Spiritual Ideals Seen As Counter To Communism

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30827, 12 August 1965, Page 8

Spiritual Ideals Seen As Counter To Communism

Western countries were mistaken in trying to counteract an ideal—communism—with material things, the Rev. G. Fletcher, an Anglican minister from Australia, said in an interview in Christchurch. Mr Fletcher, who is rector of the Northbridge parish, Sydney, is conducting a week’s mission in the Sprey-don-Hoon Hay parish, and next week will conduct a mission in Wellington,

“We talk about the Communist as a materialist, but we find that while we are providing material goods in various parts of the world, com-

munism is providing thoughts and ideals for men’s minds,” he said. There was a real danger of the prosperous democracies forgetting Christian principles. Governments never thought of the Christian faith as something to give as a form of aid to other peoples. “We offer them a soft, apathetic 'we don’t know where we are going, spiritually’ attitude, plus a lot of material goods which give the impression that we are trying to buy them. “The Communist has a real argument when he says we are capitalists and are out to help ourselves,” Mr Fletcher said. “When you are not a giving people, you are in decline. We as a people are losing the concept of missionheartedness. We are trying to save ourselves, rather than spend ourselves. “We talk about freedom, but I think we talk to people who don’t understand what we are talking about, and we are frightened to promulgate our faith in the face of other faiths. “If we have lost our spiritual concept, this is the great tragedy for the West,” he said.