WHERE IS HEAVEN?

Mataura Ensign, 2 July 1914, Page 7

WHERE IS HEAVEN?

THE AVERAGE MAN'S VIEW.

"Heaven" was the subject of. a sermon preached by Dean'lnge in St. Paul's Cathedral lately. He said he did not believe there ever was a time, when Christians thought less about Heaven. As soon as theclergy left the subjects, of tin's world and ibeajin-to- talk about eternity, men's attention obviously flagged. ~/■ 'The-working map's ideal of a Heayen was,an. ideal state of society to be set up on this earth at a future ilate, which they hoped was coming very scon. He believed tho main cause of-the change was that Heaven had been to often pictured b\'- Christians 1 in such a way as to deprive, it of its spiritual value.] Many Christians tried to make Heaven expression and to put ...lermcy within the framework of time. In that second edition of the world in space all the injustice of the first ctution Was to bo/rectified, and the right eow.t were to. enjoy themselves in a more refined way. ..- "Those who- are most'-in earnest in improving the condition! 1 ■ of. human Society in this world,' 1 continued' the dean, "are apt to look upon this Heaven as .a. fairy story. Many of them think unjustly that the clergy are trying to keen theim quiet, to give them promissory notes, to be iiaid in. another world that does not exist. They look upon the doctrine of the future life as a -profitable fraud, which after many centuries has at last been exposed, so they say they prefer payment in cash, as the bank in the skies has stopped payment.

Perplexed ClerDV

"If we put our beliefs in. .such a crude and materialistic form, we Iwth impoverish the ideal 'and add a spurious* form which cannot be defended in argument. The average man thinks for himself, and he knows enough astronomy to feel the absurdity of placing heaven either inside or outside the solar system. So many of the clergy are perplexed! themselves and say as little about Heaven as they decently can." The diean added that they -would I rather the clergy isay that they did not know than have crude symibpls given as literal' facts'.