SOCIALISM RELIGION.

NZ Truth, Issue 103, 8 June 1907, Page 6

SOCIALI SM RELIGION.

FORBIDDEN SUBJECT

broached;

A Sunday Night at His -Majesty's.

Some higjhly entertaining. and instructive addresses are given at the Socialists'- meetings m E'er Majesty's Theatre, Wellington, on. Sunday even- f ings. Last Sunday; aMr Gilchrist, ■■■ from Dunedin, spoke on tha general ' uselessness of the 'Christian- faith. •• Wellington Socialists are afraid to touch religion with . a long-handled fork, but dn Duns-din, where Gilchrist comes from, they have .stormy word battles over the parson business,' afid speak with engaging frankness 'about ths black-coated non-producer. . TII3 chairman. on Sunday night disclaimed on behalf of the local .. foody '-my connection with the religious, clement m the speaker's address ; but it; was all about religion— a sane exposition of, the Church's baneful influence on the advance, of /progress. Acccrdinfc to (xilehrist, the Christian faith is a poor sort of thing and m many particulars a copy of oUter religions!, liiddha and Confucious were lespoiiiibls for many of th.3 sayings af- : tributed Christ, and many sayings attributed to Christ were fathered by. the early teachers of the Church. Tha speaker's opposition to the holy calling was actuated by the fact that the Church leaders had always tleen the most prominent in' opposing any movement for uplifting the masses./ Christianity was a creed baSed on the story of tho Bible, and religious dogma had l:e:n considerably modified of late by acceptance of the Darwinian theory. The condition of women in' Egypt two thousand years 'before Christ was infinitely better than m the Christian world of to-day. T-ho 'Greeks and the Romans gave untrammelled freedom to their women, bufe the teachings of the .Church Jhad. Jjeen_:.m.Jthe. idirecticn of condemning the fenuile, whoss (.;r---dition m Christian England to-day, was . a disgrace to any' country m. the world. The speaker quoted the early "Fathers of the Church, whose references to women were of the most depraved kind. Even Christ had snubbed his mother on more than one occasion, a iid had preached that men, to follow Him MUST HATE THEIR FATHER • AND MOTHER and brother. Surely, said the lecturer,, love, should comineiics m the ■ house. ,-''.' .-'•"■' ■■'"'. In reply to a -'question, Gilchrist . said the 'Church, if ,it desired support, should devote itself to the work qf uplifting the -people. In reply to remarks by a'red-head-ed orator (who kept his hat on, hot from disrespect to tbe audience, hutf out of respect for hi? ..head), tha lecturer said there wexs . many timid Socialists who were fearful lest .he should speak on religious matters and alienate the S3 r nipathies of. some members. He always spoke his mind.. The red-headed person strongly objected to 'being- called a timid Socialist because he refused to say ; what he* ■thought oh religious mat-, ters. "If I think the Bishop of Can-, terbury is a dog," he . remarked with logical emphasis, "I shouldn't be called a timid Socialist because I refuse to call thD Bishop of Canterbury a dog." .> \ ;• The Dunedin man was too good :| "Had you done so," he said, "I would say you were not well up m your zoo-ology." • • An ■ excellent orphestra plftJ'S at these meetings. It is> Olliver's orches- . ' tra, and the services of the mo-m^ers are given- free, we understand. .During part of the proceedings an irate Christian who harangues the . crowd at street comers occas;lohrJly, challenged the infidel to meet him m . delate on the Christian faith. The heretic said he did not fear a ' debate, but he was, travelling North md could not ( onveriiently arrj.;^? z meeting' at present: Perhaps hi might 'meet the. sincere Christian at some future date. A boss person of the Wellington Socialist body said they did not touch religion as a rule, bait the ' sincere Christian was welcome to the use of the hail and the platform at a future meeting. . Durino; the proceedings the sincere Christian 1 was apopletic with indig-. nation at the terrible doctrine enunciated by ths Dunedin visitor, and when questions were, invited spluttered to suoh an extent as to be unintelligible. He was a source of entertainment to the sceptical crowd.