The Three Layers Of Life.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XIII, Issue 5, 1 November 1922, Page 419

The Three Layers Of Life.

Every Christian realises that his or her personality is expressed by body, soul (mind, reason) and spirit. Now there is a whole layer or level of life corresponding properly to each of these three divisions, and each level has its own laws; but the laws of the lower level are cut right across the moment we try to live by the laws of the level above. Thus we may say that we have three strata, body, soul, and spirit, and the most terrible mistakes are made when men insist that the laws of the lower stratum shall be applied to the higher. Thus Darwin discovered some laws that govern plant and animal life. The Law of Natural Selection, m a nutshell "the survival of the fittest.." The stronger weed, the sturdier insect, the fiercer animal wipes out the weaker. This iaw is true enough as far as it goes — it is true of vegetable and animal life — including the animal life of man. The ghastly blunder was to apply Darwin 's theory to reasoning* human beings, Prussianism and Nietzsche's " blonde beast," are simply Darwinism mis-applied to human life. The stronger race has the right (following weeds, etc.) to eliminate the weaker. Darwinism, true as applied at the biological level, is an appallingmistake — as-' this generation has. learned to its cost— when mis-applied at the human level of life. For — as Huxley has well said m his Romances Lectures — there is 'another law dominating human life — the law of the sacrifice of self for others. Man, as such, has the reason and the feelings which enable him to rise above the mere assertion of the individual self, and to work for the good of others — for the good of the nation, the good of the race — even when it means toil and loss, and the sacrifice of self. We feel, we know instinctively, that these the higher, altruistic, human instincts are 1 right, and .that to inter-

pret human life. on. a merely animal plane is wrong; So much is this conviction embedded m human nature, that it. took something like forty years of Neitzeheismto debauch the German mind to the superman animalism, for the filthy work their rulers meant them to do. What they learnt, with such horrible results, was Darwinism mis-applied to the hitman layer of life. But there is a third layer— the Spiritual. There is something more, something higher than "the good of man," "the greatest good for the greatest number," there is "the greater Glory of God." There are Divine sanctions m the world. There is a definite Divine Law, and history tells, with no uncertain voice, the fate of nations that disregard God'k Law. To apply this m one direction only^that of sex. Many of our politicians, and others, regard the matter of divorce solely from the second layer point of view. What decides the question of divorce, and the consequent right of re-marriage, is the question whether, m the opinion of the Judge, the longer continuance of the marriage bond, is likely to be of benefit to society! Not a thought of God's Law. Thus the Marriage Laws of the State m this country have quite definitely gone down to the second, humanitarian, level. But Christians cannot for a moment allow this; We are bound to maintain the spiritual level. The Laws of God, as- expressed by Christ, are at least as high aisove merely humanitarian laAy as that law is above "the struggle for. existence" and "the survival of the fittest." It devolves then, upon iis Church men and women, and Christian people generally, to endeavor to make it clear to our politicians that we shall not quietly acquiesce m the dragging down of marriage m New;- -. Zealand to the lower — level life. - G. D. WILSON.