RELIGION FIRST BISHOPS' PASTORAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 131, 30 November 1914, Page 2

RELIGION FIRST BISHOPS' PASTORAL

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS APPEAL TO THEIR FLOCKS THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS. The following Pastoral from the Anglican Bishops of New Zealand appealing to their flocks to make the Bible-in-schools question the first issue at the forthcoming Parliamentary elections, and to vote only for candidates in favour of the referendum, was read in the various Anglican churches last evening s — "BIBLE-IN-STATE-SCHOOLS LEAGUE. "Pastoral from the Anglicah Bishops to the Members of their Flock in the Present Crisis. ( "We, the Primate and Bishops, feeling deeply our responsibility to God and to those members of the body of Christ committed to our care, do horeby make our solemn appeal to them U> put religious principles before^ party pieforenees an the exercise of their rights in the election of members of Parliament. "That we are driven by Parliament itself to adopt this course is shown by a brief review of the history of this movement. Ever since the enactment by Parliament of a Bill which excluded the Word Of God from the public schools and divorced the teaching of religion from the education of the children of the peopie, the conscience of the majority of the people of this Christian country has been wounded ahd their religious convictions have been outraged. Speaking for our own communion, we say that unceasing efforts have been made from that time to obtain an amendment of the Act by the removal of these disabilities. Few, if any, meetings of our representative Church Assemblies have taken place since that date without vigorous discussions on this subject, ending with petitions to Parliament to afford lelief ; and we are aware that similar dissatisfaction with a merely secular system has also been strongly expressed by other denominations. These petitions and representations were either entirely ignored by Parliament, or received the somewhat contemptuous answer that as the plans put forth by the several bodies were not identical, Parliament would not even take the subject into consideration until tKe religious bodies had themselves agreed upon the conditions under which such instruction should be given. Agreement has been arrived at by the representatives of 75 per cent, of the people of this country, who have adopted a plan, which by almost universal and unchallengeable testimony has been proved to work well wherever ifc has been applied ; but the Parliament of this democratic country appears disinclined to afford the parents and people generally an opportunity of expressing their judgment upon it. "We, therefore, your spiritual guides, deeply convinced of the paramount value of religion to any nation, in relation to the prosperity and happiness of its people, and above all, remembering the injunction of Christ to^ put first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, do under these circumstances earnestly and unhesitatingly exhort you to make the religions interests of the country the first question by voting only for members of Parliament who will pledge themselves to vote for the 'Religious Instruction Referendum Bill' which passed its first reading last session. More than 150,000 electors have asked that the question in the Bill should be submitted for the decision of the people. •, "And we are your servants in Christ, (Signed) "S. T. Dunedin, Primate. "C. Christchurch. "A. W. Auckland. , "T. H". Wellington. ( "W. Walmsley Waiapu. "23rd day of November, A.D., 1914."""