THE MUTULATED BIBLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13428, 10 July 1914, Page 9

THE MUTULATED BIBLE.

(To the Editor of the Heralti.!

Sir, — YYv :iin- iifanii^' .so imu-ii iihoiit tin* Bible- m .-cliuol.-. niiii tli<- ;«^>iu-i aii uiHloi'staiul .Uiut, it is not ilu- I'.iblc m schools, I nit} ti '"mutilated"- .l'iii.ik'. that we will yet, the hot tor t'er tlie .-.alety of the Good: Book. ' . There is nothing m the Bill to say -y whom the text book ov the "ea^catul■ed , ' Bible is to be drawn up. We can at J east presume that it will be something akin to the Australian books. The Queensland manual, or text book, is the one most spoken of and favored m New Zealand. Being more grossly "mutilated" than the others, it drops more matters m dispute among the rival religious interests that are loosely allied m the compromise misnamed the Bible-in-schools League. And it is with that league a self--eviilent principle that God. goes backward m revealing Himself ; that the true State religion is to be found by dropping everything about which the -.accredited ■teachers of four denominations are. not unite agreed. Even the miraculous birth of Christ, has been dropped.' -The children now will be led . to believe that Christ, was born as otlier men,"* and so gradually lose to them His divine character. Could any surer .way be found for destroying faith' in and devotion to God's Own Book than-- thus'to- hew," hack,.mutilate even its > fundamental teachings to suit the exigencies of sectarian compromise, or of a foggy, agnosticising modernism. Just a Few ■ quotations' to see what others think of this miserable text book. Rev. A. A. Murray, Presbyterian clergyman, says, "It is m many respect^ utterly pagan." The Rev. P. TVazer described it as, a. "mutilation of the inspired Word of Cod," "a garbled mutilation of the Scriptures." and its teaching "a hash-up of ; the' Bible" • ."rip and tear theology"; "the only place for the (league's) textbook," he said, "was the fire." Archdeacon (now Bishop) Averill described it as "emasculated caricature 9? the teaching.-, of the Bible." Dr. Nevill (Anglican Primate) once spoke as follows; "I cannot but hesitate to be a party to any scheme which may seem to be making reflections-- upon the Almighty by rejecting part>f His teachings. A committee for. the human improvement of a divine revel a tion .seems to be a rather improper thing for a clergyman, to take part m. If you cut the Bible into fragments and say, m elf oet, that the Almighty and the Allwise was quite wrong m putting this or that before the people: it' you say that this or that- teaching is not fitting for the majority of mankind to have any knowledge of, that is a- reflection on 'the Divine Wisdom, and I for my part cannot be a party to the chopping of the Bible into bits." Some, of the abovementioned gentlemen have, since expressing thes© opinions, found it convenient to follow the way of least xesist- ' anc© and swim with the tide. Wliat has been the result m Australia of. this tearing up of the Bible and having it taught by every teacher, no matter what creed? *We . are told, that "the. Bible has been ' practically thrown out. of the New Siouth Wales home."— -Extract from a letter of a Presbyterian clergyman m the Outlook : (Rev." David J. Albert)-. Qmon Bathurst, of the Anglican Cathedral, Bathurst, New South Wales, says that the ceiisus showed that of all those who could with ease go to church, there was only "two-thirds of a person' of every Anglican household who. did so— not even one person out of every Angli- ' can home. Is this the best result they can show after 40 .years of. rip and tear theology m the State schools ? The clergy 'have the right to -enter New South Wales schools and teach "their mutilated Bible, but they neglect to do so. The third annual report of the Anglican Synod of New South Wales declares that "unless the clergy manifest a more lively and persistent interest m this work, it. must languish, or perhaps be finally abandoned." The- thirty-first annual report deplores the fact that the "teachers' general religious instruction" is now to a large extent devoted to the teaching of history, etc. We may also hope for this result. , The Presbyterian Assembly, held at Brisbane, Queensland, in '-May', 1914, ■ deplored - "the growing tendency to neglect the ordinances of religion, the lack of support from their own people, and the spirit of paganism that is rampant." At- the same time tho Catholic Press, of Sydney, reports, May 28th, 1914, that five churches had j been built or were nearing completion j m Brisbane during,- the last, twelve j months, but that the churches", were still too small to hold tho large congregations. So the Archbishop had purchased a site, at a cost of £18,500, m order to begin the building of a new cathedral. Our churches are full, our schools crowded, convents and churches springing up all over the lavd — where does the great difference arise? Surely those who are not wilfully blind can read between the lines. ' Protestant friends, take care that the person who teaches your child t-he Bible is. worthy of that high honor ; also, take care that you give no hand to the spoiling of the Book of God. Should not these reports make yon stop and think? What have you if you lose your Bible? Start the tearing up and where will it stop? I think I have said enough 4o make Protestants call a halt to their agitators, and tell them to do their own work a little better, and lay not spoiling hands on God's Perfect Book-. — I am, etc,, n CATHOLIC.