RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 12, 14 January 1905, Page 10

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

I»O WE BELIEVE ? (A Digest of a Series of Letters in the ".London Daily Telegraph. ,- ) (By L.C.F.) There was opcued on September "29, in tiro columns of the "Daily Telegraph," a correspondence which has proved of such ab.-*orohig interest that the paper is still (.November ]Oj devoting four leading columns daily to it; and that last Sun day. live weeks alter the- opening of the correspondence, SO sermons were pnacli«'d bearing upon Ihe question, 'iiic eorrrspondence was opened l>y a letter sign<:l ""Oxonie_nsis." and pointing out that, in view of the approaching Church Congrc,-a on October 1. and the probable rliscus-Sl n of minor points of church doctrine .m J ritual, it would hf well to a-<k whether xvp believe in the fiindanvntals of a religion of which tin-He tilings arc I.ul the outward show. Tin.- letter rings throughout with the o,uestion —Do we believe? Do we believe what is taught us by all the churches: that there is a life to come, for which this life is but a preparation? Do we accept the Christian standard of morals laid dosvn in the. Sermon on the .Vfount, or do we only repeat those words with our lips, living with our lives the world's standard; seeking wealth instead of self-sacrifice: petting the heit of our enemies instead of doing pood to them? We cannot deny thnt in all great ciliis of the world the" counsel of perfection is not. the one which prevail , ?. "Is our Christianity a splendid hypocrisy?' . What is it? What do we believe?

Such was the question. It was no challenge, no attack; it was not intended to he made a question of morals, of the consistency of practice and belief, nor of church systems: but simpiy a probing, an examination of the national faith. Do v, \ individually, believe, in God and a life to come? In Christianity with us a dead letter or a living faitb ?

This opening letter caused the widest| interest, and though, naturally. :i large part of the following; < orro.-pondenee emanated from the clergy, yet all classes of the community contributed to it. Probably the ablest k'ttcr of the series is 1 hat" which appeared the following clay, opening with the lines: "The iuunon heart is ceasing to be dogmatic, liuc it is not ceasing to he devout. Modern intelligence will not consent to bo cramped by toe precise catechism of any creed, or to be fettered in thought and spirit by the sixteenth century formulas upon which all the churches "are in reality founded.' This writer states the case of those who, though "religious by in-tinet." arc yet "sceptical by intelligence towards all the systems of all the sects - — that everiiicreasing body of people who yearn to be able to place their belief in the God of the churches, yet whose intellects cannot permit them to accept the concomitant doctrines that tho.e churches demand of them. Such had, perhaps. 1e..-s happy lives, iwcause of this "reluctant disbelief," hut not necessarily worse lives from an ethical point of view. They are in a case to deserve pity, rather ti.an to be branded as wicked. Many of these are earnest inquirers after truth, who have, nevertheless not been able to find in tho churches adequate fuel for the dying fire of their faith. Too often, alas! the weak ineificacy of the modern pulpit offers stones for bread to the starving soul. That cry rings s-adly in some, of these letters-"the pathos in them is its If an argument for faith when contrasted wilh the clear tone of joy pervading the letters of those believers- who have taken part in the correspondence. Even these, be it noticed, hold widely diverse views; they count with those who believe still in the infallibility of the Scriptures, also those vhow worship goes out "to the Unknown Uod " and thoso who have found the ureal, power of the Holy Spirit to be the -Indwelling God," whose temples are our BjMthe Church of England itself this torrespondence has been welcomed; the Ocan of Westminster p>cpresses 'an insense of the timeliness of the question"; Anchdeacon Sinclair points out that it is being more widely read than sermons or books, and that by it we learn to understand the difficulties of others, at the same time gaining Eirenoth for our own faith. The Bishop of London admits that the Christian faith was never moTe severely tried or attacked than at present, and that there are thousands in Ijondrm who do not believe; but he affirms emphatically the belief of millions. He points to the progressive work of missionaries, the power of Christianity and its increasing influence, even in the unspeakably sad quarters of East London. Many of the letters show a turning -vay from complex doctrine and dog"mas; in several of thorn is expressed a longing that was expressed first in the ■words, "Can we find new- formulae to express again the Irving faith of one great church distinguishing all who believe in the Divine interpretation of ihines from those who are content -with the 'theory of mechanical materialism?" For such -a church, however, the world is not ready yet: too many of us are still material, even in our worship, and need a concrete e>rnression of out holy things. In that lies the strength of the Eoma.il Catholic Church. And. until the time i=; ripe, it is perhaps well that the two forms of worship—may they ho called the ethereal and the substantial?—should exist ride hy .side.

Perhaps, to those who once fall into doubt, the great difficulty of faith lies m its very simplicity. Tim man who i c . Fteeped in science and rationalism finds ii difficult to become as a. little child. For he forgets that he is not aske.l to accept hard doctrines. "What Christ required of men while He was on earth *as that they should follow TTim. Ho did not require that men should acrept a certain number of propositions concerning Him. Never was his own liberal rule more in nffd of a-pplication. T>en though a man did not see his way to foTTow closely with the Church, yet if be showed that to him Christ was the liijrhest authority, his true guide in all moral and siritual matters, that man was a Christian. If men couLl be induced to look away from and beyond churches and institution?, dogmas and creeds, and grasp the idea th.it Jesus Christ was the world's Saviour, many difficulties in the wav would be removed."

It is not possible to argue belief into people. But if the existence of God be accepted, is it not natural that. He should reveal Himself to His creature, man, and that He should do it through man, through the Old Testament fathers, through all great leaders of relisrioTi, through His own Son? Perhaps the greatest argument for Cnristra-nity is its regenerating influence on the world: ever, when it ba-< been most nearly followed the world has been at its best. But faith is ■rarely won through sucli arguments- it i= that intangible gift, of Ood. priceless and yet without price, since it is to ha had for the asking.

Is this, after all, a useless inquiry? Must the answer to this great question

always be. as these widely differing letters have shown it, u Some believe, some do not —some do not know what to believe"? The good of such a discussion is that it may bring help or strength to all three of these classes; the evil, that it may but engender polemic argument. * There can be no conclusive

"Yes" or "No" to such a question: it can but be left, as the Dean of Westminster leaves it—"Do we believe? Yes, at bottom many of us do. We believe, and at the same moment ask

help for our unbelief. . . - Others nf us oajinot say thus mnrh —perhaps the majority of us at present.' .

CHURCH WKWS AND SfOTES. A statement of the American Bible Society shows that in the 8S years of its life there have bo-en issued 74,441,674 • v>pies of the pood book, of which 1.770.891 were in last year. In the Philippines the circulation has increased from 01 200 last year to llfi 536 this year. Panama and Korea, as well as other foreign agencies, are to receive special attention in the future.

The Rev. Dr. George Brown, general secretary of the Methodist Foreign Missionary Society of Australasia, was to leave Sydney for Tasmania on January 10, to pursue the appeal of the General Conference for a special fund of £10.000. The Re%". Ambrose Fletcher, from New Ciuinea, has couimaneed missionary deputation work in the Bathurst district, and the Rev. E. W. Caust, late of Kotunia, has begun similar work in the circuits of the northern rivers. All these deputations will be continued for several weeks in the respective districts. The Rev. J. A. Crump, recently from New Britain, will commence a series of missionary meetings in Iscw Zealand on January 15. The Bishop of ftroydon early in October gave the first of a series of short addresses to men at St. PauFs Church. Covent Garden, London. Speaking to a large congregation, the Bishop asked if there were not signs in the nation of the lessening its hold upon religion. In the lir.->t place, the observance of the Sunday in this country was confessedly dying' out, and the attendance at public worship was fast diminishing. Attacks of all kinds wore being made upon religion, but they j T-ere iiot animated by the spirit of in- \ quiiy. but by animosity, and no sugges- j tions for anything to take the/ place of Christianity were made. The age was openly .-poken of as being a decadent age, which was not showing signs of progress :md improvement, but signs of degeneration and demy. The appointment of a Commission to inquire into the physical degeneration' of the race showed that there was something which greatly needed improvement. He regretted to see, especially among Churchmen, an unwillingness to take any public office involving labour of any kind, excepting for personal motives. There was shameful luxury among the rich, and even in view of a very hard winter there seemed to bo indifference to the needs of the poor and distressed, and the rich went on with their shamefully extravagant pleasures. The increase of drunkenness among women, the disinclination of all clas.-es to do honest work for an honest wage, and the mania for gambling —whether it was the society woman with her perpetual bridge, or the man with his horseracing—all pointed to the losing of the nation's hold upon religion.

However silken the Episcopal purple may be in England and Wales (says the '•Daily Mail"), in the colonies our bishops have a hard time often enough. The Bishop of North Queensland is now in the 'enjoyment of a precarious income of £ 400" a year, and the endowment fund of the Bishop of New Guinea produces less than £300 a year. The diocese of the latter embraces 90.000 squaio miles.' .

A sum of £ 13.500 was still needed m November to complete the £93.000 required for the creation of th-e Bishopric of Southwark, London.

At a meeting of the- BrrnrmKham Bishopric Committee it was reported that the funds required for the endowment of the See with a stipend of £3500 had been secured. The total amount received, or promised, amounted to £118,000.

The Bishop of Peterborough (England) sanctioned some weeks ago a form of prayer for use in his diocese, "imploring that the war in the Far East may be speedily brought to a- close-' .

The Bishop of London, presiding over the anniversary meeting of the East London Church" Fund, said that out of the 050 churches in his diocese he had preached in 500.

Grants and loans, which totalled £100.000. have recently been made from the English Wesleyan Million Guineas Century' Fund to the Home Missions in the mother country, and of this amount £10000 was set apart for permanent temperance work.

The Rev. Dr. Murray Mitchell, of Edinburgh, a pre-disraption father of the U.K. Church of Scotland, died November, 14. in 00th year of his age. Dr. Murray Mitchell was a great linguist, and a celebrated missionary to Western India, and Mrs Murray Mitchell is also a well-known writer upon. Anglo-Indian missions.

Large contributions to the Canterbury Cathedral Restoration Fund were being received in November, which in- - hided £."500 from the Primate, £300 from Canon Scott Holland, £250 from Canon Mason. -P2OO from Dean Wace. iriH so on. The restoration Tcill ( cost upwfu-.l* of £-10.000.

The Bishop of London, addressing a crowded audience in Poplar (London), said that when he first settled in London —he would not say it was so now—it was the custom for large masses of the people to stay in bed on Sunday till 12 o'clock. 1o spend from 1 to 3 in drinking. 1o take tea at 5. and to spend ihe rest of the evening visiting friends- It was such tbingrs as this that discouraged mariv of those workinnr in the East End.

The American Ambassador in London visited St. Saviour's Church. Soufchwark itli" future Cathedral for South London) in November, and offered to erect a memorial window in the edifice. There is ?ome talk nlso of one of the chapels bein? restored by members of the Harvard University to the memory of their founder ("the Rev. John Harvard), who was baptised at Southwark.

A public meeting, presided over by the Bishop of London, was held at Westminster to hear addresses from several of the missioners who had taken part in the "Mission of Help" to the Church in South Africa. The Bishop stated that !he mission had been welcomed with the most touching STafitude by the wholo of South Africa.

The authorities of the Church Mis sionary Society of the United Kingdom have recently expressed their regret that so few candidates are offering themselves for fornign mission work. The number, it is stated, is far below that required to maintain even the present staff in a state of efficiency, much less to meet the appeals made for extended operations.