SUNDAY READINGS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIII, Issue 10065, 1 August 1925, Page 9

SUNDAY READINGS

ON DOING WITHOUT RELIGION.

(By the Rev. James Aitken, M.A.)

There are two ways of looking out on' life. There is the view that the things of , fundamental importance aro the physical, material things. In philosophy this view is known as materialism. It is the idea- that the universe has.its origin, is rooted and grounded, .in impersonal, unconscious forces,; and that life and consciousness are somehow the product of material things. As a philosophy materialism is bankrupt; but it still plays a great part in practical life. A great number of peoplo order their conduct on the assumption that the chief prizes of life are to be sought in physical pleasures and among material things. On the other hand there is a view of life which recognises spiritual things as. of fundamental importance. Jn this, view tho origin of the universe is spiritual: there is belief in God. Material things are seen to he rooted and grounded in spirit; the expression and manifestation of spirit, , In the practical conduct' of life . this view sees in spiritual,things, in knowledge and wisdom and beauty and goodness, the chief ends to lie ■ .striven after—-ends, which are their own exceeding great reward. This latter is the religious view of life. So to believe and so to act is religion, hut their characteristic is always the same; the recognition of the supreme importance of the spiritual side of life, faith in God. in truth and beauty and goodness. . y When wo talk about religion, however, we mean Christianity. Some' persons, it is true, aim at a- new religion compiled from the best elements in all the others. But neither their aim nor their achievement convin end themselves to well-informed and well-balanced minds. The hilly real choice to-day lies between Christianity and no religion at .?)U. Christianity is tho one religion that lias definite historical fact behind it. it is founded on the ' fact of .Jesus Christ, His view of God, His conception of goodness, His example. The choice is between His religion and materialism : and the choice must he made. There is no evading it. Philosophy may not appeal to you—you may not have the peculiar type of mind which must,philosophise. But you must live for something. ton must- have some direction, some goal, towards which yoiir thoughts and energies are making. And the tiroice of the direction you will give your life, the goal you will aim at, determines your attitude towards Christ and Christianity. There are many peoplo who say that they have no use for religion, they can .and will do without it. And the reasons they give for taking that s-.a rid are worth considering. For instance here is a man who says lie has no use for religion because he cannot believe everything lie reads in the Bible. ' lint nobody asks him to. To believe everything in -the 'Bible is* not religion. Christ did'not believe • everything in the Bible. Ho did not believe that suffering was always the penalty of sin, though that is said in some places, in thg Bible. He did not believe that “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” was good morals. He did not believe that God really approved oi the slaughters which in early times were perpetrated in His name. He laid no emphasis on Old Testament traditions. He subjected the Old Testament—which He used and loved—to the freest criticism. You misunderstand Christianity altogether when you identify it- with what calls itself “f undamentalism” m these days. Here is a man who has no use for Christianity because he cannot subscribe to its doctrines. 1 make hold to say he does not know what the doctrines of Christianity are. There is nothing more generally misconceived or misrepresented, it is a curious tiling that nobody sets up as a teacher of science without a long specialised training to fit him for the job; but everybody thinks he can teach Christian doctrine without any training at all. There is an im- ; mouse amount said and written about Christianity which betokens . sheer ignorance. The greatest of ail .misrepresentations is to identify Christianity with Christian doctrines. Here is a man who says he has seen of so-called Christianity to give it a wide berth. But is he sure lie has seen as much as he thinks. It is true he will find many professed Christians whose lives appear mean, selfish, worldly, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, uncharitable, even hypocritical. But remember before we can pass ultimate judgments wo must know men’s hearts from within, ihe j ignorance, the temptations, the struggles, which mark their inner lives are hidden from us. There js no more profound fallacy than thinking we can judge our fellow men. “What's done we partly may compute . But know not what s resisted. Still, even granted that much that goes by the name of Christianity is unworthy our approbation or imitation, that is surely no valid reason for a man turning his hack on the real thing. There may:'he counterfeit Christians; there certainly are genuine ones. And the more a man is disgusted with the sham articles the more earnestly should he strive to produce the real. I am going to suggest to those who “have no time for rclig’on” that the true reason for their attitude is not any of these. We often deceive ourselves as to our reasons. And I suggest that their true reason is Tear. They are afraid of Christianity, afraid of Christ. They cannot trust Him. They are afraid He will ask too much of them. If they were to declare themselves Christans certain little indulgences vlould have to he given up; habits of temper and speech would have to he- mod ued: they would he nut at a disadvantage with their competitors in business, and that might involve a loss of income; irksome duties, hitherto ignored, would have to be faced; a more fr’endly attitude won'd have to he taken un toward some persons they know. (They are quite right. Those ore only some of flic d.cmnncls which Chr'st will make upon them. Christ makes no bones about what belonging to Him means. Were ever franker or wore tremendous worQS than llis. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up h's cross, dailv, and follow Me.” A man does well to bo afraid. And he does well to confess that the real reason why he will have nothing to do with re’’"ion is that ho is afraid. Now to any one who honestly acknowledges his 1 ear I would say. Come and try. Christ appeals to the courage, tho heroism, that is m aman. Ho proposes a* task—an adventure—that'is worthy of his manhood. oq»fe and join us who are trying. Yon irfn make’a poor shew of it-—as alt Mho rest of us are doing. (You may learn to revise your estimate of the hypocrites that are in the church.) You will find yourself often perplexed often sore!" tried, often fading altogether. But Chr'st is infinitely oat'ent. Trv and He helps. You wifi find hv and by a wonderful confidence growing upon you, that by thy strength which God supplies you wi ultimately win. And at any rate thy way of Christ is the only real way of life—the only wav consistent with peace of min’d, self-respect, and true manhood. * • -