A CHURCH TROUBLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12705, 7 March 1912, Page 2

A CHURCH TROUBLE.

INVESTIGATIONS BY METHODIST CONFERENCE. MINISTERS AND THE BIBLE. (Special to Herald.) OURISTCHURCH. this day. A special correspondent of the Press telegraphs from Auckland that, the Methodist Conference has been investigating charges of heterodoxy against a widely , popular preacher (about which the telegraphic messages from Auckland have been silent). It is .said that the finding is not adverse to him, but run-ji on these lines: That the heterodoxy is! more apparent titan real, tlie preacher , being given to rhetorical flourishes ; I otherwise he is m the -true line of ad* vance from Wesley, whose life was a long struggle to vindicate the Divine character to the man m the street against the. .libels of prevalent theology. The finding, while not trying , to, suppress • honesty and coi-Vage, 1 depredates the unnecessary- > antagonism 1 of those who diffei - . ;I hear thatr_t! was stated m the-debate-tthat John W<esley* was a higher critic, as his version df the prayer book stated- that he had left, out' the valedictory psalms, , because , they were unfit fpr- Christians to' repeat. ( -From -another. source- the Press- '-learns that a layman made'-'a' charge against- a minister in 'the North Island that" he, m several, discussions^ had- given .utter-ance-'to' many ■'•pernicious-: errors'," ■• of which the following is the gist- :■ — . The Holy' scripture : "The Bible contains the Word of God,- but it is not correct to ssaty t that it is. the Word Of God. There is much m ,it. thaj. revolts your moral sense, ahd which therefore cannqt be the. Word of God. Much of the Book is simply ancient opinion, as when it is said that a plague was caused by taking the census, or as when ' the she bears that tore forty and. two child, ren m the days of Elisha were said to be sent by God to do so. Much of it is repealed apd superseded., by v !latter.,part.s, as* Christ show's by protesting, against some ancient sayings;. Much of it, again, is parable.- and allegory and "has for ages been treated °as< -history-. The.writer of Genesis never dreamt that' there would ever be men, ,so -foolish .as .to/t reat* tlie story, of Eden as history: , Its. magic trees, talking snake, God walking m the Garden and the flaming sword are all obvious drapery and machinery. The essence, pf the story >iß -the; birth* of con- 4 science m man, We>.must judge the Bible as- we do, any. other book. What is unintelligent must be rejected by our reason, and .what is .morally, shocking must be rejected by--, our conscience.. We have a standard within us that must not suffer itself " to be- browbeaten by .any ancient book.'' -

The fall pf man :— "The Bible does not tell us that man 'fell.' The word 'fall' is- .a. theological interpolation. Su is the idea that Satan was disguised m the snake, of EdQn.;. The, writer, suggests ■nothing of the sort, .Milton-has popularised that theological invention. Before his 'Fall' -m&n was innocent; that isf ignorant, not knowing the. difference between good and evil. Jt was! ihe .innocence of hearts. ..There is something much nobler than that, namely, holiness and doing right from choice. After this so-called fall man was capable of such choice ; so, as Sir O, Lodge .says, if man fell he foil • upwards .and : , acquired a* «ioral nature." ... ?. .' ■ *, Eternal Tortures :—»' 'Sonic, , Chris-; tians would be miserable if they, did not believe that millions of their fellows were m flames. This awful doctrine of eternal torments is the grossest Jibel on the character of God ever imagined.. A man who would do to any, one person what tin's doctrine teaches that* God does to the majority of thei human face would be an inhuman monster. . Is God worse than man? .Would any. mother consign her child to endless suffering? Is God worse than, woman? Can you believe that He who exhorts us. to, love our enemies burns. his own? Anyone who thinks so should never . marry or bring fresh victims into ;the world!. A mother, broken-hearted for the loss of her son m an accident, told, me that the worst trouble of all was the fear that God had sent him to hell. 'He 'was a 'good son to m e > hut -he , professed -no faith. Do you think God will put him ih hell V I said, 'Would you put him there?' She was horrified at my suggesting that she would do what she believed' God would do. I opened" the. Gospel and. read, 'If ye then being "evil know how to give good gift to your children how much more shall your father -m .Heaven?'/ 1 must clear the : character . of . God. You. carry your hell ■ about with you* and' your heaven, too. They -are both age long, not eternal." ..'•■•■ •• ■ >

Miscellaneous heresies: — "Sin did not bring deat/h into the world. -Tliat is a poetic fiction. Death, was ages before there was any creature pn earth capable of sinning." . "Christ was pot punished for, our sins except as a father 'suffers for the sins of his softs," "I am not Qoncepned about 'ortho- 1 doxy. The wish to square teaching 'of truth wttli old standardß lias.- beeii the bane of the, phwrch. frpni : ;the( beginning. This must be an age of emancipation." "I have a great "a'diiiiratlon for Blatchford, an.d; for .Rr*jdla,Ugl\. ; They have a far better chance of heaven than m*ulti< tudes of orthodox people," ' ' When I was a. child I hated, r I^usart: a ancl Abraham m the parable, arid pitied poor D^ye^ m, his flame,.,, I , wished'^that I bou]^ ifeYp oivba nlni Wholp* b"uc"Wet'fui ''pf -^yatei!,* ? ; : '; ; ■ ... A:~.*'..\-'A - r ..'" Th^rcbm^laina|H^id thAV tlUsJlcind bf teac"ii*bg M'**ft. ,x a^-ay'. from v .the. ' -'Church, and that, it pi^ bot conform the legal standards contained, 'iH r s'W-esley's sermons" an^.his "Notes oh thb.Ne^ Te^ament," ■'.■'':-. ■*■": a* 1 *- f tA£At?A a ■;• ■-•■■'. !