Reluctant To Comment On Immortality View

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31320, 16 March 1967, Page 18

Reluctant To Comment On Immortality View

Most Christchurch clergymen asked to comment on recent statements by Professor L. J. Geering on immortality of the soul, said they preferred not to do so until they had seen a complete statement of what he had said. The Bishop of Christchurch (the Rt. Rev. W. A. Pyatt) added that he thought he knew what Professor Geering was getting at and that it was not a« bad as it sounded. Professor Geering had been reported as saying that the human soul was not immortal. He did not think it would be fair to comment until he had seen a more definite statement, said the Moderator of the Presbytery of Christchurch, the Rev. A. W. Baxter. The Rev. D. J. Inglis, minister of Trinity Congregational Church, said that he would agree with Professor Geering if he were referring to the Hebrew and Greek ideas, but not in the New Testament understanding. Mr Inglis questioned if the matter raised by the professor was “the type of thing for public discussion.” It might rock people’s faith rather than strengthen it at a time when there was a struggle to put religious ideas and concepts into language understood today.

The Rev. H. C. Matthews, president of the North Canterbury Methodist District, said that he could not subscribe to Professor Geering’s views, and that, he thought the statement was most unfortunate.

This was particularly so because Professor Geering was the centre of controversy a year ago, and the difficulties that had been caused had just been recovered from after much effort “Another statement of a very liberal view will only open the wound again.” Mr Matthews said that he hoped the new controversy would not disturb too many people, but it could be disturbing to some at the time of the Act of Commitment. He said there was a need to find out exactly what Professor Geering meant by the words he used.