HERESY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21506, 22 June 1935, Page 20

HERESY

to rue znnoit or rue i'nes». Sir, —I would be very glad if your correspondent, "Vita," would explain how my statement that the theology of Christianity should be discarded is strange, in view of my assertion that the only important things in connexion with Jesus were His life and teachings. Does he imagine that theology is based on those teachings? He certainly seems to, for he says that to discard theology is to discard Christ. That is rubbish. He must have been hoodwinked by the policy of the Church to foster this delusion in order to place its invented doctrines above criticism, which they cannot stand for a moment. To discard theology is to rediscover Christ.

In my last letter I did not say what were the teachings on which Christian belief was not based. They are the Sermon on the Mount and the two great commandments. Now, where in the whole course of Church history is one to look for any carrying out of either of these essential points whicj constitute the essence of Christ's teaching? If "Vita" can tell me, I will be much obliged. "Vita" says I lay myself open to a charge of heresy for saying the manner of the birth and death of Christ, was unimportant. That only makes me smile, for heresy is so out of date. I do not say that the birth and death have no significance, but they are unimportant relatively to the life and teachings. If Christian belief was based on those teachings instead of or? invented doctrines that the Churcb with a despotic tyranny over the intelligence and reason of its members has commanded, "These shall you believe and no other," there neither would nor could be any such thing as heresy. Heresy arises solely from the, curtailment by the church of freedom of thought. "Heresy" and "heretic" are words that will have to be exDunged from the Christian vocabulary before it can become rebased on Christ instead of on creeds. For myself I recognise no authority as infallible or necessarily true upon anything whatsoever. T reserve the right of individual judgment on all things, and let no Christian say me nay, unless -he

would make himself superior to St. I Paul and deny that it is a Christian I duty, albeit wholly neglected, to "Prove j all things, hold fast that which is good" and to "Add to your faith, know-1 ledge." I might repeat, where in the history of the Church is one to look for the carrying out of these instructions. When Galileo, Copernicus, and Bruno attempted to add knowledge to their faith and prove a few things, such as the rotundity of the earth and its revolution round the sun, what happened? Did the Church say, "You have done well to follow the injunctions of the great apostle, come and receive the reward of a grateful Church?" We know only too well what reward an outraged, not a grateful, Church gave them. It is to theology, that is due the fact that some of the blackest pages of human history have been written, by the Church. I repeat, theology must be discarded and the religion of Christ rediscovered. The assertion that theology cannot be dissociated from religion is pure assumption, and adequately negatived by the fact that there is a church of practically world-wide dissemination that has done so and leaves its members entirely free in matters of belief and interpretation. It is recent as regards policy but a lineal descendant of the oldest churches. It has teachings for those who desire them, but they are imposed on no one, hence that absurdity, heresy, is unknown and impossible. JV , "Vita" overlooked, apparently the little word "if." in "If the Bible is the direct word of God," as was claimed by an earlier correspondent, "then none of it can be ignored" as was done by him for his own convenience. I however, make no such claim, and am therefore free to use my reason and common sense in the matter. I am free to recognise that the different passages in the Bible are of very unequal value, and that some of the sayings attributed to the Christ fall definitely below the tone of utterances one would expect from Him, and in all probability are later interpolations. Knowing the Bible to have been compiled and edited, re-edited, and translated and retranslated, the only sane course is to use one's reason, and discrimination in one's study of it. That does stop one from revering it as a repository of the teachings of Christ; it merely fulfils the neglected Christian duty, to "prove all things. —Yours, etc., ._ . C. THOMPSON. June 20. 1935.

TO TlUa EDITOR 07 TUB PAS 33. Sir,—ln reply to the letter on the subject of "Heresy" in Monday's issue, my statement still stands, "The j life and teaching of Christ are of immense importance, in that we must strive with all our might to follow His teachings; but of all importance to j humanity is the death on the cross, of Christ, the Son of God, and His rising from the dead." Perhaps one may make the following statements more clear by first pointing this out —that we, as human beings, even at the end of a good life, are ho far removed from Christ in goodness that no amount of our own righteousness is enough to bridfic that gulf and make us tit to live near Him in Heaven. Isaiah, 55, v. 9 and 64. v. fa, make this clear. Only Christ's deatli with its power to wash away all our c,[ ns ntid failings will do this. God, in His plan, gave us this chance to believe—after belief, He asks us to accept His offer, even though we feel we do not deserve it, and then most certainly to do our utmost to keep His commandments and follow Christ's teachings. In Romans, 0, v. 23, we read, *or all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That means what it says, the greatest saints as well as th» greatest sinners, all ot us. in Romans. 6. v. 23. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Therefore, following plain reasoning, the wages of all of us should be death, no matter how righteous we are. What then is to save us? Belief in Christ's death on the cross, with its power to takeaway al! our sins. There is no other way by which we might be saved and inherit everlasting life. . This modern teaching winch denies much of the Bible, and places so much valu" on our own good works, leaving out the all-important purpose of Christ's death, is wrong. Judc 1. v. 24 says "Now unto Him that is able to kc'-'p you from falling, and to present vou faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." At the end of the best life, none of us could b" called faultless. Even the martyred apes'les would be the first to acknowledge this. It is only the transforming" and cleansing power of Christ's blood that will work that miracle for us ' , , « I have r.o intention whatever oi under-valuing a p- -• and good life. God experts us, when we believe, to do everything in our power to lead a really Christian life. Added to that, gratitude for Christ's suffering on the cross for us should spur us on to live as He would like us to. What I do sav is that, without the belief I speak of" our own righteousness has no saving power for us. To the thief on the cross belief was all sufficient. In this case, he had no time to do good. It is all sufficient too, to those who have perhaps been frankly indifferent to religion all their lives, or have not properly understood, but at the last realise their mistake. Belief will then blot out all their past sins and lack of service. Naturally they will wyi be rewarded as others, but they will be saved and given eternal life. That is where God shows His great love and mercy. I have said that every word of the Bible is true, and one of the greatest truths therein is, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." There is not much time left for us to decide.— Yours, etc., BRITON. June 10, 1035.