(no subject)
"Americans themselves know all too well that their genius is not in religion… Americans are great people; there is no doubt about that. They are great in building cities and railroads… Americans have wonderful genius for improving the breeds of horses, carrel, sheep and swine; they raise them in multitudes, butcher them, eat them, and send their meat-products to all parts of the world. Americans too are great inventors. They invented or perfected telegraphs, telephones, talking and hearing machines, automobiles… poison gasses… They are great in democracy… Needless to say, they are great in money… They first make money before they undertake and serious work… To start and carry on any work without money is in the eyes of the Americans madness… Americans are great in all these things and much else; but not in Religion, as they themselves very well know… Americans must count religion in order to see or show its value… To them big churches are successful churches… To win the greatest number of converts with the least expense is their constant endeavor. Statistics is their way of showing success or failure in their religion as in their commerce and politics. Numbers, numbers, oh how they value numbers!... Mankind goes down to America to learn how to live the earthly life; but to live the heavenly life, they go to some other people. It is no special fault of Americans to be this-worldly; it is their national characteristic; and they in their self-knowledge ought to serve mankind in other fields than in religion."
- Kanza Uchimura, in Japan Christian Intelligencer, 1926.
- Kanza Uchimura, in Japan Christian Intelligencer, 1926.