MATERIALISM DENOUNCED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27569, 11 December 1950, Page 4

MATERIALISM DENOUNCED

Archbishop Of Canterbury Calls Christians To Action

PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 10. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Fisher, this afternoon called on Christians of every faith to fight a wave of amorality sweeping the world. He told a public service at the Wellington Town Hall that the world was being dominated by belief in material things and men were ceasing to believe that they had any individual importance. He said the Christian belief was: “Any person outweighs in value and importance the whole physical universe.” Dr Fisher spoke to a congregation of about 2500.

Describing the amorality in the world today, he said it was in the minds of men who ceased to believe there was much difference between good and evil. When confronted by problems they therefore took the easiest ways out, and though these ways were often respectable—very respectable, in fact—they were sometimes also evil. By this laxity, divorce became respectable. Without knowing it, the world was drifting to the stage of believing that marriage was no longer a life-time contract, and that if it became irksome and awkward one could always break the bond. He was thankful to observe that in England many young ‘ people, seeing how their parents failed in marriage, were determined to make a better job of such a sacred contract.

Men were ceasing to believe they mattered and were losing the sense that within man there were dignity, honour and greatness. Against this the church must pit all its loyalty and devotion to the belief that man was supreme above all material things. “In the end, what settles the matter is whether each one of us recognises himself personally responsible to God,” said Dr Fisher. This must be done to counteract the prevailing materialism in the world today. This was represented by the belief that human beings were shut in a world that was a kind of chrysalis from

which they could not free themselves. From this feeling there sprang two further evils, fear and greed. He said the theme he wanted to stress was one Church, one Faith, one Law. He had found that this unity within the Christian fellowship was worth travelling 12,000 miles for; while in New Zealand he was sharing the same creed, faith and prayers with the people. The strength of this bond one with another within the Church was something that was wonderful. He meant by Church the all-embracing body of religion in the catholicity of Christianity. There were in the audience, he knew, members of all denominations experiencing the same fellowship of faith. The World Council of Churches, of which he was one of the six presidents, embraced all the main religions except the Roman Catholic, and was a symbol of the Christian family. In the world council no church compromised its own position, for each was joined together simply in spirit as disciples of Christ. The Church of England started when Christendom was united. It drew on all creeds for its strength from both the East and the West. ‘ , , The Anglican community had not added to or subtracted from the doctrines which had developed from the main body of the Christian faith, and consequently was fitted for the role of unifying Christian action against the material trend of the world today. His friends of other churches looked to the Anglican onurch in kinship and respect, recognising the special place it had in working out Christ’s plan In 1800, the Church of England was hardly known outside Britain, but today communities of faith existed right throughout the world, with clergy and bishops natives of each country. To Anglicans, he would say: Be proud of your community and thankful for it.” To the united churches of all the world, his message was: Esch has our place and our responsibility. Be thankful for our faith.”