OPTIMISTIC VIEW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 158, 6 July 1937, Page 9

OPTIMISTIC VIEW.

MARCH OF WORLD RELIGION. "CHURCH LIFE EFFICIENT." (B.v Telegraph.—Special to "S:a.-.•") NEW PLYMOUTH, this day. An optimistic view of world affairs and the progress of religion was taken liy the Right Rev. C. A. Cherrington, bishop of V\aikiltu, in iiio charge at the annual Waikato Diocesan Synod this afternoon. "It is frequently the fashion when making a public pronouncement, as a bishop is expected to do when opening his synod, to deplore the present state ( of the world, to observe that things | have reached a crisis and that we are at the parting of the wave and eo on," he said. "I am not going to do that— partly because I do not want to bore you with what has been so often said before and partly be«. 2 I do not believe it." The Bishop pointed out that conditions in Britain and Europe 20 years I aft:-r the Napoleonic wars were*inii-i likely woive than they have been for 1 the past 20 years and that there wae no comparison between the absolute apathy towards religion and ordinary decency then and what we heard about now as "terrible conditions." He did not think the evidence pointed to a decay of religion and that the codes of goodness were being set aside. In England last year he saw that vast sume were being contributed for church work and extension. Church life was ae efficient as ever. The call to religion made by the Archbishop of Canterbury was echoing throughout the country and the response was truly wonderful*