2-11-08
This Prcis passage of Harry Emerson Fosdick's "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?"(1922) shows Fosdick's distaste in the people who call themselves fundamentalists who feel there is no place for liberal Christians in the church. Evidence of this is shown in lines such as "Their (fundamentalists) apparent intention is to drive out of the evangelical churches men and women of liberal opinions". He discusses how man has discovered new knowledge of the universe on issues such as origin and human history that of which the Christian church fears. Overall he stresses the ideology of "Modern Christianity"- the intertwining of modern life with Christian values-"We must be able to think our modern life clear through in Christian terms, and to do that we also must be able to think our Christian faith clear through in modern terms." He calls for the need of tolerance as the fundamentalists are closed minded and intolerant to others that share different opinions than they do. Fosdick's sermon is important because it not only propelled him to becoming one of the nation's most influential religious figures, it showed that a religious figure could be open-minded, intellectual, tolerant, and hospitable. Along the same lines of Fosdick's sermon, "The Scopes Trial" (1925) was a great example of the fundamentalists' close-minded mentality. The trial came about when the Tennessee legislature passed a law forbidding, teachers in the state-supported schools to teach Darwin's theory of evolution. This outraged a biology teacher, John T. Scopes and brought the law to trial, which caught national interest. This passage is an insight into the trial between the prosecutor Clarence G. Darrow and fundamentalist leader William J. Bryan. Essentially Darrow reads straight from the bible instances such as Eve stealing the apple from the tree in the Garden of Eden, and asks Bryan if he believes it or not; each of Bryan's responses with end a yes, "I will believe just what the bible says". This trial was important because it shows an example of how fundamentalist feel "God's word"-the bible should be taken verbatim. "The Case against the Reds" (1920) by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, demonstrates his premise to rid the country of foreign radicals such as communists and anarchists. He states, "The whole purpose of communism appears to be mass formation of the criminals of the world to overthrow the decencies of private life, to usurp property that they have not earned and to disrupt the present order of life..." He then discusses how the Department of Justice will pursue the attack of communists and "no alien advocating the overthrow of existing law and order in this country, shall escape arrest and prompt deportation" This is significant because this is alienating one group because of their political views or personal beliefs. William Allen White's "The Red Scare is Un-American" (1920) is the opposition to Palmer's "Case against the Reds". White a Republican progressive criticized Palmer's crusade on the "Reds" for three reasons; "first it should be agreed that a man may believe what he chooses. Second, it should be agreed that when he preaches violence he is disturbing peace and should be put in jail. Third, he should be allowed to say what he pleases so long as he advocates
Prcis 2-11-08
legal constitutional methods of procedure." White's personal view was great leaders of our past such as Abraham Lincoln did not feel the government was perfect but changed it for the good of the nation using the correct constitutional devices, in which a war was fought against those who wanted to keep things the way they were. This article is significant because it shows the point of view that anyone should be able to voice his or her opinion as long as it is done in a lawful and peaceful way.