RELIGIOUS CLAPTRAP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8386, 14 October 1890, Page 3

RELIGIOUS CLAPTRAP.

TO THE EBJTOK. Sir, — should like to. give expression to a few thoughts suggested by your report of the anniversary services held at the Tabernacle yesterday. Pastor Birch alluded to the incident of "anointing with oil," and stated that when lift received a telephone from Mrs. Baeyertz he looked upon it as "a direct message from God." We have been treated to a good deal of this kind of talk lately. Mrs. Baeyertz d.id not receive a " message from God " to attend the Ministers' Association, etc. Now, sir, as a humble believer in Divine Revelation, 1 utter my solemn protest against this mawkish twaddle. When I hear that the Great. Principle of Evil is performing acrobatic feats with a chair to interfere with a lady's public services, and further that the All-Father whom " mortal eye hath not seen nor can see" is the author of a telephone message to Pastor Birch about oiling Mrs. Baeyertz'a throat, 1 fear we are perilously near blasphemy. Such sentiments are revolting to every intelligent Christian mind, and show that among the masses of our population superstition of the most grovelling kind exists. Protestants often tnako merry at the expense of Roman Catholic peasants who buy bottles of " the darkness that was spread over the land of Egypt," or feathers from the cock that crew when Peter denied Christ; but from a personal knowledge of Roman Catholic countries I fearlessly assert that I have seen more superstition in Auckland introduced by adventurers like John Bowie, and advocated by male and femal theological swagmen, than would be found among the most ignorant peasantry of the continent. With regard to the theological aspect of the passage in St. James, respect ing anointing the sick with oil, I merely remark that if it was ever meant to effect a literal cure, such case;* were confined to the Apostolic age, and Viinited merely- to the sphere in which the Apostles worked. This is not matter of opinion but of fact. All history proves that in subsequent ages of the Church, anointing with oil, accompanied by the prayers of the elders, whenever reported to, failed utterly to aflect physical health. It is easy to bring it Vo the test. Lob all the members of the Ministers' Association go up to the hospital, armed with oil bottles, and accompanied by every "elder" in Aucklan d. I'll wager my last sixpence that they Will produce no healing effect on a single "patient. They may hasten the death of a tew. ■ Whether the Roman Catholic view of anointing with oil, embodied in the doctrine of Extreme Unction, be the correct one or nob I leave casuists and divines to decide. At any rate, a large number of the most) learned schoolmen in Europe have taughb this doctrine for the last thousand years. I only say that the degrading view taken by our Bowies and Birches comes from making a mere fetish of the Bible, and ought to be ranked with fortune-telling and exploded tales about witchcraft. The whole teaching of these travelling sky pilots seems to me pernicious. It is wanting in manly honesty, and appeals only to the most superstitious part of our nature. The very basal principle of it is wrong. The professed purpose is to " save souls," while the real object is to make a living. Mr. Varley and Mrs. Baeyertz are travelling professionally, just so much as Amy Vaughan or -Madame Marian Burton. The only difference is that while the latter openly say so, and charge "popular prices," the evangelists profess to be sent by the Lord. Ask any of them to come without pay and you will soon find out. Th- may profess not to have a guarantee, , at, all the same, (here is a distinct understand'-ig that they shall be well 'ooked after by the committee. Mr. Varley received £70, in addition to free quarters, for six weeks' work in Auckland. How many travelling theatricals do so well '! Let us at least be honest. If religion is to do good to people of high moral principle, it must have more spine in it. But, I suppose, so long as we have a lot of sickly sentimentalists who are ready to be converted" at every mission, so long shall we have quacks and charlatans to trade on tho folly of their dupes.—l am, etc., Christian.