n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 6
not about to disown the Divine and renounce its own culture simply to
avoid offending the sensitivities of the few who might take exception to the
President’s prayer.
In England, also, there was an awareness that it was not just a country, but
a religion and the civilization built upon it, that were under attack. Winston
Churchill, in his famous “Finest Hour” speech to the House of Commons on
the 18th of June 1940, declared: “Upon this battle depends the survival of
Christian civilization.”
Today, the fate of Christian civilization is again hanging in the balance.
But how times have changed! The shared religious faith that united the people
in a common purpose and gave them the fortitude to win World War II has
been severely eroded.
The situation we’re in now is actually more dangerous than it was in
World War II, when we faced powerful enemies from without, but received
confidence and hope from “our religion” within.
(WEO)
“one nation, under god”
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln also led the nation in
turning to God for help. Calling for “a day of national humiliation, fasting and
prayer,” Lincoln quoted the 33rd Psalm: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord.”
Because the Lord was its God, the United States survived its great trial and
became a bastion of liberty and a beacon to the world. From the beginning it
imagined itself to be “a city set on a hill,” as the Lord said in the Sermon on the
Mount, and in so far as any nation can be said to be that, it succeeded – but
only because it strove to be “one nation, under God.” Remove the “under God”
part, and the oneness will soon disappear also.
(WEO)
mary lou williamson: leaving a
mark on her ‘children’
Miss Mary Lou on her 88th birthday.
Miss Mary Lou, who passed on to the spiritual
world on February 9, was an irrepressible
spirit in the world of New Church education.
She taught for 40 years – kindergarten and
first grade for the first 20 years, in Glenview
and Bryn Athyn – then drama, speech and
English in the Academy Girls School. She
also directed plays for Bryn Athyn College
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