KING, RELIGION AND CORONATION

Northern Advocate, 2 December 1936, Page 7

KING, RELIGION AND CORONATION

“HIS MAJESTY’S NEED FOR GOD’S GRACE”

[United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph. — Copyright .l (Received 3 p.m.) LONDON, December 1.

The Bishop of Bradford, Dr. A. W. F. Blunt, spoke at the diocesan conference on the question of the religious ceremony in connection with the Coronation. He stated: “The benefit of the Coronation depends, firstly, on the faith in prayer and self-dedica-tion of the King. Of that it would be improper to say anything, except to commend him to God’s grace, which he will so abundantly need if he is to do his duty faithfully.

We hope he is aware of his need. Some of us wish he would give more positive signs of such awareness. “The King, on this occasion, holds avowedly a representative position. His personal views and' opinions are his own, and, as an individual, he has the right of us all to be the keeper of his own private conscience, but, in his public capacity at the Coronation, he stands for the English people’s idea of kingship. “Whether the ceremony may mean much or little to the individual who is crowned, it means to the people, as a whole, their dedication of the British Monarchy to the cai’e of God.

“There never was a clearer need than at present for a great rally to religion. The world is torn by conflicting tendencies, overtly and covertly anti-religious. “No Christian can feel comfortable about the attitude towards religion displayed by rulers of various European States. “The threat of a national or international disturbance never seems to grow less pressing. Civilisation is in a tottering unstable condition, and is forcing us to wonder whether it may perish from internal combustion."