COMPARATIVE RELIGION

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26127, 1 June 1950, Page 2

COMPARATIVE RELIGION

ADDRESS BY REV. D. F. MACKENZIE

There was an attendance of 90 at the luncheon meeting held yesterday in the M>E.D. lecture room under the auspices of the Christchurch branch of the National Council of Women. The speaker was the Rev. Donald F. MacKenzie, whose subject was comparative religion.

Sectarianism, Mr MacKenzie said, was the curse of mankind, but sectarianism seemed to be part of human nature. It was only in' comparatively recent years that an effort had been made b.y some religions to study the beliefs of other religions. “Most of us have grown up with the idea that Christians are something special, something superior,” said Mr MacKenzie, “but - millions of Hindus think their religion much better.” This attitude of superiority, he continued, was dangerous, ignorant and evil. Four years ago, in New York, representatives of the 10 largest religions groups in the world—Christian, Mohammedan, Hindu, Budd Hist and others—met to discuss religious subjects and Mr MacKenzie enumerated lhe 10 points which the meeting decided all religions had in common. The first was the unity of life, the second the brotherhood of man and the interdependence of one man on another.

“If we from our abundance do not help the starving Chinese or Australia does not help to relieve distress in Malaya, the effects will be li-lt by Australia and by us.” said Mr MacKenzie. The third point was love and service to our fellowmen—not in domination. the idea of which was wrong; the fourth, non-violence and non-in-jury not only to our fellowmen but to the lower creation: fifth, the help, not exploitation, of the weak and backward. Referring to this point, Mr MacKenzie made a plea for neighbourliness arid kindness to - old and ailing persons in Christchurch, many of whom were lonely and uncared for. The last five points were purity and personal disinterestedness, that true riches and true happiness were within, the worth of the individual and the ability of every man to attain to a higher state of life, the immortality of the soul and the union of man with God. “From these points, it can he seen that the Christian faith is not alone in manv of its high ideals. The people of all faiths have much in common, they have the same emotions, their needs are the same and they have the same necessity of salvation,” concluded Mr MacKenzie.

Mrs K. McCreanor thanked Mr MacKenzie for his address. Miss Mary McLean, who presided, announced that at the next fortnightly meeting the speaker would be Dr. I, L. G. Sutherland, whose subject would be “Universal Human Rights ”