FUTURE OF CHURCH.
SELF-GOVERNMENT RIGHT. LONDON PRESS COMMENT. United Service. LONDON, June 17. Commenting in the Observer upon the rejection ot the reviser) Prayer Book by the House of Commons the editor, Mr. J. L. Garvin, says: There is no chance for the deposited hook in the next Parliament. The established Church has been exhibited for the second time in the House of Commons as a church in chains. Whatever else happens it must be ruled and ordered like all other communions by our members. Either the Church must stand humiliated, discredited and weakened in its whole repute and endeavour, or, at any cost, it must assert and achieve that equal right to spiritual self-government which it was believed was finally conceded when the present representative constitution was adopted. The Church must free itself from those terms of its connection with the State such as are injurious to both. It must bo emancipated from the intolerable political tutelage of those who do not belong to its fold. It is necessary for the whole moral life of the Church that it should secure the political and religious equality enjoyed by every other sect and confession. Disestablishment will only come if Parliament imposes it. We cannot imagine any party taking the initiative. If either the Labour Party or the Liberals puts this issue on its programme at tho next general election the whole existing political situation will be transformed with incalculable results. The cry: "Religion is in danger and the Church is in danger," would be raised and the election would be the most bitter and the most violent for many years. We do not fear that the present troubles will have a tragic issue. It is more likely that the Church-will remain established and become spiritually free. The whole of the Conservatives in the House are opposed to the disendowment of the Church and neither the Labour Party nor the Liberals are likely to favour disestablishment, with or without disendowment.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19280619.2.70
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19976, 19 June 1928, Page 9
Word Count
329FUTURE OF CHURCH. New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19976, 19 June 1928, Page 9
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the New Zealand Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence . This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Auckland Libraries and NZME.