PROFESSOR M'KENZIE AND THE BIBLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 9

PROFESSOR M'KENZIE AND THE BIBLE.

b/'.^Sir,—;Thoughibut,a .visitor to ; Wellirigtpn;'-' X'-liaVfll'-been-- more.'.than, interested' in • ..your.'.': ■ 'report of.-■ the laying. of.the foundation-stone', " //of ..the Unitarian/Church;/I read: also.•;with.',';.. special interest,-.;and not;a little/indignation,'/ Professor/ ; H'Kerizie's' speeclv t "qn r ;.:that;o'cca-' \ .;sion,'.'*as', reported. ;in your/jo^rna^.//!^ was/ .struck;.at,/once., with.the; incpn'sistpnoy. . ap-'i, parehtly/shownby/thq.. clergy "of the: various/ .tninstiani'Chnrche's .in- this city/ in;sending : ' regret's |{6f~,-uriavoidable absence;,/and, "good/ r wishes)' f o'r jthe;.. success /. of, l'a/'denomination/ ' which dethrones their' Master; by .'denying the : : Divinity/pfr;the-Lord. Jesus .Christ;./And;l ; . was then, proportionately '. delighted ;with. the ./ : prompt.; of'/Bishop, i .HVallis;ahd;tW; , ;R6vs.V-Mesßrs.v/'Spiptt;.',>ria-.-,-. Xioo'gh,'in;your columnsj.and with,the equally ""■ ..decisive!;replyVpf..the"Rev.""Dr. ; Gibb;from"■. ,the. pulpit.on:Sunday/morning.-.l,cbuld only, :: wish, that 'the latter gentleman had; seen, his/. : Way -to-' give his sentiments to; the; publio v -through the nowspaper .press,-'so that' :.all might.hear, and also that-'the'other, clergymen' named, the Revs.'Mes'srs/'Williams and Glasspn; might do/the sanie. ..'.'//;' /'/I.must confess,'.however, that, alike as a'. Christian/a, Scotchman, and a. Presbyterian,' X.tclc/ray rpidignatibn kindled against the / uncalled ' for-attack made on the Bible, ;and against/our. holy•/.■.religion,'■:" by,. Professor ■. M'Kenzie iii his speech at the ceremony; His remarks I; .felt, not -only to be an attack' on;. ■the Word/of Grodjb'ut an insult ;to this Chris-:.-: tian''.community'. The/professor/is. reported ; as,; having' said 'that ."the; greatest/ sin /that '. •■.'■ a parent,'.could- ; be'/guilty." of .to-day, was .to '-.-; allow/his v - innocent; children., to have .their..' little heads stuffed with the meaningless dog- / mas of popular religion; the day of the bogy/ - man- jn/the : Church, : as in" the'nursery, ■was /•. .rapidly - tapering, to /a; close./. '■';. '■-. _ There ■: was no/pretence.bn:.thb/part,.of Unitarians. /concerning'.-.ahyZZspeciaT or.! unique' commuhi- -' cations from the Deity .as to the relations of -': man/ Ho God.-/ . /.■ ."";Historical. ..research;/; had .placed/-beyond, all .controversy-^-except., in: hopelessly/obscurantist, circles—that .all -religions, had developed on precisely/similar;. lines'; and he who to-day claimed to be iriv , possession.exclusively of,.the, secret or secrets.-■/ of high Heaven, or of those.pertaining to .'the : salvation of man's soul, ..was. riot one whit.', 'above the/Maori tohung'ain.religious intelli-/ gence."-/ / ~%-•'.;•' ■ v-/; ..'■:-'■ ■'■' ■// '.;-;:"'.■.' ,":'./ ; v . The above words/mean—if they mean anything^—that'the. Bible is no .revelation from, God, but is little, if at all, better than /a// book of/fables, Christianity,, is a myth,; and:/, the' Christian; teacher,;..ih the. pulpit, the;. Sunday; school, or at the : fireside,' is, in'.'re-.v ligious intelligence, -/as/ low/and degraded ..as ; ':• the/Maori- tbhungal.-/'."..,.;"■/•/■'■■ ••';/'/'/ Has the professor forgotten; the land: of his ' birth;'.with' its ''noble, army .or martyrs," men;'"'.' and'wombn. of -whom thoworld was -.not / worthy, who' purchased the. liberties; he-now.', possesses by suffering' death, for the. sake'of/ that Book.which.he, treats so' scornfully tp: ;. day ? '■ Why should he .cast such a.cOntemptu-.-, Oiis; .slur; on his :own forefathers, who gave. ,him/so rhuclvof, the virility'possessed by him- :'.';.; self jahd'.the.whole-Scottish/race, by rearing;.' them onf•»■ diet. ,Sb .'invigorating , as/"por- / i'idgd, 'the.Shorter Catechism, and the "Book ■ of Proverbs"? Has he forgotten the.respect dub to a -nation which' for generations' has .;; lmnded; down /from, parent /ttf child V those "'/' which are'mote precious to multitudes , than;/lif o, ■: 'and .'which/ they learned; at /their.;. "mother's knee?:'..Thero is hbt/,a ; Christian■■'" 'teacher, whether lay or clerical, in "Wellington—or for that matter in tho wholo world— who has"not been slurred by the piofessor 'when ho treated the Bible as a book of fables, and thoso who regarded it as a Divino revelation, as standing on a lovel with a Maori'tohunga! " Sir. I will not say any moro beyond this, that in my humble opinion Professor M'Kenzie owes an apology to all his Christian fel- , low citizens for his gratuitous and cpntemptuous attack on their most cherished beliefs, beliefs, which, in their estimation, underlie all their liberties and well-being, both for .this world and tho next. I encloso my card, and beg to sign myself A SCOT. ■Wellington, January 12, 1909.