THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19699, 27 July 1927, Page 14

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Sir, —I am constrained to answer Mr. Norman Burton's question, "Ought the decision, to be in accordance with the will of. the majority of the people of New Zea. land, or ought the will of the minority to prevail" ? without further prolonging the argument. It calls for a reply, lest some of your readers, few I hope, would be unreflecting enough to assume there was no sufficient answer. It is sufficient to say that if religious questions, or questions affecting conscience, are to be decided by a majority, the approximately 400,000,000 of. British subjects in India would insist that all the Empire's population should become, bv fcfrce majeure, Buddhists."" " - C. E. Major.

Sir, —In. answer to Mr. C. E. Major's query as to whether religious minorities are entitled to justice, Mr. Norman Burton states that such minorities are entitled ; to justice in all things— <: and ,so are majorities." This, being interpreted, can only mean that the present majority striving for the introduction of religious exercises in State schools, in his opinion, is fighting for a right. But surely & religious right, _to be properly so-called, must in its incidence be acceptable to all, both the majorities and the minorities. The present bill is unacceptable to several minorities on the declared grounds of conscience, and is therefore not a right which the majority are irt justice claiming, but a special State privilege, which they seek to gain by weight of numbers. For ths same reason its incidence would impose an injustice upon those minorities who cannot without violating conscience# share that special privilege, nor have tbe forms of religious exercises acceptable to them also conducted in schools. Mr. Burton is not competent to decide what religious exercises are acceptable, to the consciences of others, and cannot logically refute this reasoning. It follows that, in advocating this bill, Mr. Burton is acting in opposition to that very principle of justice for minorities affirmed in his letter. A.E.C.