HONEST BELIEF IN TRUE GOD: SOLUTION TO WORLD PROBLEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 October 1948, Page 7

HONEST BELIEF IN TRUE GOD: SOLUTION TO WORLD PROBLEMS

Only by a return to an honest belief in the true God and by a drawing together of all Christians and men of good will can the present international and national problems be solved.

This summarised the opinion expressed by a former Primate of New Zealand, Archbishop A. W. Averill, when he was interviewed at his St. Heller’s Bay home on the eve of his eighty-third birthday.’ Hearty and vigorous, and closely in touch with local national and international affairs in spite of his failing eyesight, Archbishop Averill •spoke with deep conviction of the evils that had resulted from mankind “putting God in a pigeon-hole.” But having soberly reviewed current shortcomings, his Grace took time to emphasise his faith in the soundness of the rising generation and in the basic goodness of man. He thought the present generation and their sons and daughters were as good as the people of any past period, that there was much to hope for in the world, and that men were still at heart religious but did not realise the importance of witnessing to their religion. Shadow of Atomic Warfare In the international sphere Archbishop Averill took the present shadow of atomic warfare as an example of the manner in which science had outrun the standard of international morality. He saw the fear of atomic bombing as proof of the lack of fitness to nations to have the secret of atomic power, and said there was insufficient moral force today for any nation to have so terrible a weapon. “I think the world is concentrating on the future of the atom bomb,” his Grace said. “Russia’s attitude depends largely upon whether she has the secret of the atom bomb, and whether she is in a position to make one or even something more terrible. There is no doubt that this dread weapon is hanging over the world like a dark shadow, and everybody realises that if there should be another war and atomic bombs were used, it would mean the end of civilisation. Outlawing of War “I have always thought that although we hear a god deal of having an international committee of control, we should go a bit deeper instead of worry-' ing about who has the bomb and who has not. Why do we not devote all of our time to outlawing war? I do not think it is right to use such a deadly weapon in war, and I was not happy about its use on Japan. If nations, instead of talking about reducing armaments, would pull together and outlaw war, they would automatically outlaw the atomic bomb and remove the greatest shadow of today. We might hope that the wonderful energy stored in the bomb could be used for the good of mankind, and not ,for destruction,” he said. The need of the world was .a revival of vital religion, and by that he did not mean anything sectarian, but a religion to give man a moral standard in which to live.