EVOLUTION.

Southland Times, Issue 20010, 26 October 1926, Page 9

EVOLUTION.

To the Editor. Sir, —In your issue of the 25th one “R.F.” holds forth wordily on the necessity of cramping the mind to fit his own narrow theology. In fine, flowing language he rolls forth an exhortation to believe without criticism, every statement in the Bible, from the halting of the sun to the unwilling, temporary retirement of Jonah from public life. lam afraid that “R.F.” belongs to the old and fast dwindling school of “what’s good ensugh for grandad’s good enough for me!” We moderns are more inclined to say “cuss grandad! what’s the latest?” After all his verbosity “RJF.” has not produced one single fact to uphold his argument, and I fear his illuminating remarks will fail to shake the foundations of the scientific world. Science moves on and is content with nothing less than the truth whilst “RE.”—but the less said the better. Give us a religion by all means, but do not sicken us with the wordy nothings of the old school and the highly emotional appeals for belief in dogmas that have been rejected not only by “those dreadful scientists” but also- by the majority of educated and intelligent churchmen. “RE.” evidently holds the theory that man was created perfect in every way in the twinkling of an eye and gradually became debased and is slowly sinking to dreadful depths of depravity (except for “R.F.” and a few of his enlightened friends who are turning a solid phalanx of frozen faces to the wiles of our old friend, Satan). On the other hand the Christian evolutionist says that man has evolved from the lower orders by slow degrees and is gradually climbing the mortd ladder to still better things and produces facts which seem to be very’ convincing and in keeping with the laws of Nature as we know them. Let “R.F.” make a round of the ministers of the church, let him discuss these ques-\ tions with the young theological students from the universities and he will find that Chritsian evolution is out of the realm of speculative theory’ and into the realm of accepted fact. Religion is either consistent with facts as we know them or it is not true at all, and no amount of empty appeals can throw the thinking man back to blind and stupid beliefs of a few years ago. “RE.” quotes, “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without wisdom ? Some unkind persons would remind “R.F.” that the quotation could be very aptly applied to himself. A text torn bodily from the Bible and inserted in a letter is a very poor sword and a twobladed one at that. It cannot be used to frighten the progressive thinker from finding a more kindly and respectable God than is presented by some of the old “hellfire” breed who still seek to thrust their antique dogmas down the throats of a more intelligent and educated race. Give us commonsense and not wordy yelpings from those too frightened or too ignorant to recognise that religion, like everything else in the world, is in process of evolution. I am, etc., TWENTIETH CENTURY.