OUR READERS' OPINIONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4579, 7 June 1917, Page 7

OUR READERS' OPINIONS.

FROM CONFUSION TO SELFSUFFICIENCY.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Mr Hawes in the midst of liis confusion and dismay reappears upon the scene in the vain hope of regaining his lost prestige; ,but in the second attempt he exposes his incompetence in a more glaring manner than in the first. On eight occasions in his last letter he has mutilated the truth and in some cases made a travesty of it’; so that in all truth andi fairness I am forced to cry out in asimilar manner to King Solomon when treating of the “vanities” of this world; hut in a more appropriate manner so as to apply to Mr Hawes’s production: “Rubbish - of rubbishes, and all is rubbish.” For the interest of the public and for Mr Hawes’s instruction, although ho is determined not to profit by it, I will briefly show off some of his misrepresentations

and absurd statements. ; With, the exception of judging by his own erring intelligence Mr Hawes cannot prove that I have ever practiced or even shown intolerance and anyone differing from me in views or beliefs. Occasionally when defending the truth if I make statements that may be bitter, hard and even sarcastic to those who attempt to scatter their erroneous opinions and errors broadcast I am justified un doing so and have no apology .to offci them. According to the opinion of Mr Hawes (formed of course from that limited intelligence of his of which we learned so much in his former statements) “I am no more able to reason logically than the average scholar.”. Such an assertion is truly complimentary coming from a man whose opinion so often deceived himself and others. In his reasoning, he showed he knew not even the alphabet of logic .much, less to be a competent judge of logical reasoning. Perhaps some wag whispered this to him at his own ignominious expense. Mr Hawes’s confusion seems to reach its climax when he poses that he did not intend to convey the idea that the wicked would not be punished'., in liis- remarks in liis first letter upon the subject. Here are his own words in his rendering of the Scripture text: “He that believeth in the Lord Jesus Christ shah he’ saved, hut he that believeth not shall be condemned.” Mr Hawes converts the word condemned in above text into "judged,” and immediately adds "So you "see tire unbeliever shall neither "be damned or condemned, but shall be tried*.” Now it is evident that trial atone is not punishment. Again in one place of that same letter he says “tiie soul that sinneth shall die (be annihilated) and further on when speaking of the souls of the slaum ••They are not dead; but sleepeth. Where is Mr Hawes’ logic now. Hero lire co^itvoiclictrions. Further lie says that “I believe when a person dies he either goes to one of two places, heaven. or hell-fire torment. ’ Here he misrepresents again ior I believe no such tilingLet him open hjs eyes and read no belief from my "first letter and when lie regains consciousness from his confusion he may perceive. Ins error. The other misrepresentations are so glaring and so perceptible to any intelligent person and so insignificant and contemptible to me that I will not waste time nor trespass upon the valuable pages of a journal in comj mentifig further upon them. I Wr Hawes asks for more convincing proofs to satisfy his curiosity, bu t . ».• more convincing proof lie will not get than the interpretation, or words o the Bible by the Divinely inspired lawful authority upon earth. Ido not cxncct nor dicl I expect to convince Mr Hawes; for there are some half-educatedi men who boast of tlie little that they know because thej arc not able to form an idea of the vast knowledge they do not or will ever know, ami in their self-sufficing thev nose as superior beings amcm* tholr class. Their opinion and then | intelligence are everything to them. ; This begets pride, and pnde begets obstinacy and obstinacy breeds obduracy and pertinacity, and when no find an obstinate, half-educated . man pertinacious in his own •self-sufficienc.> nothing will convince him. even the truths revealed lry Hod Himself, much less the. interpretation of. the jfible according to the only Divine y inspired authority upon eaith. 'Age in itself, counts for nothing in interpreting the Bible, neither authority, wisdom, or inspiration. He boasts of knowing something bcfoio 1. was born; granted; but lie has nm vet learned to 1 lie logical, trutbxui, or upright in his arguments and, worse still, seems not to have . any desire of sacrificing Ms self-sufficiency in the interests of truth. Tor the reasons stated, I will leave Mr Hawes in the pulpit of his self-sufficiency, enveloped, in the maze of hallucination which has seized him and when he invites his friends, to hear his interpretation of the Bible tney can reply that, such an interpretation does" not com mend itself to their ‘•intelligence” and that they cannot trust iiTtheintelligence of .Mr Hawes; but when they require a true ana genuine interpretation they know from what source to seek it. I am, yours, etc. » * , VERITAS ET JUSTITIA.