk from the Catholic Church today. Its aims are still the same. This fact was brought out by a statement made by the Pope on the eve of the Fourth Assembly of the World Council of Churches at Uppsala. Seemingly in response to the councils attempts at unity, the Pope dimmed the hopes of those who thought Rome was on the way to modifying its position about its own primacy.

The Pope declared that any "reunion" must take place under the headship of the Pope. Yes, the Catholic leadership is interested in freedom and unity — within the Catholic Church!

JUST WRITE "YES" — A new way to go to heaven has been discovered. An ad recently clipped from a newspaper announced "JESUS" in large letters across the top. The text of the ad goes on to state: "The saved go to heaven, the lost go to hell. To receive Jesus and be saved write yes here________.

The signer is then urged to send the ad to the Rainbow Church in Los Angles. But I just looked in my New Testament, and it still says "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." (Mark 16:16), and "...Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) Well, the Rainbow people didn't quote any scripture, but I thought maybe they had something there.

"IN A WORD: SINTAX" (By Los Angles Times News Service) — In the unceasing search for new things to tax, a San Francisco Episcopalian vicar came up with a curious idea.

"The other day, the Rev. Robert W. Cromey said that 'we should make prostitution a legal business and then we would be able to put a tax on it.' In a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, he wrote:

'I suggest we will never stamp out prostitution. Why not let the profession regulate itseIf? Put prostitution on the free enterprise system.'

"The vicar of St. Aidan's Church said that his plan 'would end police snooping into persons' personal sex lives and provide the city with an income from a sales tax."'

Let's see now. There are possibilities here. We will very likely never stamp out bank-robbing, so why not legalize it and place a hefty tax on the loot? We could also consider similar action with respect to dope, car theft, hi-jacking, etc. We might impose a "body tax" and legalize murder, charging so much tax for each bullet-riddled body produced a la Fearless Fosdick.

Seriously, the fact that such a proposal would be made in the first place is an indication of a sick society, but coming from a supposed "man of God" is a sad commentary on the denomination that produced and keeps one with such complete and utter disregard for the Word of God and its moral principles.

Jdt