RELIGIOUS EXERCISES IN SCHOOLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20187, 26 August 1927, Page 6

RELIGIOUS EXERCISES IN SCHOOLS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—One would think by tha way in which Roman Catholic priests belabour the matter of “conscience,” that Nature had endowed them with a “super” conscience; and that Protestant men and women had little or no conscience at all. Conscience seems to play a tremendous part with them in the matter of education. Our State schools are “Godless” schools, so the Roman Catholic priest says. Believing in giving the children a religious training Catholics, therefore, cannot • conscientiously send their boys and girls to a Godless State school for their education. Their conscience would condemn them for it. At tho same time tho Catholic youth or maiden can be seat into the Godless State school to teach Protestant children this Godless education which they themselves dread. I wonder if your readers generally sm» the hypocrisy of it all? And yet, because of thege Catholic teachers in our own schools, the Catholic Church claims tho right to say what kind of religious instruction shall bo provided by the State. Arc Protestants asleep altogether? If Protestantism was just to itself, there would not be, in the circumstances, any Catholic teacher in the State schools, keeping Protestant young men and women out. If New Zealand wore Roman Catholic and there were but 14 per cent, of Protestants, they would not have much say in the education of the country. 1 read Dr Cleary’s address of reply to Mr Isitt’s Bill, and I suggest that if anyone reading it, ■ without any knowledge as to who delivered it, would hardly think that tho speaker was a minister of Christ; for there is so little of tho Spirit of (Jurist in it. Roman Catholic speakers and writers have a vocabulary not very far removed from the “ revolutionary ” in his denunciation of capitalism. Of course, my letter will be interpreted as an “ attack ’on Catholics.” They are very sensitive fto criticism, and while their opponents must bo very guarded in their choice of language towards them, they themselves have the “ right ” to indulge just as the spirit moves them. “ E.W.F.” is still busy trying to smash tho Bible. Ho might give your readers one or two of those “scientific 1 ’ facts that disprove tho Bible. I have not come across them yet. When he has done that I might possibly furnish him with the latest fact, along scientific lines, that establishes the truth of Bible prophecy. Boys and girls should not be taught anything from the Scriptures because in later years they may see fit to discard their earlier religious instruction! What an argument! On tho same plea children should not be taught history, for the simple reason that, when they grow to maturity, they may read other historical books dealing with tho same matters and find them very contradictory and dissimilar; and being of a Rationalist turn of mind, only believing what appeals to reason, they might demand ” scientific ” proof as to tho facts. The same may be said of other things. I would not like to say that the prevalence of juvenile crime ’ to-dav is due to a lack of religious training in (he young; but it is quite evident that this “ lack ” is not in any way chocking it. It must force itself upon every thoughtful, observant person that something is wrong. I notice that the High School is opened with prayer. Strange, is it not, that this practice would be mischievous in the primary school? Tho Bible is a good and necessary Book in_ the Church. It is helpful and edifying in the Sunday school. It is comforting and binding in the home; but, put it into the school, and it will immediately cause divisons. What a strange Book it must be 1 It is tho only Book in tho world that definitely and authoritatively tolls mortal man of a glorious life beyond, and how he might attain to it; and the One Who has promised us such a life is tho only Teacher Who ever lived that was crucified and rose again from tho dead, giving us the assurance by His resurrection that Ho" was able to bestow this gift. Should boys and girls who have their lives to live with all their temptations and pitfalls, to say nothing of the sorrows of life, not be made acquainted with tho teachings of this Book? Perish the thought I Let professing Christian New Zealand rise to the occasion, and restore God’s Holy Word to its rightful place in the schools, not because He has commanded it — wo know He has not done that—but because wo honour Him in so recognising His Word.—l am, etc.. Supporter of Bible in Schools. August 24. Sir, —For more than half a lifetime I have taken a practical interest in educational matters. For a great number of years I have had' the pleasure of being a member of a school committee, and for a sonsiderable time being chairman of that committee. For various reasons I do not think the introduction of the Bible in schools is politic. I do think that if something is not done in the near future in the way of blocking this movement we are going to, have the whole working of our educational system ruined by a set of religious fanatics and short-sighted, narrow-minded ministers. One is not surprised at anything they may say, but of intelligent, educated ministers we expect something different, and it comes as a shock to find them backing a movement which they must know will end in disaster. They must surely know that if the Bible is forced into the schools a great injustice will be done to a large section of the community. Every reading man knows of the miseries caused by religious bodies interfering in politics. We do not need to go back in history for example. Mexico today, Ireland of to-day. South America today furnish illustrations. We find legislators in«, Mexico doing their utmost to choke off religious interference in their schools. In Ireland the position until lately was intolerable through religious interferences in the schools. And yet here, in this lovely country of ours, we find ministers trying to pitchfork their views on to us and ram their selfish, intolerant theories down our throats. I say, Sir, that they are guilty of trying to start what will end up in religious turmoil. It is no'use pleading religious zeal. I charge them with smallness of spirit, with shirking their responsibilities, with preaching from their pulpits peace on earth” and doing their very best to upset it. We have in these days no use for Cromwells, Claverhouses, or men of that kidney. We want to be allowed to enjoy that freedom which our forebears suffered much to attain. The churches, the Sunday schools, and the homes are the places to teach religion to the young. A, o e the scholars can be taught, and the Scriptures can be interpreted to them in the way their parents desire. What an act of base tyranny to try and force teachers against their will to teach or read scriptural lessons which are distasteful to tncra even if you will find religious teachers, of whom. I do not deny, there are a few. What kind of person is going to read Scripture to satisfy the denorainatmnal vagaries of different religious sects. What will do for me and mine will not do for the other fellow. Mv children are not going to be preached at h> an impossible crank or-have the Bible i-i, em by some satirical Athiest! e children are not able to protect themsell cs, it is our duty to protect them. I am a I resbyterian, a believer in tolerance and peace on earth, but not in religious selfishness, religious coercion, and intolerance.—l am, etc.. Householder.

r ‘ S i lß, rr Yoiir corespondent “ Crop ” -vill and the supernatural and indestructible facts he is asking for in the Book of roadl 1 ' 9 v I Vh!Ch ’ ' appa , r f- nt,y ’ ho has never load) where, in addition to the great wonders performed by Jehovah in Egypt wo have an account of the Israelites' (1) passing through the Red Sea as on dry and; seeing a manifestation of Deity; r wing fed by manna in the wilderness for 40 years; (4) being led by a pillar of Houd by day and a pillar of fire by night; (5) fed With quails; (6) drinking water from a rock of flint. These, are the indostruetiblo facts which form the foundation. of the Jewish religion. These facts, ns a learned divine observes, “were exhibited under circumstances of extraordinary publicity, and monumental and conimemo'rate institutions, such as the feast of the Passover, were sot up at the time of their occurrence to prove to all future generations that the events did actually occur. Such facts cannot be false.” The supernatural facts on which the Christian religion is founded were also openly exhibited and commemorative institutions were set up at the time of their occurrence. Those institutions have continued from that day to this. When the Rationalists have established a world wide Rationalists’s festival to commemorate some fictitious event—such, for example, as that the Rationalists of the South Island, led by ”E. W. F.,” walked from this island to the North

Island on dry land—then wo may believe that the Book of Exodus and ‘the New Testament record idle tales. Rationalists to!l our children that Biblo facts are fictions. Well, let them show us how it was possible for the most enlightened peoples on earth to bo deceived in regard to such events, and how it was possible to establish and maintain for thousands of years commemorative institutions in regard to those events. I recommend to your sceptical readers “ Evidence of the Holy Scriptures,” bv the Rev. I', H. Horne, M.A., D.D. ;* the “Biblo Handbook,’’ by the Rev. Joseph Angus, M.A., D.D.. and “ Help to Reading the Bible,” bv B. K. Nicholls, M.A. If these books will not convince them of Rie verity of Scripture facts they will need a special miracle to remove their blindness.—l am, etc., Observer. August 25.