“POLICY SLAIN PRINCIPLE”

Taranaki Daily News, 24 February 1931, Page 7

“POLICY SLAIN PRINCIPLE”

FIRST MODERN DEADLY SIN

CHURCH ENTERING POLITICS

REPUDIATION DENOUNCED

NON-PARTY LEAD EXPECTED

By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. Sydney, Feb. 23.

In a Lenten pastoral delivered in the Bathurst Cathedral, Bishop Crotty denounced the repudiation proposal and hinted that the Church must soon enter definitely into politics to save democracy from the destruction threatening it.

Preaching on the text, “Where there is no vision the people perish,” Bishop Crotty said an English preacher recently placed first in a list of modern deadly sins “the cult of politics divorced from principles,” thereby putting his finger on the primary cause of the gathering chaos and the increasing poison in Australian public life. When a private individual repudiated his debts or lawful obligations, it was policy without principle, and people were shocked —or used to be; and when a nation or its chosen representatives made the same infamous proposal, the same moral poison was at work.

Policy had slain principle, and the moral murder was callous and complete. There was no need to seek far for the reason. Moral principles had been pulled up from their roots in God. The acids of modernity had dissoled the ancient faiths. Principle was frankly disavowed in public life to-day, and thereby the doom of democracy was sealed. The community looked to the Church for a bold, Christian nonparty lead which could be given in the Chuych’s clear vision and united voice. The Church might assert the principle of fellowship as vital to industry. There was no such thing as unordered liberty. The Church stood for th# equality of human nature arid the unity and sacredness of human life, and attempted to secure just order by Governments. The moment Governments became obsessed by economic issues and were exploited by men both ignorant and unscrupulous, they ceased striving for such an order. Then the man who rose up to challenge them in the name of freedom was not a rebel, but a saint.

Meanwhile it was useless for vested interests or poisy demagogues to attempt to silence the Christian leaders. In their public witness they were in a position where it was demanded of them that they should speak the truth.