IS THE LABOUR PARTY ANTI. CHRISTIAN?

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 69, 15 December 1919, Page 12

IS THE LABOUR PARTY ANTI. CHRISTIAN?

MR, SEMITE'S LOGIC. (Published by Arrangt'iueiit.) To the Electors, Ladies an»; Geniiemen.-l desiro to discuss the geik'Mt qufMion: ;'ls tho Lauour Parly anti-Ulu'istianr .Mr. Bemp.e siys it is not, but he has some strange ideas of logic. Ho says: I.ub pressnt Labour Party lias three clergymen stunning in its name, liio>'eloro tnat proves it. is not anu-Cni'istian. i Is'it to see tnat it proves. aiiyUing about Ouvti'iiie -it ail. Ali it Uue» i» to show tnat tiieiv ai'o '\lirw eliirgyuaii upholding tne banner of tho p.irty, nothing uiore. ~ . . , r To decile 'the question which Air. Semple raises wo iuive to •.•onsuler what are tao principles, tlio policy, and tlio methods ui tne party in ciuibtiun. io eonnneuce with tne lirst prineiple.'imk'Cd tho very foundation of this party's social ltliilosophy is materialistic ami secularise. This is demonstrated tiy two or tiuvo facts. l-'irsL of all. ,tUO whole prograuime of tne party looks entnei} lo economic lactois for tho solution ot tlio evils that alfliot society, the constant teaching of the party s spokesmen is that if material wealth is only constituted mors and more common property, that is all that is required. It cannot bo denied that the sociology ot this party is that of dogmatic aftirination of international Socialism ot tlio school of Karl Marx, the Socialist economist. The philosophy of .tins school ot political economy, irom wlucli the.Labour Party draws its inspiration, is based upon a jnalerialistio interpretatioii ot history. Tho party shows its secularism ill this way, that wherever it can, it holds meetings on Sundays lor the discussion of secular subjects rather than religious; thai whenever it. holds such meetings it nover nt any time attaches to them any religious observances, but makes them entirely sccular. inat, by reason of this trend, it attracts to its ranks men of avowed freo ihuugnt pnnciples. Further than this, in thoso localities where men and women are fully convinced of tho Socialist principles of the party, tho step is taken of substituting Socialist Sunday schools (where secularism is fully taught to tho young) in place of the ordinary Sabbath schools and liible classes. So much for the principles of this party, miscalled liiibour. As regards tlio 'policy of tho party, I oui doing it no injustice when 1 say that it aims at transforming the present private ownership of land and other forms of wealth into common or public ownership, without troubling to indicate how the present owners' moral or legal rights are to be dealt with, Tlio tendency undoubtedly of spreading belief in such an ill-defined policy is to inculcate in tho minds of tlio mass oi tho ptople first a, most vicious spirit of envy and hatred, and secondly a disregard for the rights of others that is disruptive of social order and injurious to the State.

Tlio methods of tho parly should, be well known and widely reprobated "by all Christian people within tho Dominion, that is if our Christianity is other than a mere profession. Unfortunately there are persons supporting this parly merely from « gcnoMl feeling of sympathy with tho masses, and there aro won and women in tho parly who have never troubled' to carefully analyse tho meaning and trend of this party's philosophy and practice. I am a Protestant who write this, but ] candidly acknowledge that the clearest exposition of tho dangers attaching to this parly's philosophy »ui(l -practice that 1 have yet read was recently published by a Roman Catholic Bishop of our .Dominion, who pointed out that I here could be 110 truo sociology without full recognition of tha spiritual and moral laws which govern mankind. The methods of the present Labour Party are exhibited in its supporters' perpetual tirades against the' Capitalists. No (ne can deny that hatred of the employers, of Capitalists, and oven in a degree of property owners in general, is eternally dinned into tho ears of the public, by tho members of this party. This method of continually inciting to feetitigs of haired, if it has any ethical basis at all, it is certainly not Christian. The hampering of tlio' (jovornmciit in a tiino of national danger by seditious utterances and disloyal conduct; by claiming that anyono has a right to brail; tho law if lie does not believe iu it. '.I'lioso are methods that liavo been put into practice in comparatively recent times hy members of this party, and you cannot dissociate tho party from the members who compose it, especially uihen tho acts referred to havo never been denounced or objected to by any resolution of tlio pai'ty, To get at the root of the subject Mr. Sempla iias raised, with duo reverence I quote the words'of Christ, Who laid down 'tlio moral Jaw: "Lovo thy neighbour as thyself." Jn the place of this tho Labour Party inculcates the anti-Christian idea: "Lovo your fellowworker, but hate the Capitalist." "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," said Christ. It' the Labour moil had tho burden- on them of managing and keeping going the industries wo depend upon, how would they like others to bo obstructing them on every hand by "cm-slow strikes" and other methods of dislocating the machinery of trade and commerce? Tho clergymen'who aro coming into politics, ami whose preser.ee in tho Labour Party is being used to justify what are anything hue Christian principles and methods, would bo wiso to reflect that if the Church conies into politics, then polities may also go into the Church, li cleigymen lake up politics, they must be subject to exactly Iho same criticism as oilier men, and people will have a right to ask: how far is a mail sincere who wenches (ho gospel of love inside his church, and joins with n party outside that preaches a gospel of hate? No!' Mr. Rem pie, your parly cannot shelter behind the cloth. Tt must stand or fall by if-s own principles, policy, and which aw either Christian or auli-Christian, according to their character. not according to the persons who iwnnuse them. If a thousand clergymen joined yonr partv that would not make your docIriu-' of ''I"-" 0 haired "ud intornecino warfare, a bit more Christian. lours, ctc., ' LOGICIAN.