THE RELIGIOUS CENSUS IN 1906.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 195, 12 May 1908, Page 9

THE RELIGIOUS CENSUS IN 1906.

i DENOMINATIONS AMD: CHURCH AT- ; TENDANCE. ■ . ■- -j IHE PROBLEM' OF' THE CHUECHLESS. . _ (By tho Rev. Robert Wood.) Tho census, was taken in 19CB, but tho-par-ticulars regarding the "Religions of tho People . wero not, issued by tho Registrar- - General.,, till-,»e11,,0il in 1907.. The. total population (exclusive of tho Maoris) in 1906 was/, 888,578., ,;. \The,:,census returns furnish information-, regarding tho religion. professed by nearly the whole population. Christianity is -the .specified roligion that accounts for ab<?utw,Bso,ooo of ■ tho population. Over 30,000 L iiro made up of thoso. who object to state their religion, or omit to specify same, . or say they belong to no denominationi The. number of those who. are avowedly, and ag-gr^ssi^ely'aiiti-Christian is ndtr yory great. The': ''Frecthbught'' .;- movement that. sorao years r-'agor'was very much in evidence, in' Dunedm'and Mine; other Now- Zealand ..towns shows" air;increas'6' of less than ten per cent. sinco.,l9ol j;but in 1896, there; were 3983, so in teiv 'yeilrs thoro lias.: been'.'ail actual de-cr^s^;:--^6J'Btetistics-';:dealing with' thoso who ; : object ;:to;' state'; their' religion or. who firofessj-i-'n'o -.-religion-!' probably represent a arEOriadidt'popuktioa' than is represented by; the; figures of )the;specified religions. Of thoso who ; are classed as "No Denomination/' "No; : ''Freethinkers,6o to 80 per > cent ."are males'.' 7 Still these : classes form i a ,'veix'small 'part,"bf'-tho total., population. Atout '95 ; population; is : specitiod -,as ' professing . tho; - Christian religion :-but'a vory' considerable .portion of such have, little or no, connection with tlio churches they are reported as belonging .to. This is proved to a demonstration when the census population of some of the leading denominations is 1 contrasted with the liumbor attending church. This will bo noticed below, but wo give :—

Tho numbor; of each denomination in 190 C, ' . - .showing: liicreaso -of; decrease , of. same since 1901.; ; No. Inc'o.Dec'o. Church .of. JJngland 'and ■• ■ Episcopalians notother-.' .wise described; ... 866,826 52,802 — Presbyterians ....203,597 . 27,091. Methodist :• Chilrch of Australasia ' ... G3,G03 : — *7431 Primitive Methodists ... 21,798 *11,653 — Other Methodists (15 daf- -.■■■,■ ■■■.> ■ .' ferent-,names) :...: ... .: 3,G39 1,001 . —... Baptists 17,747 > 1,712 - Congregationalists ' : 7,3(50 -.661 ■— .-Lutherans-. • - ... 4,856 .23 — Unitarians ... . ... - 789 . 321 — Sociotv of Fnonds■; : 3-'ll . • 21 —. Churoli of Christ ... .. 7,Obi :• 950 — Brethren (Plymouth and othev)v : - ..: . 7,901 • 417 , — Salvation Army • .8.389 330., — i Chnstadelphians.; • v,.1,059 , 70 — Sevcntn-OJay jAdvontists -990 ■ -126 — Other: socts (93- different' . . names) v...'-.. i '... 1,42fl -r: •, Boman'-.Catholics :.-: ..... 126,1(10 ■ .17,149. .. 77 ■ Catholica:Dndeflnedi:.- 886.. ,24 ,—, 'Greek;.Ch'uroh'>'- ."." 43 .'-r. Catholic Apostolic, •. ;...,",v.y '381 ; 51" Hobrews.: ..." •.... 1,807- . 256.. — Spiritualists 1 ... -;• • 1,004 555 . ; : Buddhists,' : Confucians, :. ; ■ . I • - ■ etc 1,402 - 980 : Theosophists .'..-.272 ,'. -183 . — Mormons . ... , ... 279 : — Other . non-Christian ■ sects . (11 different,'.-. names) . 94 — — No denomination • . 5,383 G76 , —• Freethinkers i.i;'3,116 260 . Agnostics.;' !»/,; V JH-V " .182 — IJeists ' ...,- 1 .- .. 33- 121 — Otho'r's (12" different ':■ -• ";' names) - • , 67 — ; 1—... -No: religion, .Rationalists,; . etc 1,608 579 - Object -to state ... . ... . '24,320 6,030 ■. *— :. l;BSi r . 1,002 — ''' H v Total . " 1 888,u78 Church of AuS-! tralasia"''. was. in. ISOI "The Wesley an Methodist. Church," J and numbered in that year 71)034. The deeming, decreaso above of 7431',' ; it -i s "said j-is* the result '.of; the members and adherents of tho old "Wosleyan Metho,dist'|iChurch'';.ertoriepusly: designating^',themselves : census .papers, and- thus /being recKoned" 1 among tho, "I'rnmtivo" and other Methodists'*''This : ',is-.probably,the truo ex-planation,'-as the Primitive, Methodist' return* shbws'an increase of nearly . 115 per'cent. arid:thej-writer, .is/informed that the Primitive -Methodists' have., not. increased in, their church /.attendance .' at ' anything like' this rate.;N'/yivh; v.;

; 11. ' ' CHURCH ATTENDANCE IN -PRO VINCIXL DISTRICTS.

_ In tho ''Resulta of the Census"; tiro-fold information is ;givon about -tho number; .attending' servico..... Wo have tile: total attendance. ;'otV'all; denomination's, in the provinces, and 1 wo' have the-total attendance of the denominations all 'over the land. Tho total attendance at services all oyer Now Zealand of .'all' tho-denominatioiis-iri April, .1006, was' 220,263.: .This information■' was' furnished by representatives, ."ofthe. ■ different •.denominations all ' over 'the ;laridi.to" tho census onti- ~ monitors; ; ; The'. Registrar-General -.reports; . that :'''therattcndaiice arid. bther different ways bythe r?eyoral Vdenciminatiohs.",■. Tho total population (exclusive of Maoris) \was, ; 'as we., have already , noted, 888,578, ..arid it Las been said that as .only 220,283 were attends ing .service,Vthenitlje number, of the : church-' less reached "the. appalling iigure of: 688,315 — ,/aVfourtli, of the : . entire population: w;as': in qhurph, connection; Tho . condition from /the Christian, and religious'standpoint is; such' as to' awaken anxioiis consideration .in! many .a heart,' but this way of. handling'-figures, is a vory rcckleSsL of: evil. • Tho total population the very young and' tlio aged;.and. .thc-sick.,. ~\To.- tind : tho number physically.- able to ...attend 'church we must; reduce tho .total , population by .25 per cent. 1 In 1906 there; were 660,000 over ten years of ago and under 70 yoars and in' gobd'health.' This was practically tho total constituency the' churches had to draw from. But the truth about the number of non-chur.chgoers will not bo . got by . bven subtracting tho 220,000 . from the 660,000. \ It would bo an exaggeration to say'that there" were 440,000. outside tho churches. The 220,000 reported in census ,wcre, for reasons that 'will bo given,'below, evidently the avorago attendance '.at .. services,and thero is' always a discrepancy: betweenthe l average attendance' and the total number of attoriders. ' At any ordinary church, service there is- usually a I third of .".tho ■ worshipping , co'nstitupricy ab- I sent. Tliero are sound reason's for adding a third , to jJio census attendance above in order to; got . at, tlip . facts about church-go-ing and non-churchgoing. This brings the church atteiidarico up to nearly 300,000, and to 300,000 are to be added about • sdyentyfiveper cent, of Sabbath'scholars. 'There was no census, taken of tho number, attending Sabbath; : sch6ols, .and not morevtlian twentyfive; per, cent, of .those in tlio Sabbath• schools attend[service/- In tho-figures, then, in tho following tablo no regard is taken of thousands of tho population readied by tho churches.through the Sabbath schools. Tire number of non-attendors at church is got at by .subtracting : tho-figures-iu column two 'ronf those'-in column one:—j. , . • I ■ ' , v - b'' .•'•§* '■ a- • ■. v-: , i v.* ■ . - ■ - i s O* • 7, ' if ,o £ % g ? ' 5 c . 7 . § l £52' 5 '11 "--.-U.2 Dirt 55 'SS Auckland . . , ;... 158,-117 C0,93(i 91,481 .12 Taranaki' 82,549-14,551 17,908 45 HawkeV Bay - ... fll.GSl 13,76-i 17,917 Wellington • • 181,90 V . 66,423 .30 Marlborough ... 30,778 4,7G5' 6,011 4-1 Nelson- "... : .... 13,352 18,W0 . 4£ Westland 11,000 ' 0,719 4.257 01 Canterbury- .... 114,0£0 58,881 57,199 ii Otago - '1.. ... 135,731. 08,151 G7.550 52 . Totals' : ;■ ... GG1.033 '$93,637 307,406-, 4C It will' be seen that Wellington province '-auks tho lowest in the percentage of church

attendance, and Wesfcland ranks ilio highest. This is ono of tlio surprises of a study of statistics. Westland has been spoken of in some Church Courts as tho most irreligious part of New Zealand. , . , • -.lII.' ' CHURCH ATTENDANCE BY DENOMINA- " ; . TIOXS. : ' , The'" Census Results" report tho number attending servico in ' tho various denominations. "Tho following aro the figures-of tho largqr, denominations:—Church of England,' ■19,916; Presbyterian, 52,103; Roman Catholic, 41;512; Methodist Church •of Australasia, 34,023,;, Baptist, 703-1; Congregational, 4065; Salvation Army, .10,213.. It was stated abovo that these figures only '-givo ■tho average attendance, and hot' the total number "of attonders. This can be proved at least in tho case of two- denominations. .The "Proceedings of Assembly" of Presbyterian Church for 1906 reports the attendance to be/ 67,802; that was; the - average attendanco with ontf-third added. The minutes,.of the Methodist for 1906 gives the ■'. church attendance -at 51,503 . —17,000 in excess of the census figures;,v To find, out the churchgoers, and -the non-church-goers :in the various denominations, thc : writer reduces by twenty-five per cent!' the census population of the several denominations]: and. adds one-third to the church attendance as given in tho census.. The results aro as follow:— ; ' . a . to '.. g - .2 - g*' s 3, . .: vI 4* Z 0 I 5 g. Religion. &o - ° *•. ■ i ! - I s lA'l J • Is . 'o2 £3 . <o Church of England 275,121' 66,595 208,526 21 Presbvteriani ... 152,698 69,471 83,227 -15 Roman Catholics ... 94,582 55,319, 39,233 58 Methodist Church of Australasia .;. 47,702 - 4G.1G1 1,538 9G Baptists ... 13,310 9,379 3,931 74 Congregationalists . , 5,520 5,420 . 100 93 Salvation Army ... . 6,292 13,617 — ..■ —

These - figures furnish, information,/but. as tho Rogistrar-Gehoral says the attendance "may 'bo' made up in- different ways by the several ■ denominations," tho ? door- is open for • very- serious inaccuracies when. the attendance of one denomination is contrasted with another. Wero the figures mads up exactly, in >the same way in the various denominations, .the',i)ercqntage of' churcK attendance would likely bo, altered.' . No account, is taken of tho young people reached by .the churches through tlie rfabbath schools. In 190G tho total attendance. in the Sabbath schools., of the,".'Presbyterian • Church was 28,272; And it has been coriiputed that only about' ;twenty-fiv6 per. cont.- of. these: are; reckoned in the, church attendance. The Presbyterian Church, thus ministers to 21,000 more .than is shown above. This would hold truo :-of most •of the other denominations. It is quite-ovident, however, that'there':is, a very large constituency belonging to, one or two ' of the. larger which has yet to be reached by tho : churches it' is specified by the census results as belonging to. The• Presbyterian' Church occupies; the premier placo as, regards' the 'attendance.at. its. sorvices; but botli the .Presbyterian Church ■ and the Church of England have yet to-get ifi touclr with voryi ; maiiy. thousands.: of their-own religious kith and, kin in the land. ■■■■ !v., j.PLACES OF WORSHIP AND SITTING ACCOMMODATION.'. i The following "results" of the r census inform lis that' the ; total, sitting accommoda-tion-'for attonde'rs ■ i at : ' servioe ; is only, 375,863:— ■„ : • 'd/.- '- ,' .■ "'"-'3':' ■ ; ; V- - ■ -I.£ ' K -J) "S : :■ s ... fcj /.■■■-•v,"v -Provinces.' ~ •• . 1 ' ."So", .: O-S . : PH,3; Auckland .- ' , 446 -' 10G 89,061'. Taranaki: ... . ...- : 122 t 'i ...22 ■ 18,391 Hawke'sßay S-B 19 17,591. Wellington ... - ,294 73. 61,973 Marlborough'' ; 34 9 6.170 'Nelson', . , 98 . 40 : ' 17,615 AVestland.... ... ,;v 54' ' .-7 V . .:9,8-40 Canterbury ... ... 332' , 76: .6i),403 Oiago -103 : - 118 85,769 .' . Totals ' '... ... 1,872 470 , , 375,863 ..The above statement 'does not make clear whether.-' accommodation in, the, schools and other ' buildings is 1 included. , Probably 'it only : embraces the 'accommodation in tho church buildings., If so, the church , accommodation i 3 inadequate by at- loast'l2s,ooo if all. who v/cre of age wero inclined to attend church. -. Thcro are over 600,000" in' New Zealand over ten years and under'; 70 years, and in good: health. Were anything like this number interested' the-church accommodation would requiro to be increased to about 500,000!.. But as it is tho churchacconimqdation ,i'n maiiy oases -is more than amplo; The churchgoing population probably does not' amount 'to 50, per cent, (if thoso who are able to attend , church. These figures should stir to action the.'-leaders .in tho larger deiipminations. Tho question may : \be raised whether the best methods of work are pursued,:especially in the larger, centres of population. _ There is a'danger .of city: churches becoming class institutions, and the masses of itho pcoplo drifting from, them.' The :peril ; of tho. larger "denominations ■ does not .'lie - in «the; attacks- of the Apostles of, :Unbelief,' but. iii : 'tho*.indifference! of masses of-,their, 'own. adherents. But' this 'subject appeals to the, patriot; as well .'as to t-h.o .ecciesiastio. Is there any truo, lover of his' country who would viow with, satisfaction the declining;! influence, of tho . religion 'of Jesus Christ ' and tho rising influenco , of Secularism or Materialism ? A. period, may be put to all this, by somo words from Emerson:—

" What ''greater calamity can fall upon a nation than.the loss of-worship? Then all ' things, go to decay. Genius leave's the temple to haunt the senate, or the markot. Literature becomes 'frivolous. Science; is cold. The eye of youth is not lighted by the hopo of other worlds* and age is without honour. Society lives to trifles, and when mo'n dio do not mention them." , '