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F.B.I. Director H oover says:
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Why I Believe
" . . there is no more vital or potent force in our nation today!"
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graphs. Add to that the laws of each separate state, county, city and town, and you get an idea of how far we have gone in an effort to insure equal justice for all, and to protect each member of society from the de predations of the lawless^ Each of these laws is an outgrowth of one of the world’s ten basic laws—of the Ten Commandments which are taught, or should be taught, in every Sunday school. I have never seen a true adherent of these Command ments stand at the bar of a criminal court. A few months ago, three youngsters — two aged thirteen and one aged fourteen — were arrested for the theft of eight automobiles. A ll three were given sentences by the court. We discovered that lack of religion had played a most important part in the tragedy. These boys came from homes in which there was no religion, no family prayers, no acknowledgment of God, no emphas is upon that Commandment which tells youth, “Thou shalt not steal!” One of these boys had no guidance whatever from his mother; she was divorced. When they came to court, the father admitted that he was at fault for this, but he thought he might be able to “ do better in the future.” The judge pointed out that it was too late for that now; a father who had failed so badly could never hope to do any better. I have seen many parents like this, and I have often wondered why it is that we make so little effort to protect the children who are the helpless victims of such situa tions. Those who want to become lawyers or doctors spend years in preparation, as do the members of every other profession. But what of marriage and parenthood? No training seems to be needed! They may have the best of intentions, but untrained parents make tragic errors even with those intentions, and the children pay for it. Here is one of our great social lacks. A few years back, a vicious murderer still in his twenties threatened Special Agents of the FBI. As a gang leader he was responsible for several deaths, and now he planned to kidnap certain key FBI men. When the showdown came in New Orleans, the criminal meekly surrendered. I wish his lesson could be taught in every Sunday school. I wish our youngsters could understand that this man-without-God was brave only on the surface, and brave only when he knew he was safe. Force was the only authority he respected. He lacked the sustaining power of religion, and when his personal assurance was gone there remained only the shattered hulk of a man. The Sunday school can help here as no other institu tion can, for the Sunday school offers a moral, ethical and spiritual way of life that is of unsurpassed value in our times. It is true and sound. In fitting our young folks for the future, in guaranteeing the permanency of dem ocratic principles, there is no more potent or vital force in our nation. The Sunday school can become our guar antee of tomorrow!
Sunday Schools
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T h e r e is n o substitute for religion and the Sunday school! By the same token, there is no synthetic replacement for a decent home life. Our high crime rate, particularly among juveniles, is directly traceable to a break down in moral fiber—to the disintegration of home and family life. Religion and home life are supplementary. Each strengthens the other. It is seldom that a solid and wholesome home life can be found in the absence of religious inspiration. And the filaments of religion and family life burn brightest and most effectually when children have attended the Sunday school. Children are not bora criminals, but certain turns of the road of life guide some youngsters off onto side roads where they unwittingly begin criminal careers. The churches can bring these youngsters back to the right road. If more of our children can be reached by the Sunday school, we will be much nearer a real solu tion to the crime problem. Those youngsters who go in for lawlessness in their childhood days and later when they are grown to man’s estate, load on our shoulders one of our heaviest national burdens. In the United States criminals force us to spend each year more than 4 2/3 times as much on them as we spend on all forms of education, both public and private. We spend for their detection, arrest, conviction and punishment nearly thirty times as much money as the combined budgets of all church and religious organi zations in the country. Each year that crime continues, it will cost every man, woman and child in the U.S. approximately $110. That’s too much! Let’s not go on kidding ourselves. Law enforcement has done a splendid job, but it could do a much better job if it had more help in certain directions. Law enforce ment needs the help of home, church and school. Re ligious stimulation, prayer and adherence to the com mandments of God are to me the outstanding “musts” of this era. The Code of Laws of the United States is a voluminous work; it consists of many volumes, thousands of para-
JULY, 1962
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