Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1942 GOD IN THE SCHOOLS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 28 July 1942, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1942 GOD IN THE SCHOOLS

THE Bishop of Nelson wants to see: the Christian faith taking a greater share in our daily lives. In his charge to Synod yesterday the Bishop | postulated as the main purpose of any; New Christian Order the making ofj better men and women. This pro- j cess, he felt, should be continuous, I beginning at the mother’s knee, continuing during childhood in the home; and at school and being sustained through adult life. To make this possible he is eager to have the Christian God take His place in our schools l’or, (lie argues): The meaning of life cannot be taught unless the Christian ; conception of God and man becomes part of the regular instruction imparted to the pupils through the Bible teaching and, for that to be effective, this should be done in the course of the curriculum. The Bishop believes that this is one ; of the reforms that a country can in- j troduce for itself as an essential con-j tribution to the New Order. It is true that our avowedly secular \ system of education could be changed: by legislation. This has been many j times talked of and sometimes at-! tempted but always the opposition • has been too great and bills designed j to this end have never reached the' Statute book. Bishop Stephenson) does not underestimate the difficulties j for he has had first-hand experience 1 of them. It has always seemed il- j logical that the very fountain of ourl life and being should be prohibited' from flowing freely among young! people in the formative process of education. Perhaps we are getting; wiser about such fundamental issues j ! and it does seem that the Churches at least are prepared to put behind! them some of the doctrinal conflict 1 which has been one of the main barriers to action. In the past the Churches have not seen eye-to-eye on the subject, so lack of unanimity among laymen is 1 excusable. Parents in general have been acquiescent; teachers as a body often actively hostile even though as individuals many of them have been practising Christians. The question; of conscience has cropped up while; there are genuine doubts about how; far God can be introduced into the. schools by regulation. A distinct aversion to organised religion has', been noticeable in the last genera-j j tion. Many worthy people have preferred to seek communion with Godi in quiet and private contemplation or through the beauties and wonders! of Nature, and who is to say they are, at heart any less Christian than the) thorough-going churchman? It has; been argued that, just as going to, church ean become a formality de-: void of much inspiration, so religious! instruction in schools can become just; another subject on the day’s time-! table. Any teaching which becomes mere routine and is barren of spontaneity and sincerity is of course useless, but is there any need for the inculcation of the fundamental truths of man’s existence to become a matter of routine? Is there not a great chance waiting for school pupils to enter into an appreciation of the truth, beauty and goodness of the Bible teachings as they do now into the inspiring qualities of the best in poetry? Simply interpreted, stories from the Bible make lasting impressions on the young mind. If stripped of dogma and presented in palatable form there seems no reason why their spiritual influences should any longer be denied to the children of a land which professes to set such store on real education. Perhaps we are coming closer to agreement on that principle. If we are the machinery by which to practise it should not be beyond the ingenuity of our administrators to devise.