INTOLERANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18562, 21 November 1923, Page 7

INTOLERANCE.

Sir,—As , the first correspondent of . three I to charge the Rev. J. J. North with religious I challenge your correspondent "Truth" ;to i prove the following ; J\ assertions made by hinw—(l)SThat .infant bar-ism is -• an • opinion opposed to Biblical facts; (2) - that immersion was the-univer- • sal ; practice of the Church - until i the , thir- . teenth century ; y (3) V' that \ha gives ; ■ the a name of the Pope whom he declared intro- Sduced .Infant, baptism. / I havs no ; desire ' to be uncharitable in my „ criticism of"Truth's" assertions, ' but "when he quotes . frohi his Greek Lexicon, :it is really ; amus- -" ing;' I ■ cannot imagine ; anyone -being so . wise .on this subject who, is not a Baptist,7 but he says he is not one. - He ? also states i: that -he knows the Bible well /enough to ■ - r say emphatically that it does not definitely teach infant - baptism. ;; I-jam # sorry for>;§ "Truth," ;when \he qualifies his statement®' by : using the word "definitely," which makes one i think that fie is noli quite gure after all about (the right or wrong of infant baptism. The ;weakness of "Truth's!' statement" on this subject is ;an evidence I; of his limitations, which > make him ignorant of : things outside his own particularly" little circle. I have no wish to enter into a controversy with my Baptist friends, A but still j think, as I am ! sure a number of them do, that the Rev. J. yi North's remarks extremely uncharitable' and - un-Christian, when :Vlie stated ; | that. infant \ baptism as ' practised £by Pres- £i byterians and * Methodists ::wasfi the most cruel ; ; thing -in the ; world/ As ; a Methodise I declare that infant baptism fas : practised by these "churches is summed ,un fa a versa of a hymn:— , - k* . "We bring them Lord, in thankful arms, v.' And yield I. them vup. to Thee/ 1 % •_. Thankful that' : we', ourselves?. are Thine • Thine let our offsprings b<&." I ask if there is anything crnd about *, this. And | surely "Truth" L does not regard Roman Catholics,. Anglicans. Presbyterians, ' Methodists, Congregationalists ' and solvation 'Army: folk as having very;.J uncertain titles to Heaven , becausa they have not been immersed? J.K,