1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

shall be known as one of the Christiannations. By this they do not mean, however,that the Chinese will be convertedto faith in Jesus as the Redeemer of theworld and their personal Savior, butmerely that China recognizes that the nationswhich call themselves Christian, aremore wise, more intelligent, less superstitious,better educated and better warriorsthan the nations which recognizeBuddhism, Brahminism, Taoism, Mohammedanism, etc.The statement, therefore, simply means that the Chinesepropose to adopt Occidental manners and customs and,so far as possible, Occidental lines of thought.DIFFICULTIES SHOULD BE PROMPTLY REMOVEDBut while the psychological moment for the spread ofChristianity would appear to have arrived, there is a difficulty.The Chinaman is perplexed by the 600 differentdenominations of Christians and the 600 different theoriesof salvation which they represent. Once awakened tothought he is more critical, if not more logical, than themasses of Christendom in respect to what he will acceptinstead of the doctrines he proposes to drop. He asksthe missionaries all kinds of questions, the majority ofwhich receive no satisfactory answer. One of the principaldifficulties is on the subject of the Trinity--how therecould be one God and He of three different persons, orhow there could be three different Gods and yet thesethree be only one person; and how the one God could bedead for three days and raise Himself from the dead. TheChinese mind seems unable to grasp this mathematicalproblem.As between the Protestant Hell and the CatholicPurgatory, the Chinaman is also perplexed. He wants toknow where Hell and Purgatory are located, and whoknows and how he knows. He seems perplexed to understandhow a just and loving God should bring so manypeople into existence for such a fate. While Christianityappeals to them in some ways, it repels them along theselines; the poor Chinese are really in a quandary. Thetrend amongst the more thoughtful ones seems to be toconsider all religions as more or less superstitions, usefulmerely for the control of the more degraded and vicious.In view of these limitations, the missionaries now findit inexpedient to discuss doctrinal matters. Instead, thechief attention is given to schools, colleges, hospitals, Y.M.C.A.privileges, sports, etc. Their hope is that thisbeneficial influence may gradually attract more and morethe Chinese, and that thus will spring up a preference forChristian methods and places of worship over and aboveR5011 : page 129those of other religions.