WHEN REASON REIGNS.

NZ Truth, Issue 252, 23 April 1910, Page 4

WHEN REASON REIGNS.

Rationalist Review of Religion.

I "Will the decline ot religious belief be disastrous to morality ?" W. W. Collins, of Christchurch, says not m one of his lectures. That there is a decline m religious belief is unquestionable, he says ; lie mentioned that he and others, who held no religious belief, desired to strengthen lather than to prejudicially influence morality. The assertion that the decline of religious belief was disastrous to morality was not conQned to one section of the religious world, but to many, and each sect 't in making the assertion alluded to its own specific belief. The speaker pointed out that two-thirds of the world's " population professed religions other than that of the Christian faith, the most modern but one (Mohammedan) of the world's religions. Had these twothirds of the people no morality? Did not the world know morality till Christianity came to it ? The laws of a nation might be taken as the index of the character of that nation ; laws were the reflex of the actual moral condition of a country's people. England was a Christian, country, and the British Empire, though the greater part of its inhabitants were not Christians, was supposed to be a Christian Empire ; yet the laws ot Sngiaiwi were based upon the jurisprudence of pag^u Rome ; and many would be surprised to learn that New Zealand's allegedly modern democratic legislation was anticipated m the Koman law, when the people wco framed it were worshipping Jupiter atid other mythical gods. The speaker wouldn't say that Christianity had made bo ira{ijcess vpon the law, but was it always m the interests of morality ? Wfaeii they cams to analyse the English law they found some of its most cruel and unjustifiable enactments were due to religions beliefs, and as a direct impress of Christianity on (he nation they had a directly immoral effect on tbe people. These laws were placed upon the statute book by some fanatics, ostensibly for the pubfic good, but really for the maintenance of Christian belief. Within the rifietame of the speaker's hearers and himself, it bad been illegal to discuss these matters at all under pain of fine and , imprisomneat. These laws were still on the statute book, it was true they were not enforced, but they were retained m the > interest- of religious belief should the advocates of rational thinking become too bold m their utterances. Apart from tbe injustice, the cruelty, and the pernicious character ol these isevs, their worst feature was that thair existence hod more or less effected a misconception of right and wrong conduct. In this Christian comomnity certain conceptions of right and wrong had been festered which were entirely out ol accord with morality, by setting up a false standard. Christian nations, monarchic or democratic, had always regarded unbelief as the worst of sins. He reminded his hearers of the risks they ran m this democratic country by proclaiming themselves rationalists. The most horrible enormities had been attributed to himself. Belief m witchcraft and demoniacal possession were two Christian articles of faith tfaat had decliucu with the fullness of time, and was their decline, disastrous to morality ? A thousand times, "No." As a matter of fact, their decline was evidence of the improved morality oE the people. From 1600 to 1680 m Christain England at least 500 persons per year were burnt at the stake for having held intercourse with devils. Puritanism was tlien m -the ascendency. In Geneva, the home of Calvinisir., the record was 1000 a year bura>t at the stake for being possessed of devils. Lunatics were whipped and dragged through water to' drive the evil one out of them. At Rome m 1600 the scientist; Bruno was burnt to a cinder for demonstrating the plurality of . worlds, and 00 years earlier, . Michael Servetus, discoverer of circulation of tiie blood, met a like fate .at Geneva untler Protestant rule. The lecturer claimed that m the light of history, the decline of religious belief had had a most beneficial influence on the moiality of the people. One hears so much to the contrary that this statement is refreshing by way of a change.