THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 1514, 9 November 1912, Page 10

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Sir,-.-The controversy about the Bi'ble in schools has perhaps been treated hitherto too much as a dispute between religious people on the one sido and secularists or agnostics cn the other. But, the fact must not bo ignored, that among the opponents of the present movement arc two important sections which, widely differing, as they do, from each other, are yet agreed in regarding the Scriptures a*, in the strictest sense, the "Word of God," and consider that for., the very reason the teaching of their cmtents can by no means ho entrusted to tho State- Ono of these sections is represented by tho adherents of tho Roman Church and tho other by those Protestant Christians whoso opinion against tho teaching of religion by the State has been set forth from timo to time in your correspondence columns, and elsewhere. Tho Church of Rome, not unnaturally, claims that it is her business to expound t.ho inner meaning of the sacred ■writings, and that into this business tho State has no right to intrude. In this contention I fully agree, only some of us suspect that tho Church has lost flu; key of interpretation, a suspicion which will hardly be alleged until she drops tho claim of infallible authority, and says to the people: — "Com© now, let us reason together.'' Rut if the Church has lost the key, we mav be -very sure that tho State has not found it, and so the Roman opposition to State .teaching of religion remains valid; and the Protestant opposition seems to rely upon a somewhat similar, basis, which is that tho State is quit© incompetent and unfitted to teach spiritual truth, a contention in which again I heartily concur. Moral teaching, &f. cMdpwt>4ML'®wi®Mtaud, and which

maybe made interesting to them, «»n readily 'be imparted in schools, and it is a great mistake* if the Bible is never drawn upon for examples and illustrations, although there are other sources from which jet more copious supplies of the sort njay be drawn. But that which constitutes the religious significance of the Bible is the store of deep spiritual truth which it con* tains, and which capnot be brought, home to the child's heart and mind, and .made < conducive to spiritual growth, but by slow degrees and by means of very wise teaching, discernment of character, and _ unlimited paticrice and catholicity of spirit. I do not for a, moment believe that this sort of teaching is expected by oven the most sanguine advocates of Bible teaching in schools from the perfunctory reading of a passage of Scripture, even if supplemented by an occasional half-hour's address _ from some denominational clergyman. But if this is so. what is all the fuss about? ' Cui bono?" When will it profit? Is it possible that anyono can sec in this agitation a prospect of goodly fruit or lovely flowers? Do the churches really think that by such means as this they can bring people back to the old faith, now visibly crumbling into material destined to bo the fertile soil of the now growth for which men and women are even now looking with earnest expecta- ! tion? J. Giles. Mount Eden, Ootobcr 29, 1912.