The War and the Churches

Europe's wartime religious arguments give Joseph McCabe a way to examine the churches' claims to moral authority. Published in 1915, this work challenges the explanation that declining Christian belief has brought about the conflict. McCabe points to the church traditions of the fighting nations and contrasts religious professions with public conduct. He treats the military system itself as a moral problem, extending his discussion beyond the justification of any particular country's defence.

Historical comparisons and criticism of sermons carry the argument forward. In his response to Archbishop Carr, McCabe disputes the idea of war as divine punishment for unbelief, stressing the suffering shared by families with very different convictions. His rationalist position also gives weight to people's efforts to direct their own moral lives. Readers interested in religion and public responsibility can follow a contemporary dispute about spiritual leadership, human agency and the possibility of peace.