No Hell, No Heathen

The venerable English Psalter will be revised. The findings of a committee appointed by the National Assembly in 1920, headed by Bishop Ryle, dean of Westminster, propose that some of the imprecatory Psalms be omitted entirely, and that 346 verses be deleted from other Psalms, either because of the unsatisfactory condition of the text from which translations must be made, or because of the "Hatefulness " of the spirit of the passage. The word "Hell " will be generally supplanted by "Death" or "Grave," "Peoples" will be changed to " People," and "Heathen " to "Nations."

Although the changing or deletion of 346 verses is far more drastic than any scheme that has ever been put forward before, members of Bishop Ryle's committee report that they have removed only a few of the conspicuous blemishes.

The report goes to the House of the Laity this week, and is expected to be passed by them on April 25.

In 1865 an American preacher remarked that "it would have been impossible to fight through the Civil War without the imprecatory Psalms." Now a large section of the church wishes to abolish such Psalms from their weekly worship. What Galileo said of the world might also be said of religion: "E pur si muove--it does move."