The New Zealand Tablet THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1923. MODERN LAWLESSNESS

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 42, 25 October 1923, Page 29

The New Zealand Tablet THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1923. MODERN LAWLESSNESS

E SIDES its mission to save individual souls, the'Catholic'Church, founded on earth by Christ Himself, has a mission to sanctify civil society ' throughout the -world, beginning with the domestic society, which is the family, and widening its influence to reach States, legislatures, kingdoms, empires and the whole order .of civilised mankind. Cardinal Manning reminds us that the Church has had three periods or phases already.. The first was the period of three hundred years, during which it was doing its work for the sanctification of individual souls under stress of persecution. The second began, with the end of the persecutions, when a convert emperor as head of the State first paid the homage of the civil power to God. From that date down to the end of the sixteenth century, civil society was pervaded by Christian law, Christian faith, Christian unity, and Christian worship.. The laws of God were the laws of Christian States; the laws of the Church were transcribed into the statutes of the people; civil and spiritual authorities worked together in union for the glory of God and the welfare of mankind. From the fourth to the sixteenth century there was a grand spirit of Christian harmony throughout civilisation; there was a unity based on unity in faith, in worship in charity, in authority. However the passions of individuals might then rebel, the public order was sound it was one; it "was based on eternal principles. * With the sixteenth, century ■ came the third period, ,,, the period of revolt, the period of destruction, • during which men saw undone so much of the work accomplished by Christianity) during the preceding centuries. There began a pulling down of the fabric, a disintegration of society, an erasing /of Christian laws from statute books and of Christian principles . from the hearts of men; and a breaking up of the unity of faith,:.worship and communion, together., with a rejection of the spiritual authority of. the Church, which Christ commanded to teach mankind in ? His Holy ,Name. i The evil began in the hearts of vicious, •. passionate, ambitions, . proud, individuals.. The mention of a few names like, thoseof Henry .yi JL; r Martin ~Lu ther^Queen. Elizabeth,'-, siiffir . .Cl-: •- V - url.r ...... . , - ,* -• r

ciently' recall the nature of leaders ofUhe revolt. Their, ■■ unsavory history, their : immoral lives, " their - uncontrollable passions, su&fiently explain, their actions. The revolt 'sp^r||fl;: ; thosejwho hated the ;' r restraints of- the law of'God and powerful princes, encouraged by-Luther amic-thersiike-him, forced-helpless peasants to give up their practice, of the Catholic reli-. calling in soldiers to massacre those who refused, as\German mercenaries were ■ hired in England to4rill trie faithful~ and thus aid in spreading Protestantism among the, masses. ■ l The plunder of . the-monasteries and of the possessions'-of Cathode : nobles provided booty which lured on hundreds, of unscrupulous' apostles .of the heresy, and when many became rich in this - manner they took care to provide legislation intended to secure them .: in their . ill-gotten gains. - Thus in :. time governments and legislatures, were infected by the : poison, and the expunging \oV the" laws) of Christianity began among modern States, and spread from one to another until the godless State of to-day— as we have it in New Zealand—-became common. Christian civilisation has been rejected, and only lingering traditions of better things preserve most modern" 'governments from lapsing into savagery. It only needs a war "to inflame passions in order to make plain how near to that savage state we have come. Recall the infamous lies, the brutal treatment of C.O.'s, the heartless 1 ex-" ploitation-of . the "lower classes, the deliberate fanning of the flames of racial hatred by the daily press, which we witnessed in New Zealand between 1914 and 1918, and it is at once evident how far we have fallen from true Christian civilisation. Add to this the public and private corruption of morals, the unchastity of even _ children, as revealed by police-court records, the base methods employed by politicians to retain power, and you will recognise that except in name we are more unchristian than were the • effeminate and '' degraded pagans of the tottering Roman Empire.

The lawlessness of our time is manifest in individuals, who have practically ceased to govern their conduct with reference to Christ and His laws. There is . no doubt that to all intents and purposes, Hew Zealand to-day is a land- of practical pagans. 'The spirit of the times is also evident in the degradation of the marriage bond, which for. our corrupt government now means little more than a bargain made in a stockyard. And, as a consequence, we witness the breaking up of the home and the decay of parental authority and control, and the resultant demoralisation of the children. 'The revolt against religion has spread to civil and political ' life. This is largely due to the spirit of Protestantism, I but it is also due to jthe worthlessness and the trickery of the members of governments who do everything in :,; their power to make the . people distrust and despise : ; them and manifest none of the qualities and virtues . which we have a right to l expect from the representatives of the people. Lord Bryce described our' politicians as beneath the average human standard in education and manners, and of some of them we who know li'r.SC. them better could say even'harder things than he said. • : At the command of calumniatorsv these people pass legislation attacking the faith of a-; large section of the 1 .- , community; a public bigot is placed in the Cabinet for no reason known to anybody but a Prime Minister who belongs to a society denounced by the British Govern- , ’ ment as wicked and malignant. " And so the story goes'of politicians whom decent, " God-fearing men refuse to know. What wonder that tjiere is no respect-for laws J made by such persons. fJTheiiv yery existence in a poll- ; s ' tical life is another consequence of. tlie general denior- 1 ‘ - alisation. brought about by tbq revolt against Chris- r: - tianity. u What truly civilised and Christiancbmmunity would for a moment consent to be governed by such—}. persons? "Right well they know how and/ why they ■ are in position. ; And so they maintain' the godless schools which , are ruining teUntry^fand[;they: make ' their bargains, and they pass their-bigoted . anti-Chris-d^degiskrionr-whßeHhe^tM^^ Mgr and Ibwer ' 'intd’ khe ■mirefTSVi.P'' ; - _V