Edinburgh International Festival Criticised
The Edinburgh International Festival of drama, music, etc., held as usual last Autumn, has been severely attacked by a number of people interested in the Festival. This surely indicates that something was far wrong with some of its activities. For example a nude girl appeared by deliberate arrangement at the end of a Drama Conference; and later Lord Harewood, the Director of the Festival, in a speech, attacked John Knox, the Scottish Reformer, in the following terms: “My greatest enemy is still that old Presbyterian, John Knox.” The critics declared in a letter: “As for Lord Harewood, we are entitled to call in question the judgment of a man who derides the faith of John Knox and attacks the people of Edinburgh . . . These gentlemen need to know that the people of Scotland do not want their godlessness and dirt imported across our border. They cannot use our Festival to foist this upon us in the name of culture.” When people who are interested in such worldly activities are disgusted and angry at some of the things permitted at this Festival, then matters must have been bad indeed. And what an impertinence on the part of Lord Harewood to raise his voice in public against John Knox! The enemies of truth and righteousness are bold and busy.
Dancing at Elgin on Sabbath
Elgin Town Council recently approved by eleven votes to four to let their Town Hall for dancing on Sabbath evenings, on a trial basis, whatever is really meant by “a trial basis.” Are the questions to be put to trial—Will it pay? Will the young people refrain from rowdyism? The standards of the law of God and Christian practice do not seem to enter into such decisions today. But Councillor B. Davidson rightly remarked: “It was a sad reflection on the young people of Elgin that they had nothing better to do than go dancing on a Sunday night.” It was very grievous also to read that one Church of Scotland minister remarked (on this deplorable decision) that he had really no objection to the dancing if young people attended Church beforehand. The true Christian religion just does not exist in such an outlook.
Indecision by Vatican Council
Readers of the press would think at one stage that the Vatican Council were prepared to permit the use of other languages other than Latin to be used in certain of their services. But then reports appeared of lack of agreement on this and other issues, such as the receipt of Communion in the form of both bread and wine, instead of the ‘wafer’ alone. Do the deceived Protestants of today in our land know that Roman Catholics do not receive the wine in the Sacrament of the Supper? Such blatant rejection of the Word of God is of course characteristic of Rome; and yet the trend Romeward continues. Our present view of these Vatican discussions is that Rome is affecting the appearance of being willing for change to throw dust in the eyes of the outside world to break down prejudices against her.
The Church of Scotland and Rome
Last October clergymen and laymen representing the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church in Scotland, met in Edinburgh to discuss “The Christian Concern for Young People.” They set up a Committee about this matter. Public meetings are to be held to explain the aims of the inter-denominational discussions and what has been achieved. The phase of the secret meetings in Convents is apparently over. The Rev. Roderick Smith, of the Church of Scotland, Edinburgh, and a Lewis man, said he did not think that it was time yet to approach the doctrines that separated the Churches. Now it would interest us to know what doctrines Rev. Mr Smith had in mind. There are the doctrines of The Confession of Faith, including a
clear condemnation of the Papacy; and there are the doctrines of the Mass, Purgatory, the Assumption of Mary, etc., on the Romish side. Is Rev. Mr Smith so simple as to even dream that Rome will compromise or change? Unless Mr Smith is completely fascinated and deceived by Rome, he should know as well as we do, that he is on the way to submission to Rome. And again we state, that there does not seem to be even one leader in the Church of Scotland capable of raising a true Christian, Protestant witness and opposition to the Romeward trend in that National Church.
Protestants Advised to Submit to Rome
If Rev. Roderick Smith, to whom we referred in the previous Note, reads The Scotsman, he would learn from Priest John McKee, of Edinburgh, what Rome requires of him and others who are “playing” at Conferences with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. This priest writing in the Scottish Catholic Herald, declared, inter alia “… that there are no longer Churches left in Britain to unite with, only Christ-loving individuals to be received back into the Church of their forefathers on their submission to Rome’s doctrines and disciplines.” This priest also stated: “No one can be doctrinally representative of the Church of Scotland . . . Each man is an island in the Protestant Churches . . . it is pointless to speak of reunion with Protestant Churches.” This priest likened the separation to a mountain range, the peaks of which represented the doctrines of Infallibility, the Mass, the Assumption, the seven Sacraments, etc. And he added: “These are the Alps which the Protestant Hannibals must scale before they ever march to Rome.” And whatever lies and propaganda are used to deceive Protestants who are ignorant of Romish methods, priest John McKee has cleared the air with arrogant boldness.