RELIGIOUS NEUTRALITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19417, 27 August 1926, Page 8

RELIGIOUS NEUTRALITY.

Sir, —In Wednesday's issue Mr. J. G, Hughes takes exception to my criticism of Mr. Norman Burton's views on above, on two counts. (1) That scientific subjects such as the evolutionary view of life are religious; and (2) that there is unanimity among religious bodies on certain topics such as. the existence of God and the efficacy of prayer, that the teaching of evolution is therefore a breach of our religious neutrality. With regard to (1) I may premise that any subject under certaiu conditions may be said to have a religious or philosophical interest for certain people, but unless we are to divorce the words "sacred" and "secular" from all meaning they must be retained as descriptive terms. In my previous letter I instanced the Copernican views of astronomy as once having an overwhelming 'religious significance, so much so that disseminators were bitterly per secuted. The religious significance .s now practically nil. It has been in similar case with other scientific advances, First persecuted, then tolerated and finally accepted as making no difference to religious beliefs. Religious interest in secular subjects waxes and wanes, but does not alter their category. (2). I will admit that among religions denominations there is at least unanimity of belief in God. Go but one step further, however, into the question of His constitution arid attributes, and what a multitude of conflicting views arc; found. With prayer also, belief in its efficacy is a vastly variable quantity. How different is the case with evolution, fou example. The mass of facts that evidence its operation and the operation itself are alike accepted by the experts. Tt is only the mode of operation that is in doubt. With increased knowledge that may also be elucidated. That secular subjects and. theories have often contained inaccuracies is quite true. When new facts do not fit old theories the theories must go, and that is how secular science progresses to greater knowledge. The supposed stability ff religious'belief is no guarantee of truth, hut a sign of stagnation. Eut even :n religious belief evolution is slowly at work, as will be admitted by anyone comparing the religious outlook of to-day with even that of a century ago. A.E.C,