BURNING BIBLES IN THE PHILIPPINES
By Editor
As Usual, the Attempt to Destroy the Book Increased the Interest and Its Sale
PASTOR L. V. FINSTER sends us a late issue of the Renacimiento Filipino, a daily paper published in Manila. The large head-lines on the front page read: "Vigan Friars Publicly Destroy 2,500 Copies of Holy Scripture. Awestruck Spectators on Plaza Witness Anathema of Protestant Literature by Representatives of Catholic Organization. Three World Powers May Be Plunged into Serious Church Controversy as Result of Religious Cine Exhibit." The opening sentence of the article reads: "2,500 Bibles burned in the plaza of Vigan, the largest and most important city in northern Luzon. Burned by representatives of the Catholic Church. Burned as an evidence of the displeasure of the old established church at the activity displayed by the Protestant missionaries in spreading the word of God through the provinces. Thus, briefly, is told the tale of the most flagrant and iniquitous act perpetrated in the name of religion since the days of the Inquisition." Then the article goes on to tell that the agents of the American Bible Society gave a moving-picture entertainment showing numerous Bible scenes. This was done with the idea of creating an interest in the Bible itself, a Bible being given as a premium to each one who had a ticket for the entertainment. The Catholic priests immediately got up an entertainment, and made as a provision that no cash would be accepted for admission, but that the price would be a Bible. In this way 2,500 of those who had received Bibles surrendered them to the priests in order to get into this entertainment; and after the priests secured the Bibles, they publicly announced a general burning of all these books the next afternoon. It is needless to say that this created a great furor in the town; and another very interesting thing is that immediately following this public burning of 2,500 Bibles, the people of the place purchased more than 3,000 additional ones from the agents of the Bible society. This incident shows very clearly the spirit of religious bigotry and the lengths to which it will go. It also should encourage all true believers in the Bible, and those who are working to promulgate the great truths that it contains; for this instance is serving to advertise the Bible all the more strongly in that part of the world, and thus its great light will shine all the more brightly. Our Catholic friends ought to be able to see that when their church seeks to keep them from reading and studying the Bible for themselves, it is curtailing their liberties. If a man does not have freedom of thought, he is not free in any sense of the word. Occurrences of this kind should be as great an object-lesson to Catholics as to Protestants, and it should be particularly so in liberty-loving and free America, England, Germany, and other great Protestant countries.