THE "PROTESTANT" MANIFESTO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12991, 4 June 1904, Page 14

THE "PROTESTANT" MANIFESTO.

• ( .TO TIIE EDITOR! «Prlr) Vll f' " H , ? ,n^ni "S o! iho term, 11 otutant'. apphed to the churches; of N v /ealan. ? As I read the sophistical «• ivcranee. of the.- ministers who- replied on what of the Bible-in-Schpols Conference I could not. help, wondering if any ono of ■"wi. '"' P n 1° himsqlf thp question. What would Christ do?" According to ■his so-called "Protestant" manifesto issued by a body of men belonging'to a council ot cliurchos ' sailing under the Protestant flag, throe is i.o moral right in a democracy ravo hat of a majority, ami that majority has J he-right "for tho common good" to compel a. section of Ihe community to contribute tho funds noccssarjr to provide . Protenant religions' instruction, whilst tho cliildifiii of Catholics'receive: no instruction whatever. If this be. what Protestantism

to, Hion the sooner 'those who proiess it discard the name "Protestant" the Mterj.forvili was in. tho. defiance'of Hint wry principle, that 'the Ohureh first claimed (hat .title' ip tlift' iiistoiy of tllo Church has been truthfully, va-ittcn. ■ _ ihis wise' saying: " . .' But if they, [the Cathotirs] have,conscientious objections to State, c'ciiools, anddeterminer to provide their own schools in which-, their.; own tenets nre taught by their own touchers, i tliß State, -properly sclicilions for their coiiroience-, says: 'You aro free to do this;wo will not force you' to senclyoui- children' to Iho State schools.' -This is surely'-as much as the State can consistently ' and logically do if it determines to maintain a State system."" This is a quotation from the. Protestant manifesto, and puts the Vholo. question in a nutshell. So long as the Stato maintains the' true Protestant principle, that religion is a-matter of individual conscience anil duty/and that if is no part of the State's duty as a State to.inte-v-. fere, it can consistently and logically do this. But once it departs from the common ground of secular education, and under- j talws to provide a mongrel form of ethical Protestantism dished' up by tho leaders of, the Biblc-in-Schools party, that moment will j tho system, cease to be a State system, i What the Bil)lc-in.-Sclidols party aro'really asking is that the system be- changed from free, secular, and compulsory to free, Protestant, and, compulsory. lp this they would bo perfectly • justified if, they proposed to provide, religious: teaching,for. Catholics,, or exempted Catholics from payment, or advocated denominational education. But I hope the day hao not come in this colony when, a majority fit the <people arc "of opinion that it is perfectly fair' for a Protectant to ttx a Catholic for a system of education with'a pVovifioij in its 'syllabus for Protcstaiit religious instruction: and nono whatever for Catholics. .■ No majority on earth could convert "such an action into ouo of justice; and whcre'ilie common good comes in is a mystery to me.. It strikes me that iho doctrine of "Might is right ,, , will hardly appeal to any self-respecting colo-, iiist; and, boiled down, that is thedoctrino' prtaclied in 'this ■ Jatest" lnanifestoi Strange, too, that the churches in New Zealand should , bs clamouring'for the establishment of a principle which their brethren at Home uro attacking with might and main. In Now Zealand the'"top dog" is qmto ready to worry the fellow beneath, albeit he does not "like to be worried himself. But it is surely a curious commentary on the ffholo agitation - that'ithe Bible-in-school irawon, whilst professing such, regard for the Book of Bcoks, advocates so openly the violation of tho golden rule,of. that Book: "Do unto others as you would they should do unto you." Like Dave Harem, they want to do to the other fellow what tliev assert he would like to do unto them. Anil I would suggest to Dr Gibb the inclusion in his'famous "unseetariaii" textbook of two new commandments—to wit: There shall be no sect in Now Zealand but my sect"; and the other: "He that is not

iff(tli us ict-him' have m> inheritance save j that he shall. pV into "pur treasury, and I ■ soothe 'his conwrcncc with ,:tho ' reflection ' ' that we are alibcrty'-loVing'generation, and arc. quite content f> tpad ! (I, ! r ?}"}^ en religion at , his expense, without ansistins on proselytising-his." Will tho Protestants ••■ of New Zealand toleratbtlie promulgation ,ot such a doctrine' as this? •If they: do, ■• they will certainly'-.be de-parting from- the-old Protestant traditions, and no good can eamo' ofit.-I am, etc., ; Sam Kay.