The Way of Peace (1947) | UCLA restoration

[Clarion prelude music] [Chorus singing] Lord, God our Father. We give our praise to thee. Singing of peace on Earth and Calvary. Singing of Christ, who died to set us free. Lord God we thank thee, above piety [?] [Orchestral hymn continues] [Music fades out] [Narrator, Lew Ayres] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth, and all that was good. All that was good upon the Earth. The forests. The mountains that were brought forth. The trees yielding their fruits. Grass that clothed the ground. The waving fields of grain. The music of the little streams on every side. The flow of the mighty rivers. And the seas that bound the shores. And God created everything that moved. Beneath the waters. Everything that moved upon the land. And in the air. And in all these things. God was pleased. [Pastoral music] [Ayres] God was pleased for here was a fitting place for his most beloved creation, man. To man, God gave control over all his creation. Gave all his wonders to man, to care for and enjoy. To use the free will. To build with intelligence. To live not only in the image of God, but, also in the spirit of God. And for a while, man did live in the spirit of God. Man loved and understood God. And with this understanding and love, man found peace. Peace within himself and peace with his neighbor. And God saw that this was good. But, not for long. [Ominous music] [Ayres] For soon man took God and all the wonders of God for granted. And what you take for granted, you soon ignore. So it was, with man. Man ignored God and turned from his way. Deep within man's heart a wall was built between himself and his creator. [Apprehensive organ music] [Ayres] This wall was like a railroad, separating man from God. Like a wall built of pounderous stone. One stone laid upon another. Going higher, and higher and higher. Until man had completely closed out the light of God. And man was in the shadows. Here in the shadows, man was fearful. In the shadows of his own making, man found no peace. No peace within himself. No peace with his neighbor. For if a man turns away from God, and will not love God, then he cannot love his neighbor. And where there is no love, there can be only fear. In fear, man builds new walls. Walls of hatred. Walls of envy. Walls of distrust. Intolerance. And greed. Man builds all kinds of walls. Against only one kind of love. [Foreboding music] [Ayres] Without that love, and with the walls within his heart, Man is fearful and afraid. And hides his weakness in the domination of his fellow man. Enslaving and exploiting those weaker than himself. Throughout man's history, crafty leaders, themselves fearful and afraid, have played upon this weakness. We have ever been willing to listen, to follow, yes, and even to worship these leaders. Even some of us in the church. Hiding behind pious masks, and at times led men far from the way of peace. Man has stumbled on in fear and trembling, carrying high the banners of selfishness and hypocrisy. Shouting and demanding, the way of peace. But the peace, only God can give. Man himself, has shut out of his heart. Is it any wonder, that man in the shadows cannot find the way of peace. For to have the way of peace, man must have a changed heart. A heart that is not filled with fear and hatred. [Chorus singing] Lord, God our Father. We sing our praise to thee. Singing of peace on Earth [song fades] [Ayres] Some two thousand years ago, at a low point in man's despair, God, knowing that his children would perish in the darkness, sent as an expression of his love, the light of the world, in his own son. [Chorus singing, ascending] Ah, ah, ah, ah [holding note] [Chorus singing, descending] Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. [Organ music continues, rising in volume] [Chorus singing] Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. [Chorus singing, louder] Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. [Chorus singing] Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. [Chorus singing, louder] Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. [Chorus singing, louder] Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. [Chorus singing] Lord, God our Father. Our savior has been born. Bringing us peace on Earth, goodwill for man. [Chorus singing] [Chorus singing] Christ our Lord as king. Bringing joy and gladness, Christ our Lord as king [chorus fades] [Ayres] Multitudes went to see and hear Him. Little children were drawn to Him. The laboring man, the poor man and the rich. The teacher and the doctor. The soldier and the statesman. The outcasts, and the despised. The sick and the dying. They all came to see and hear Him. His message was for everyone, regardless of race, creed or color. His message was the way of peace. He said it very simply. He told us how to remove the walls within our hearts. And his words were, "This is my commandment. "That you love one another, as I have loved you." [Organ music crescendo] [Mournful organ music] [Ayres] And He did love man. Even though, man in his blindness, rejected Him. Some that had come to see and hear Him and stayed to follow Him. To carry the word, to tell that here was the way of peace for all nations. But they were too few. And there was no peace. [Marching music] [Ayres] We have seen it in our own time. We have continued to reject Him. We have continued to build the walls and live in darkness. We have continued to turn against our neighbor. Races pitted against race. Creed against creed. Color against color. Nation against nation. But the end is in sight. Yes, the end may come sooner than we think. For this is the atomic age. [Dramatic music in background continues] That, in itself, is no cause for fear. The atomic age gives promise of undreamed benefits to man. No, the only thing we have to change in this new age, is man himself. Man now has control of forces with the potential power to destroy himself and all the wonders that God created. Man has harnessed the power and the energy of the atom, for destruction. [Dramatic music] [Dramatic music] [Dramatic music] [Eerie music] [Foreboding music] [Ayres] The time is short to follow in His steps. The time is short to walk the way of peace. This well could be the last hour for decision. For it is quite possible, that one day, the end result of our hatred, greed, envy, selfishness, intolerance and distrust, will be, [Sound of missile launching] [Somber organ music] [Sound of explosions] [Sound of explosions and fire crackling] [Sound of missile launching] [Sound of explosions and fire crackling] [Explosion] [Explosion] [Fire crackling] [Missile launching] [Missile flying] [Explosions] [Missile flying] [Explosions] [Explosions] [Explosions] [Missiles launching] [Explosions] [Fire crackling] [Explosions] [Fire crackling] [Explosion] [Missile launching] [Explosions] [Missile launching] [Explosions] [Fire crackling] [Explosion] [Missile launching] [Explosions] [Fire crackling] [Explosions] [Fire crackling] [Explosion] [Fire crackling] [Rumbling] [Oppressive organ music starts under sounds of explosions, fire crackling, rumbling] [Drums added to music] [Music becomes eerie] [Music becomes eerier and foreboding] [Ayres] This is possible one day. What day? Only you can decide this day. And only you can keep this day from coming. [Chorus singing] Lord, God our Father. [Chorus singing] We sing our praise to thee. [Chorus singing] Singing of peace on Earth and Calvary. [Chorus singing] Singing of Christ, who died to set us free. Lord God we thank thee, above piety [?].