THE MARRIAGE LAW.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 September 1920, Page 7

THE MARRIAGE LAW.

■ i ; SOME TARANAKI VIEWS, f \ "PERSECUTION MUST BE AVOIDED." Though the controversy arising over the proposed amendments to the marriage law has, for the moment at any rate, become calm after the first storm, the fires of debate are only smouldering, and they may be expected to btf stirred into flame again when the proposed legislation comes before the House of I Representatives, as it will do during the [present session of Parliament.

Now that the views of the leaders of religion in New Zealand have been freely declared and discussed it is interesting to seek the thoughts Which the leaders of the Cihurch in New Plymouth have on this intensely interesting subject, and, though the enquiries of a Daily News representative did not meet with complete success, he gathered some brief opinions which show what the Church here is thinking. The vicar of St. Mary's Anglican Church (the Rev. P. G. Harvie) said:— "The Anglican Church has not, as a body,, expressed an opinion on the proposed amendment to the marriage law; probably the matter will up for discussion at the Auckland Diocesan Synod next .month. My own personal view is that the right note has been struck by the Rev. I. Jolly, the Presbyterian minister in Auckland, whose views were published recently. Although we non-Romans do not agree witli Roman teaching, we do agree that anything ir the shape of religious persecution must be avoided, and the proposed enactment Beems to me to set a very dangerous precedent in that direction.

"But, further, supposing the Roman Church regards a marriage as null and void, is anybody injured except the Roman Church, itself? As a matter of fact nobody would take Very much notice, and certainly the parties concerned would not do so. A simpler method than what is proposed would be to insert a column in every marriage entry stating the religious persuasion jof the parties, as well, of course, as the denomination through whose agency the marriage is conducted. This apparently trivial additional entry would at once set at rest any doubts cast upon the validity of the marriage, for the cause of those doubts would at onee be evident, and they would" immediately be measured at their true value. We cannot agree with Roman teaching, but we can surely avoid making such teaching a criminal offence, and treat it as negligible." "Personally I feel that the Christian church must emphasise the sacred character of the marriage tie," said the. Rev.0. Blundell, of St. Andrew's Presfcytei rian Church. He prooeeded to state that the validity of a marriage presided over by a Registrar was not questioned by j the Church, but the solemnity of ij. church marriage was a strong factor in keeping before the parties the importance of the contract into which they were entering. He added that there was a tendency to regard marriage as a contract to make and break at will, and this appeared to be the result of persons not having a full realisation of the solemnity of the bond. Mr. Blundell added that he did not intend to convey that a-iuarriage must be solemnised in a .*L ' wgS*"-

church; it could also he carried out with all its sacred associations by the officiating minister in the home. The sacred-' lies a of tlie tie, however, should always lie prominently before the minds of the contracting parties. The Rev, J. Napier Milne, of the Methodist Church, stated that lie had not sufficiently studied the question to be able to give an opinion on the amendments.

Approached for a statement of the Catholic viewpoint, Dean McKenna said that any statement from hiin would be on exactly similar lines to the pronouncements already published from the Bishops of the various diocese.