COMPARATIVE RELIGION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21543, 15 January 1932, Page 2

COMPARATIVE RELIGION

TEACHING IN UNIVERSITY MATTER DISCUSSED BY THE SENATE. In accorclince with notice previouslylodged, Sir Thomas Sidey, at the annual meeting of the University Senate yesterday, moved the following resolution: “ That in the opinion of the senate comparative religion should be an optional subject for the B.A. degree and that the senate refer this question to the Academic Board for consideration.” REASONS FOR THE MOTION. The subject of comparative religion, said Sir Thomas in speaking to the motion, would be included in any course that would be prescribed for a degree in theology, and he reminded the senate that it had already affirmed that the university should be empowered to confer theological degrees. That decision was made after the matter had been very carefully considered and favourably reported upon by a committee of the senate. To give effect to the decision, however, required legislation which had not yet been secured; and what he urged was that comparative religion be included in the arts course, at least, until such time as the university had authority to grant theological degrees. If recognition were to be given to study in this subject in the course for any degree other than that of theology, the B.A. degree was the only one available. One had only to enumerate the degrees, other than in arts, that the senate could confer, when their unsuitability would be apparent. Already, the course for the B.A. degree included several subjects that would form part of the course for the degree in theology. The whole of the linguistic studies for the theological degree were comprised in the arts course; so that a student who had taken Latin, Greek, and Hebrew for the degree in arts would not require to pass in these subjects for the theological degree. It was unnecessary, as a condition precedent to the inclusion of a subject in the arts course, that that subject should be taught in one of the colleges, although terms could not be kept in the subject until it was taught. Instances could be given where the senate had prescribed a subject for a degree before any teacher had been appointed to teach the subject in any of the colleges. The inclusion of Hebrew in the arts course was a case in point. Although Hebrew was not taught when the subject was first included, there was now a teacher in at least one of the colleges, and it was more than likely that any teacher of Hebrew would have taken a theological course which would include the subject of comparative religion and he would be qualified to teach that subject. The inclusion of such subjects as, Hebrew and comparative religion in the a'rts course would go in the direction of inducing theological students to take their B.A. degree before entering upon their course at a theological college and that would be for the advantage both of the students and of the university. There was a precedent, continued Sir Thomas, for the course he -was asking the senate to adopt. . During the session of the recent Imperial Conference in London there was a brief suspension of the conference sittings to permit of the delegations spending a day at Bristol as the guests of the British Empire League. The afternoon was spent at the Bristol University, and among the features of the system of that institution, which he had noted, was that for the B.A. degree an alternative curriculum was provided for students who proposed to pursue a part of the course in subjects bearing on theology. The subjects of. the curriculum included comparative religion.

There was no subject of more intense human interest than that of religion. Its scope was as -wide as humanity itself. It was an essential part of human nature. There was no race of man, however primi- t tive, but had some form of religion. Of all the influences that had affected the lives of men and of nations and had left their mark upon history, none had exercised an influence in any degree comparable with that of religion. The subject of comparative religion involved no »test of religious belief. Their institution could never be said adequately to discharge the functions of a university so long as it. gave no recognition to investigation or research in so wide a field of knowledge as was comprised in theological studies including the study of so inw portant and comprehensive a subject as comparative religion. He proposed to refer the matter to the Academic Board because the senate had no power to amend curricula until after the board had had an opportunity of considering any suggested amendments; but he desired that the senate should express its opinion so that its view might be before the board when it considered the question.

OTHER SPEAKERS. Mr F. A. de la Mare seconded the motion. He thought that comparative religion came within the scope of Sir Harry Reichal’s remarks to the effect that any subject -was a fit subject for a university if it were pursued for the sake of truth. He would oppose a theological decree at every point, but it seemed that the subject could be dealt with apart altogether from the theological degree, as comparative religion was, in his opinion, an important and interesting subject. Not to know something about the system of religion was to confess great ignorance of the facts of life and history. That alone was a good reason for incosporating the subject in the university system, and he did not see that it was identified in any way with the theological degree. The motion brought an important branch of human thought within the purview of university education.

Professor A. P, W. Thomas, in supporting ‘the motion, said he considered the subject as a proper study of mankind. It would be a good thing if the students could be afforded an opportunity of studying the question, and from an Imperial point of view the study of comparative religion would also be a good thing, as the British Empire was wide, and its subjects held many different and varying views on religion. He would object, however, to anything in the nature of sectarianism, for above all things the study of such a subject should be broad. ACADEMIC BOARD TO REPORT. Mr H. F. von Haast, expressing the opinion that the-senate should have more information before it came to a decision, moved as an amendment—" That the senate refer the question to the Academic Board for consideration.” Professor T. A. Hunter seconded the amendment. He said that if the colleges co-operated by concentrating on certain types of subject, they would reach a higher standard of work. He thought they should move slowly in putting a new subject into the curriculum. Mr J. A. Hanan, M.L.C., said he thought that if the amendment were carried it would convey that the senate should do something provided the Academic Board thought it a good thing to do. Education in any subject depended largely on how that subject was treated. A subject such as comparative religion should be free from any question of sect or denomination, and it should be treated in such a way as to render it immune from criticism. The amendment on being put to the meeting was carried.